South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Chiefs rally from 11 down to reach title game
Cardinal Gibbons trailed late in the third quarter in the Class 4A state semifinals before the momentum shifted on a game-changing play.
Senior defensive end Mason Thomas, an Iowa State commit, received the ball on a fake punt and raced for a 55-yard touchdown for a go-ahead score as the host Chiefs rallied from behind for a 36-18 victory against Lakewood on Friday night to reach the state championship game for the third time in four years.
“It was a designed play and as soon as I can get around the corner, I said I am going to score,” Thomas said. “We do it in practice and I was ready in a big game. It was so surreal.”
Cardinal Gibbons, the reigning Class 4A state champions, trailed 18-7 late in the second quarter and scored 29 unanswered points. The Chiefs defense stepped up with a shutout in the second half and created three turnovers.
“It feels real good and we beat a great team and offense,” Cardinal Gibbons head coach Matt DuBuc said. “I think we are a secondhalf team. I am happy for the senior class. They got to finish playing at home and go out as a winner. It’s does not happen very often so I am proud of these guys.”
Junior quarterback Dylan Rizk finished 13 of 16 for 139 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 57 yards and another score. Junior running back Kamari Moulton rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
“It was a whole team effort,” Rizk said. “Our defensedid did well and the offense executed and it was overall a good performance. We did not give up period. It does not matter what the score is at halftime. We come out and we put our heads in the game. We are very excited to get to the state championship. It’s awesome and going to be a great experience.”
The Chiefs trailed 18-13 at halftime. Junior Tre’mone Drisdom had an interception return to the Spartans 22-yard line on the opening possession of the second half. The Chiefs had first-and-goal at the 7 before a fumble resulted in a 14-yard loss. The Chiefs settled for a field goal as senior kicker Adrien Alfieri drilled a a 33-yard attempt to make it 18-16.
The Spartans moved into Chiefs territory on the ensuing possession before they mishandled the snap to the quarterback as the ball sailed and Greg Otten made the fumble recovery at the 42.
The Chiefs stepped up on special teams as Thomas took the direct snap and raced down the sideline and cut back for a 55-yard touchdown run to make it 22-18 late in the third.
“It’s a play we have just worked on in practice and we had not pulled it out yet,” DuBuc said.
Rizk fired a 26-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Elisha Edwards in the right corner of the end zone to extend the lead to 29-18 with 9:47 left in the fourth quarter. Rizk had a 17-yard run to extend the drive on a third-down play.
On the ensuing possession, senior Joshua Oliver had an interception return to the Spartans 8-yard line. On third-and-goal, Rizk powered his way for a 5-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 36-18 with 7:03 left in the fourth.
The Chiefs had a 13-play, 83-yard scoring drive on the opening possession of the game. Moulton rushed up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown.
The Spartans marched downfield and answered back as junior running back Montravius Lloyd rushed up the middle for a 9-yard touchdown to make it 7-6 with 16 seconds left in the first.
The Chiefs lost a fumble at their own 28-yard line on the next series. Lakewood senior wide receiver Amari Niblack, an Alabama commit, had an 8-yard touchdown catch negated due to a holding penalty on a fourth-down play. On fourth-and-21, junior quarterback Anthony Colandrea fired a 25-yard touchdown pass to Niblack in the right corner of the end zone to give the Spartans a 12-7 advantage in the second.
The Chiefs had a turnover on downs on their next possession after reaching the Spartans 21-yard line.
The Spartans offense responded again with another scoring drive as Colandrea connected with senior wide receiver Diezel Spann for a 13-yard score in the middle of the end zone with 2:26 left in the first half to extend the lead to 18-7.
The Chiefs offense responded as Rizk fired a 28-yard completion to junior wide receiver Jesse Anderson to the Spartans 6-yard line. On third-and-goal, Moulton took a direct snap and went up the middle for a 2-yard score to cut the deficit to 18-13 with 33 seconds left prior to halftime.
Cardinal Gibbons is scheduled to play in the Class 4A state title game on December 16 at 7 p.m. in Fort Lauderdale.