McGahee leads Columbus sack parade as Explorers rally to beat South Dade in region semis
Led by Willis McGahee IV, the Columbus Explorers defensive line swarmed and stung South Dade’s offense Friday in a 34-20 Region 4-4M semifinal victory.
McGahee totaled five sacks and scored on a 55-yard fumble return in the triumph. Defensive end Robert Williams also logged two sacks for the Explorers (10-2), who moved one step closer to defending their state title.
“Every round I’m going to try to get better,” McGahee said. “Next time I’m going to try to get six sacks and two touchdowns.”
The Explorers will face Western on Friday in the Region 4-4M final.
“We’ve been here before, so it’s kind of a standard here,” Explorers quarterback Alberto Mendoza said. “But I’m excited to get to round three. It’s never bad to win games.”
Alexander Fitzgibbons gave the Explorers a 3-0 lead with a 30-yard field goal about five minutes into Friday’s semifinal. The Buccaneers (8-4) answered when quarterback Jean Calixte threw a 30 yard touchdown pass to Jerrell Jordan, taking their only lead of the night.
Running back Agyeman Addae scored on a 17-yard touchdown run at the end of the first quarter and the Explorers never looked back.
McGahee and Hector Chavez followed the Addae score with the biggest play of the night. The Explorers linebackers harassed Calixte during the sequence, with Chavez slapping the ball out of his hand. McGahee then snatched the fumble off the turf and sprinted down the right flank into the end zone.
Jakari Blackman answered with a 13-yard touchdown run for the Buccaneers, but the Explorers erupted for 17 unanswered points to start the second half, sealing the victory.
Mendoza threw touchdown passes to J.J. Gomez and Jose Leon during that scoring surge. Armando Pardey was responsible for the final points of the night, scoring on a 2-yard run for the Buccaneers about two minutes into the fourth quarter.
“They weren’t going to be intimidated,” Explorers coach Dave Dunn said of the Buccaneers. “Their kids played their tails off. We forced turnovers and I think at the end of the game our offensive and defensive lines were the difference.”