Chaminade shows its resolve, rallies for a lopsided victory over Dillard; Friday’s scores
Hollywood Chaminade coach Dameon Jones is always confident his team can match up with any opponent.
But he hadn’t had a chance yet to see how this year’s Lions responded to adversity.
That changed on Friday night after visiting Fort Lauderdale Dillard struck quickly twice and took a 14-0 lead within the first four minutes of the game.
Before the first quarter was over, Chaminade would take the lead and never relinquish it on its way to a 49-28 rout on their home field.
“This lets you know what kind of team you have,” Jones said. “We started that way the first two or three games last season and the kids kept saying, ‘Coach we’re good.’ But you can’t keep spotting 14 points to everybody.”
The Lions (2-0), ranked No. 12 in the nation by MaxPreps and second in the Miami Herald’s South Florida Top 20 poll, scored 35 unanswered points after falling behind early and withstood a sloppy performance on both sides in a game that lasted over three and a half hours and saw both teams combine for roughly 300 yards in penalties.
Quarterback Cedrick Bailey threw three touchdown passes and ran for another while Davion Gause ran for three touchdowns to lead the Lions on offense.
Senior defensive tackle Wayne Peart was a constant disruptor on defense for Chaminade totaling a staggering six sacks.
“(Peart) is a grown man,” Jones said. “He and my sophomore Donta Simpson, they both plug up the middle there and they let our linebackers do some work too.”
Dillard (1-1), ranked No. 9 by the Miami Herald, was led by running back Christopher Johnson, who ran for a touchdown and put the Panthers on the board on the game’s first play. Johnson, ranked the No. 70 overall prospect in the state by 247Sports, caught a screen pass from quarterback Armani Norcius and raced down the sideline for an 80-yard touchdown.
Chaminade was ready to even things up two drives later until junior safety Tre’Vaughn Martinez intercepted Bailey and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown.
But the Lions’ offense wasn’t fazed and evened the game on back-to-back touchdown drives, each ending with Gause taking direct snaps into the end zone from 2 yards and 1 yard out.
The turning point and go-ahead score came from a great play on special teams.
Zaquan Patterson sliced through the Dillard line and blocked a punt on the Panthers’ ensuing possession. After the ball ricocheted high into the air, Zachery Tanelus caught it and ran it into the end zone from eight yards out.
“All it takes is one play and Coach always tells us that it could happen that way at any level,” said Patterson, who started his career as an edge rusher and credited that experience for his prowess at blocking kicks. “I know special teams are a big part of playing in college. As a freshman, you know you’re going to have to play special teams so I want to show colleges, I’m willing to do whatever I need to do.”
Jones said Patterson had multiple blocked kicks last season and has come to expect such plays from the four-star junior prospect.
“He blocks a punt every game and he’s a game changer,” Jones said. “He’s special.”
Bailey connected twice on touchdown scores with senior wide receiver Edwin Joseph. On the first right before halftime, Joseph broke two tackles, juked a defender and took advantage of a great downfield block from junior Jojo Trader to reach the end zone. Bailey and Joseph connected again from 18 yards out in the fourth quarter.
DIllard, which has state title hopes this season in Class 3M, broke Chaminade’s 35-point surge in the third when Norcius hit junior Edward Louis with a 56-yard touchdown pass.
FRIDAY’S SCORES
No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas 42, Fort Myers 0
No. 4 American Heritage 42, Lakeland Lake Gibson 14
No. 5 Northwestern 44, Jackson 0
No. 7 Cardinal Gibbons 33, Calvary Christian 0
No. 10 Homestead 47, South Dade 0
Clearwater Academy International 26, No. 11 Palmetto 0
No. 13 Coconut Creek 35, Boyd Anderson 0
No. 18 Monsignor Pace 41, Somerset Silver Palms 0
Rockledge 45, No. 19 Doral Academy
Belen Jesuit 42, True North 12
Blanche Ely 42, Cypress Bay 7
Coral Gables 20, Coral Park 6
Deerfield Beach 34, Coral Glades 7
Ferguson 27, Sunset 14
Hollywood Hills 24, Spanish River 0
La Salle 21, Somerset Academy 17
Lowndes (Ga.) 43, North Miami Beach 18
Island Coast 24, Everglades 21
McArthur 33, Flanagan 6
Miami High 19, Miami Beach 16
North Broward Prep 55, Archbishop McCarthy 6
Nova 26, Cooper City 6
Palm Glades Prep 20, Mourning 17
Palmer Trinity 19, Coral Shores 14
Piper 27, Coral Springs 6
Ransom Everglades 34, St. Brendan 14
Somerset Canyons 33, Somerset Prep 7
South Miami 48, American 0
South Plantation 35, Taravella 0
Southridge 40, Krop 0
Westminster Academy 23, Bradenton Christian 0
This story was originally published September 3, 2022 at 12:28 AM.
