Chaminade rolls to semifinal victory, but loses Franklin

Monarch stays perfect by beating Coconut Creek

Host Chaminade-Madonna picked up where it left off last year against Calvary Christian Academy, scoring on its first four possessions and rolling to a 38-6 victory in the Class 3A regional semifinal on Friday night.

The Lions (6-1) defeated Calvary Christian 35-0 in the regional final last year en route to their third straight state title.

Sophomore running back Jonathan Harris carried six times for 133 yards and scored on runs of 63 and 64 yards in the rout. Chaminade, ranked fourth in the Class 3A poll, will travel to Miami next Friday to play third-ranked Miami Edison in the regional final.

The victory may have proved costly, however. UM commit Thaddius Franklin pulled up lame with an apparent hamstring injury on a pass play with 1:07 remaining in the first quarter and did not return. Sophomore offensive lineman Elvin Harris injured his left knee on a blocked field goal attempt by Calvary Christian and left the game for good with 4:52 left in the first half.

“I’m behind Thaddius right now. He’s the leader and I take from him,” Harris said. “In practice, he tells me to do something and I do it, so basically those two runs were from him coaching me. When he got hurt, he walked up to me and said, ‘Jon I need you,’ and I said, ‘I got you,’ and I scored the two touchdowns.”

“Their D-line was chopping our O-Line and we couldn’t hit the outside, so everything was up the middle,” Harris said. “I hit the middle twice and touchdown.”

Chaminade coach Dameon Jones said he hoped the injuries to his players were minor.

“It’s part of the game,” Jones said. “Next man up. We have been pretty good all year with it, so we will see what happens.

Chaminade wasted little time in taking a 7-0 lead as Jaylon Tolbert found Josh Jenkins for a 13-yard touchdown with 9:07 remaining in the first quarter. The Lions got the ball deep in Calvary Christian territory following a short punt and took just two plays to find paydirt.

Chaminade extended the lead to 14-0 on a 3-yard run by Davion Gause with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter.

His touchdown capped a nineplay, 63-yard drive.

The Lions capitalized on the first of two interceptions by Torrie Cox and padded the lead to 21-0 with 1:05 remaining in the first quarter when Tolbert and Jenkins hooked up for a second time, this one covering 35 yards.

Harris scored on an electrifying 63-yard run with 9:37 remaining in the first half to extend the lead to 28-0 and Samir Agassi closed out the first-half scoring with a 30-yard field goal to give Chaminade a 31-0 lead.

Chaminade kept the foot on the pedal in the third quarter as Harris added a 64-yard scoring run, his second long score of the game,to give Chaminade a 38-0 lead. Harris finished the game with six carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns.

Calvary Christian Academy (6-1) had entered the game outscoring the opposition 213-27, with 21 of those points coming in a 26-21 win over Clewiston in the third game of the season. They had four shutouts and allowed the other six points last week in a 50-6 win over Palm Glades Prep Academy.

The Eagles averted the shutout when quarterback Gabe Contento found Eric Trowbridge for a 27-yard scoring play on the final play of the game. It capped a six-play, 98-yard drive.

Chaminade-Madonna has outscored its opponents 226-68 and has scored 38 points or more in its last four games, including a 52-0 win over Somerset Academy Silver Palms (Miami) and a 41-7 win over Benjamin.

“We are starting to peak,” Jones added. “We are peaking at the right time, and I am pleased with that…everything has changed with COVID and all of the precautionary measures you have to do now on a daily basis. It’s tough. It’s different.”

— Gary Curreri

Lodge TDs, Zanders pick-six keep Monarch perfect

Bryan Lodge scored three rushing touchdowns, but it was Travon Zanders’ 85-yard interception return that sealed the game as Monarch defeated Coconut Creek 33-6.

Monarch was desperately trying to hang on to a 20-6 lead late in the game as Coconut Creek was threating to make it a one-score game with less than four minutes to go.

But Zanders picked off Amer Ellis’ pass and took it to the house to clinch the game and keep the Knights undefeated.

“He’d been trying to get me with a pump fake all game,” said Zanders. “I read it, saw the ball in the air and got it. I wanted to score... I knew they couldn’t catch me.”

Monarch’s defense was strong most of the game as it took a 20-0 lead behind the play of defensive end Shanard Lo-Ray.

But when backup quarterback DeShawn McEachern entered the game, the Cougars found the spark they needed. He led them on an eight-play drive, capped by his 15-yard touchdown run.

On their next series, he guided them to the Monarch 25, but injured his ankle and had to leave the game. On the very next play, Zanders picked off Ellis.

“That interception was huge, it took everything out of them,” said Monarch coach Dante Lombardi. “We really needed it because they were passing all over us.”

Lodge finished with 144 yards passing, 61 yards rushing and three scores, and Jerrell Mash added 103 yards on the ground.

“Our goal is to go undefeated, but getting the win [against Creek], especially with what happened last year, really gives us momentum going into the playoffs,” added Dante Lombardi.

— J. Darin Darst