Mater Academy strengthens playoff case with win over South Miami

Mater Academy announced its presence with a terrifying defensive line Friday in a 23-12 win against South Miami at Milander Park.

The Lions used seven sacks, including two by Derrick Williams, to pressure Cobras quarterback A.J. Wright and control the game.

South Miami entered the game ranked No. 7 in 4-7A while Mater Academy came in at No. 8.

Mater Academy (6-5, 3-3 4-7A) got on the board first when Sean Delaughter found Malik Rutherford for a 20-yard touchdown. South Miami (6-3, 5-2) responded minutes later with an A.J. Wright 25-yard touchdown run. The Lions increased their lead to eight points when Delaughter found John Israel-Cooper for a five-yard score with 2:22 remaining before the half. Wright fired a 40-yard score to Travis Tillman just before the half to tighten up the contest.

Both defenses held their ground before Delaughter threw another touchdown pass with 1:33 left in the third quarter. He found Eric Gomez up the middle on the play to give the Lions a nine-point advantage. Anthony Jackson’s sack with 3:32 remaining in the contest gave the Lions two more points on a safety.

Delaughter completed 10-of-15 passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns in the win. A.J. Wright completed 7-of-11 passes for 82 yards, a score and an interception in the loss.

This story was originally published November 4, 2017 at 7:23 PM with the headline "Mater Academy strengthens playoff case with win over South Miami."