Chaminade-Madonna rallies from two-touchdown deficit for comeback win against Columbus
Chaminade-Madonna fell into an early hole on Friday, but a resilient effort saw them climb out of it to pick up a convincing 33-17 win against Columbus in Miami.
The Lions were down 14-0 after a rough first quarter, but they came up with big plays in all phases of the game to win the meeting between perennial state-championship contenders.
“We did everything wrong the first quarter and we gave ourselves something we had to come back from, but we fought through adversity,” Chaminade coach Dameon Jones said. “(The players) did a good job of fighting. We did not lie down. We like games like this where you see what you are working with.”
The comeback started with 8:34 left in the second quarter. Chaminade sophomore Brendan Leal pounced on a blocked punt in the end zone to get the Lions on the board, then an interception from junior D’Angelo Ponds helped set up a Samir Atassi field goal to trim he deficit to 14-10.
Explorers kicker Luis Palenzuela answered with his own field goal to push Columbus’ lead back to 17-10 at halftime before the Lions (2-1) erupted in the second half.
Chaminade-Madonna running back Davion Gause tied the game up at 17-17 with 9:10 left in the third quarter on a cutback touchdown run that left several Columbus defenders in the rearview mirror.
A fumble in the red zone with 8:51 left to play in that quarter cost Chaminade an opportunity to take its first lead of the night, but the team made amends via a Cedric Bailey rush at the two-minute mark to put the Lions ahead 24-17.
“That is what we preach every day — all three phases of the game — so that was big and huge for us,” Jones said.
The fourth quarter was all Chaminade. The Lions forced Columbus (1-2) into a safety with 11:35 remaining in the game to push the lead to 26-17 and a touchdown catch from junior wide receiver Edwin Joseph with 7:53 left to play sealed the come-from-behind win at Christopher Columbus High School.
“We still have got to clean some stuff up,” Jones said. “We have got a tough schedule, it is week to week, but I will take it.”
For Columbus, the two scores came via a Sean Rivero interception return and a Denim Desrosiers catch after a throw down the middle from Fernando Mendoza.
“We like games like this where you see what you are working with,” Jones. “You have got some guys that are going to fight and some guys that are going to lay down.”
Killian wins Big Cat Trophy
It took six years to do it, but the Big Cat Trophy is headed back to the trophy case at Miami Killian Senior High School.
In the annual battle with rival Palmetto, a game they had not won since 2015, Killian, ranked No. 13 in the Miami Herald’s Top 20 poll, got it done on Friday night defeating No. 12 Palmetto, 35-21, before a big crowd at Tropical Park.
The hero of the night for the Cougars (3-0) was junior athlete Robby Washington who scored all three of his team’s touchdowns in the second half.
After jumping out to a 14-0 lead at the half, Killian was stalked by Palmetto the entire second half. But each time the Panthers (1-1) scored to cut Killian’s lead to seven, the Cougars, Washington answered.
First came a 37-yard touchdown pass from Khalil Anglin with 3:15 left in the third to go up 21-7. Following a safety that put the Cougars up 23-14 early in the fourth, Washington returned the ensuing free kick 60 yards for a score to make it 29-14.
After Palmetto cut the lead back down to eight following a Kevin Smith to Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine 32 yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-12 with 5:12 left, Washington answered for one final time with a 30-yard touchdown run with 2:52 left to wrap things up.
-Bill Daley
This story was originally published September 11, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
