Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Scrappy first-time finalists fall short
ThunderWolves rally, but Lions strike final blow
ORLANDO — Oxbridge Academy battled all game long.
Playing in their first football state championship with an injury-depleted roster, the ThunderWolves overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to tie Chaminade-Madonna with 3:27 left.
Just when it looked like the momentum was with the West Palm Beach private school, the pendulum swung. The Lions put together an 11-play, 71-yard drive, capped by a 19-yard Daniel Longman field goal with four seconds left, to top the ThunderWolves 31-28 in the Class 3A state title game.
Oxbridge Academy coach Brendan Kent and the players watched in agony from the sidelines as Longman’s chip-shot field goal sailed through the uprights, sparking a raucous ChaminadeMadonna celebration on the other sideline.
“It’s been a good season,” said an emotional Kent. “Our kids battled in the game. We just fell a little short. It doesn’t feel good, but it is what it is.”
Oxbridge’s defense, which had been one of the county’s most imposing units all season – recording five shutouts and holding nine of its 11 prior opponents to single digits – looked remarkably average Saturday afternoon. The ThunderWolves, who had not allowed more than 14 points in a game this season, allowed 21 in the first half, as Auburn running back commit Shaun Shivers gashed the defense for 140 first-half rushing yards and two scores.
“We’ve been so good on defense all year and we got gutted in the first half,” Kent said. “We had to make adjustments in the second half and it just wasn’t enough in the end.”
Shivers, the Sun Sentinel’s Broward 5A-1A Offensive Player of the Player, finished the afternoon with 216 yards and an eye-popping 2,241 on the season.
While things looked bleak for Oxbridge after falling behind 28-14, the team rallied in the fourth quarter. Junior quarterback Gio Richardson led a five-play, 48-yard drive, capped by a 17-yard touchdown strike to Herman McCray, to make it a one-possession game with 7:56 left.
The ThunderWolves’ defense bucked up on the ensuing possession as well. Despite playing without starting safeties Antavious Lane and CJ Smith, the defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back.
“No matter how far we’re down, we’re going to keep fighting,” senior defensive back Keidron Smith said. “That’s what we’re taught. That’s who we are.”
Richardson, who took a major leap in his second season as the team’s starting quarterback, continued to dazzle on the ensuing drive, leading an eight-play, 71-yard touchdown drive. The junior signal-caller finished 16-33 passing with 286 yards and three touchdowns, plus 53 yards rushing and a score.
While it looked like Oxbridge might cap its dream season with a come-from-behind win, the Lions struck back in the final moments.
But the ThunderWolves remained poised after the game.
“The heart of the team is very, very big,” Richardson said. “We’re going to come back and start in January, fight and hopefully win this thing next year.”
Keidron Smith, who will play at Ole Miss next season, has high hopes for the future of the program.
“These guys are young,” Smith said. “They’re going to be back next year.”