Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Gibbons aims for revenge
Heritage only team to beat them last year
up in a major way, with Vincent Davis, Jordan Riggins and Tajae Davis all proving capable of shouldering the load in the backfield.
One of the biggest challenges for Cardinal Gibbons will be penetrating the Patriots’ vaunted defense. Led by the nation’s top two cornerback recruits – seniors Patrick Surtain II and Tyson Campbell — American Heritage (4-0, 1-0) has instituted a no-fly zone on opponents throughout the season. Standout defensive linemen Nesta Silvera and Andrew Chatfield have made that job even more difficult by constantly harassing opposing QBs in the backfield.
Cardinal Gibbons isn’t getting caught up in star ratings, though, as they prepare for Friday’s matchup — even with the Patriots’ dominant one-two punch at cornerback.
“I’m just looking at them like every other cornerback and I’m coming in to do my thing,” said Carlos Sandy, the Chiefs’ leading wide receiver.
Last year was a transition year of sorts for Cardinal Gibbons as the team was breaking in many young starters under a new head coach, but now they’re a much more battle-tested squad.
“Last year I came into the game as a sophomore and I was super nervous and had butterflies,” Scalzo said. “My confidence level is up right now. I just don’t want to go 0-3 against Heritage.”
While all eyes in Broward County — and across the state — will be on the showdown in Fort Lauderdale, this likely will be the opening act as the teams will likely face each other once again in the playoffs. Despite the likely rematch down the road, DuBuc said that won’t play a factor in how they game plan for American Heritage.
“We’re going to do whatever we can to win the game,” DuBuc said. “We’re not holding anything back. What’s the point? We’ll worry about that when that one comes up.” losing streaks of 37 and 43 games within the past two decades, suddenly sit at 5-0 through midseason and are in the hunt for the District 13-7A title.
On Friday, Forest Hill (5-0, 2-0) will host what’s likely the biggest game in school history as the team welcomes perennial power Dwyer. It’s been a down year for the Panthers (3-2, 2-1), who lost the bulk of their starters from last season. While Dwyer isn’t as loaded as in previous years, they’re still a strong unit and come into the contest as favorites.
If Forest Hill can pull off the win, they’ll be just two wins away from a district title — something no one predicted before the season.