Chaminade-Madonna shuts down Heritage-Delray

HOLLYWOOD — Shaun Shivers looks at last year’s Class 3A state runner-up trophy in the ChaminadeMadonna trophy case and doesn’t feel too proud when he sees it.

“I get mad because that’s still a bad taste in our mouth,” said Shivers, the Lions’ Auburn-committed senior running back.

Chaminade is on a mission to bring the gold trophy back to the school this year and is now three wins away after a 38-0 drubbing of American Heritage-Delray in a Region 4-3A semifinal at home on Friday afternoon.

Shivers went for 189 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Senior wide receiver Xavier Williams, an Alabama commit, had a pair of catches for 39 yards and a highlight reel-worthy diving touchdown catch.

“Last year, I was hurt, I was injured. I couldn’t really help my team in the playoffs, in the state game, so I had a chip on my shoulder,” Williams said. “Today, I just came out here and executed.”

Chaminade will host Benjamin game in a regional final likely to be played at Calvary Christian, where the game can be played at night. Chaminade doesn’t have lights on its home field.

The Lions (8-2), already with enough motivation to claim the 3A title this season, added more with coach Dameon Jones debuting Chaminade’s version of the Miami Hurricanes’ “turnover chain” — the “turn-up belt.”

Any play where a player “turns up,” whether it be forcing a turnover on defense or scoring a touchdown offensively, players get to wear a big gold belt around their waist when they return to the bench.

“I just gave them something to play for,” Jones said. “You only bring it out for playoffs.”

Several players got to sport the belt Friday. The Chaminade defense forced four turnovers — interceptions from Deidrick Stanley, Justinn Richardson and Keane Lewis and a fumble recovered by UF commit Cameron Williams.

In addition to Shivers and Williams, quarterback Daelen Menard threw a 37-yard touchdown over the middle to Marlin Mayo and backup Quinn Dempsey came in late to toss a pass to the flat to Kentucky commit Marvin Alexander that Alexander took 45 yards for a score.

WEST BROWARD 31, FOREST HILL 26: Senior defensive lineman Alexis Alvarez had two key fumble recoveries late in the game to give the Bobcats the first playoff win in the school’s 10-year history.

His first fumble recovery set up a touchdown to pull the Bobcats within 26-24 with 3:47 left in the game on a 2-yard run by junior Jason O’Keefe.

Alvarez’s second recovery came when he stripped Darius McClendon of the ball on a rollout and he recovered in the end zone for the game-winning score with 2:30 left for in the Class 7A game at Everglades High School in Miramar.

Forest Hill had one final chance to win and marched to the Bobcats’ 19 where McClendon's fourth-down pass fell incomplete touching off a wild celebration.

The Bobcats (8-2) trailed 26-17 entering the fourth quarter before Alvarez’s heroics.

Forest Hill (8-2), which was making its first trip to the state playoffs in 21 years, trailed 10-6 at halftime before sophomore BJ Jones scored on successive runs of 41 and 48 yards from scrimmage to give the Falcons a 19-10 lead.

CAROL CITY 23, DILLARD 0: Unfortunately for Dillard, the defending 6A state champions could not be slowed down by either the torrential rain or the Panthers as Carol City poured it on in Fort Lauderdale.

Led by running back Camron Davis, who had 181 yards and a touchdown, the Chiefs defeated the Panthers in the regional quarterfinals for the third consecutive season.

Carol City (7-3) opened the scoring in the first quarter when a slippery ball went right past the punter and eventually ended up in the welcoming arms of Ronald Delaney for an 8-0 lead.

Later in the quarter, Davis ran through a gaping hole, going 35 yards untouched to give the Chiefs a 15-0 advantage heading into halftime.

Dillard ends the season with a 6-5 record.

The Chiefs will next travel to Daytona Beach to face Mainland High School in a rematch of last year’s regional final.