Third-quarter trick play sparks Cardinal Gibbons comeback vs. Lakewood in state semis
Besides being the defending Class 4A champions, the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs should also be called the comeback kids.
For the second straight week Cardinal Gibbons rallied from a first half deficit to earn a playoff victory.
Another heroic performance by junior quarterback Dylan Rizk paved the way for Gibbons’ 36-18 victory over St. Petersburg Lakewood in a 4A semifinal Friday at Cardinal Gibbons High School.
The Chiefs (10-2) will play Cocoa for the state championship Dec. 16 DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Gibbons will be playing for its third championship in four years. If victorious, they could become only the second Broward County Athletic Association team besides St. Thomas Aquinas to win back-to-back titles.
Rizk was special in the fourth quarter passing for a 26-yard scoring pass to Elisha Edwards and sealed the game on a 5-yard run with 7:03 to go.
“At half we just talked that we needed to get in our groove,” Rizk said. “We got back into our game and good things happen when we do that. It’s always good to come back when your down at the half.”
Rizk finished with 56 rushing yards and passed for 143 yards in the win.
“Eat your spinach,” coach Matt Dubuc told is players at the half.
“Rizk did some good things,” he said, “but we won the game and that’s all that counts.”
Gibbons was prepared for Friday by a loaded regular-season schedule, which included three games against other state semifinalists.
Trailing 18-16, Dubuc dug into his bag of tricks with a fake punt that resulted in a 55-yard touchdown run by Mason Thomas. The Chiefs went ahead 22-18 with 2:32 left in the third quarter and never relinquished the lead from there.
“If we played four quarters, I know we can really dominate a team,” said Thomas, who’s orally committed to the Iowa State Cyclones. “The touchdown was so surreal. I really don’t know what happened.”
Gibbons was impressive on its opening possession, driving 78 yards on 13 plays, while taking 6:35 off the clock before junior running back Kamari Moulton scored the first of his two touchdowns on a 2-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
The Chiefs’ defense, however, struggled to defend Lakewood’s vaunted passing attack, as junior quarterback Anthony Colandrea picked apart his opponent. He threw for 158 yards in the first half and with touchdown passes of 25 and 13 yards. to senior wide out and Alabama commit Amari Niblack and senior Diezel Spann, respectively.
Sandwiched between those touchdowns was a 9-yard run by Montravius Lloyd. Those scores gave the Spartans a 18-7 lead.
Gibbons fought back with a 58-yard drive on Moulton’s second score with 37.9 seconds left in opening half. The 2-point conversion failed as the Chiefs trailed 18-13, but the Chiefs’ third-quarter trickery let them rally for another trip to the 4A championship.
