Columbus solidifies football dynasty with back-to-back state championships for first time
There was a time not very long ago when winning a state championship was only a dream for the Columbus football team.
Over the past five years, everything has changed for the Explorers.
After often coming up short and being regarded as underdogs, Columbus solidified itself as a championship dynasty on Friday with a dominant 38-19 victory over Jacksonville Mandarin in the Class 4M state final at Florida A&M University’s Bragg Memorial Stadium.
Columbus, a program that lost four times at the state finals from 1980 to 2018 despite being one of the most consistent winning teams in South Florida, won its third state championship since ending the drought in 2019.
The Explorers (13-2) won back-to-back state titles for the first time in school history.
“We’ve only lost one playoff game in five years and that’s a pretty cool feeling,” said Columbus coach Dave Dunn, who has guided the Explorers to all three championships and a South Florida Tri-County title during the 2020 COVID-shortened season when numerous teams statewide opted out of the FHSAA state series.
Since Dunn’s return to coach the Explorers in 2019, Columbus has gone 56-11 overall.
On Friday, his squad faced Mandarin (11-4), which entered the game with double-digit FBS recruits and a balanced offense which came in averaging 36.4 points per game and led by wide receiver Jamie Ffrench (Alabama commit) and quarterback Tramell Jones (FSU commit).
Columbus never flinched and never trailed.
Jones completed 19 of 27 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns - both to Ffrench, who finished with seven catches for 101 yards.
But Columbus’ defense, led by Willis McGahee IV and Dylan Stephenson who had two sacks each and Hector Chavez (eight tackles including one for loss), made key stops and held the Mustangs to six points in the second half.
“From the beginning we saw something we liked,” said defensive end and UM commit Daylen Russell, who recovered a fumble in the second half. “Coach trusted me and we did what we needed to do and finished.”
The Explorers executed their game plan to control the game not only by running the football but by utilizing quarterback Alberto Mendoza’s ability and experience running run-pass-option plays.
Mendoza ran for 138 yards on 20 attempts and passed for 149 yards and a touchdown, going 6 for 10 passing.
“We knew we could run the ball and most importantly with our quarterback and we knew we could cause problems with that,” Dunn said. “He ran really well and made great decisions.”
The approach allowed Columbus to dictate the tempo of the game on the ground.
Edward Bandy totaled 95 yards on 16 carries and scored two touchdowns while Agyeman Addae totaled 42 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Dunn even threw a wrinkle at Mandarin early near the goal line putting his defensive standouts, Chavez and Russell in the backfield. With Russell lead blocking, Chavez scored on a 2-yard plunge to give Columbus its first points.
“We were working on that play all season and no better time to do it than at state,” Russell said.
Mandarin swung the momentum in its favor just before halftime when Addae was stripped of the ball by cornerback Jon Mitchell, a Penn State commit, and recovered it at Mandarin’s 15-yard line to keep Columbus from potentially extending its lead at the time to 28-6.
After a false start penalty, the Mustangs marched 90 yards and scored on Tiant Wyche’s 21-yard touchdown run to cut Columbus’ lead to 21-13.
Leading 28-19 in the third quarter, Jeff Bandy made a key pass breakup on third down which forced Mandarin to settle for a field goal. Ben Hipp missed wide left from 36 yards with 1:38 left in the quarter.
That’s when junior Bryce Fitzgerald, another defensive standout for Columbus who had five interceptions in the playoffs, effectively put the game out of reach when he caught a pass over the middle from Mendoza, broke a tackle and sped to the end zone for a 25-yard score.
Fitzgerald, a transfer from rival Belen Jesuit who won a state title in basketball with the Wolverines in March, won a football title for Columbus and will now join its basketball team - a favorite to win its third state title in a row this season - starting Monday.
“When I came here the coaches gave me a big task and I was ready to take it on no matter what,” said Fitzgerald, a 2025 four-star safety prospect who has over 15 FBS offers. “It was a dream come true. My mom texted me before the game and said she needed a big play. It came a little late but it happened. It’s a blessing to come from a state championship and compete for another one.”
This story was originally published December 8, 2023 at 8:47 PM.
