Cardinal Gibbons survives against Killian to earn berth in regional finals

Justus Del Pino blocked a field goal with four seconds remaining to preserve a 38-35 victory for host Cardinal Gibbons against Miami Killian in a thrilling Region 4-2A semifinal. The Chiefs (9-3) will play at Miami La Salle next Friday in the regional final. The Cougars’ season ended at 8-3 despite phenomenal efforts by Anton Smith (two interception returns for touchdowns plus a touchdown pass) and Willie Scott, who unofficially had 10 receptions for 302 yards, including touchdowns of 85 and 67 yards in the third quarter that gave Killian a 35-31 lead. Jeremy Douglas ran 23 times for 188 yards and two touchdowns, including the deciding score on a 1-yard dive with 8:53 left in the game. Donte Findeson had 10 carries for 138 yards.

Killian’s Kymani Corbett completed 21 of 39 passes for 386 yards. Gibbons looked sharper in the early going and built a 21-6 lead. But the half ended with a wild sequence of events. With 4:46 left in the second quarter, its defense got a fourth-down stop. When Gibbons was forced to punt, Killian got a piece of it and got the ball on the Gibbons 47. On the next snap, Killian coughed up the ball and Gibbons recovered on the Killian 40. On the next snap, Scott stepped in front of a receiver, intercepted a pass and dashed 60 yards for a touchdown, and a 2-point conversion narrowed the deficit to 21-14.

Three snaps later, Scott pulled off an identical play and got his second pick-6 in a span of 47 seconds. Killian went for the lead with a 2-point try, but the pass was incomplete and Gibbons clung to a 21-20 lead at halftime. Douglas’ 29-yard touchdown pushed the lead to 28-20 midway through the third quarter. After Scott’s 85-yard score helped tie the game, Dominic Celli put the Chiefs back in front with a 44-yard field goal.