Cardinal Gibbons rallies from early 10-point hole to top University in Region 4-4A semis
Brody Palhegyi had been in tougher situations before. A year ago, he was called upon in relief in the middle of the postseason to replace Cardinal Gibbons’ star quarterback and still he led the Chiefs to their first state championship.
It meant there was no reason for Matt DuBuc to worry when Palhegyi and his offense stumbled to start Friday against University at Nova High School. Cardinal Gibbons dug an early 10-point hole — partially because a pick six thrown by Palhegyi — but, just as quickly, the Chiefs regrouped. They improbably took a lead into halftime, then ran away from the Sharks in the second half for a 35-17 win in the Region 4-4A semifinals.
Palhegyi, despite two interceptions, led the way with two touchdown passes and a touchdown run.
“My dad used to say, ‘He was up and down like a toilet seat,’” DuBuc said. “The kid’s a scrapper. He plays hard, gets after it. When you do that and you’re one of those guys, you make some mistakes, but for the most part he is what he is, man. He’s just a freaking winner.”
The win in Davie sends Cardinal Gibbons (10-2) back to the region finals. The Chiefs will return home to Fort Lauderdale next Friday to face Booker T. Washington in the Region 4-4A championship after the Tornadoes beat Gulliver Prep, 34-31, on Friday in Miami.
Before Cardinal Gibbons’ offense vaulted the Chiefs to victory, the defense rescued Cardinal Gibbons from a sloppy first half. Both teams turned the ball over on downs on their first possessions and the Chiefs followed it up by fumbling the ball away. University (8-3) took over at Cardinal Gibbons’ 17-yard line and sunk a 38-yard field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.
The lead expanded four plays later. Palhegyi tried to throw a pass over the middle and left it behind his receiver. Middle linebacker Emile Aime picked off the quarterback and ran 60 yards in the other direction to put the Sharks ahead 10-0.
University never established any sort of offensive rhythm, though. The Sharks picked up a first down on their first play from scrimmage then didn’t pick up another until the final minutes of the half. University finished the half with as many takeaways — three — as first downs. The Sharks had 67 yards of penalties and only 66 yards of offense.
Even with three turnovers, Cardinal Gibbons took a 14-10 lead into halftime. University was in trouble.
“They battled all night,” DuBuc said. “Our kids have been in these big games before, so I knew we weren’t going to fold.”
A week earlier, DuBuc wasn’t pleased with how his defense played. Although the Chiefs blew out Monsignor Pace, they also surrendered 26 points. The rout was fueled almost entirely by the offense, which scored 56.
The offense needed help from its defense Friday. Cardinal Gibbons didn’t pull ahead until 13 seconds remained in the first half and Palhegyi found star junior wide receiver Troy Stellato for a diving 27-yard touchdown catch.
A switch was flipped. Palhegyi connected with Jackson Marseille for a 33-yard touchdown just three plays into the third quarter. Cardinal Gibbons forced a three-and-out and started its next drive at midfield. Four plays later, Palhegyi scrambled for a 26-yard touchdown to put the Chiefs ahead 28-10.
“That’s what we do on this team, man. Last week, our defense struggled a little bit. Our offense picked us up, scoring 56 points,” Palhegyi said. “Once we bring it together, we’re going to be unstoppable.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 11:06 PM.
