Cardinal Gibbons, South Florida’s newest dynasty, wins third state title in four years
Matt DuBuc used the “D-word” before Cardinal Gibbons went for its third state championship in four years Thursday in Fort Lauderdale.
The Chiefs, the coach told them, were one more title away from really being able to call themselves a dynasty. With a 21-19 win against Cocoa in the Class 4A championship, Cardinal Gibbons might just have gotten there.
“It’s got to be,” safety Casey Etienne said with a big smile.
It took three quarters of a defensive struggle and a heart-pounding, back-and-forth fourth quarter for the Chiefs (11-2) to finally win their second straight state title and third in four years in front of a friendly crowd of 4,533 at DRV PNK Stadium. Running back Kamari Moulton ran for a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter and Cardinal Gibbons’ defense stuffed a pair of two-point attempts by the Tigers — one to potentially take the lead with 7:25 left and another with a chance to tie the game with 1:57 left — to survive a pair of Cocoa responses.
Defensive back Adonis Allen and star linebacker Tray Brown combined to stuff stop star wide receiver J’Mariye Robinson just short of the goal line when Tigers (11-2) went for the lead with 7:25 left, then Etienne stuffed star running back OJ Ross with 1:57 left when Cocoa needed two points to force overtime.
Cardinal Gibbons, after recovering an onside kick and going three-and-out, made one last stop in the final minute, forcing a turnover on downs to seal their victory.
“I just appreciate what our defense did,” DuBuc said. “They made plays like we needed them to do, like they’ve done all year.”
The Chiefs scored on their first drive on a 17-yard touchdown pass from star quarterback Dylan Rizk to wide receiver Jesse Anderson, then didn’t score again until the fourth. Cardinal Gibbons went into fourth quarter tied 7-7 with its defense — and particularly its defensive line — keeping it in the game.
The Chiefs finished with seven sacks and allowed just 3.8 yards per play despite being on the field for 76 snaps. In the fourth quarter, they handed over the offense to Moulton, who finished with 28 carries for 173 yards and two touchdowns.
Cardinal Gibbons took over at its own 35-yard line late in the third quarter and made the game plan as simple as possible. It was an eight-play drive and the Chiefs gave the ball to Moulton on every play, riding the junior into the end zone for a 14-7 lead with 10:41 left.
The Tigers answered in just 3:07, with star quarterback Davin Wydner scrambling for a first down on fourth-and-7 and later punching in a 1-yard touchdown on third-and-goal.
It had been a defensive struggle to this point, so Cocoa went for two, calling a jet sweep for Robinson. Allen made the initial contact and Brown wrapped up the senior at the goal line. Cardinal Gibbons stayed ahead 14-13.
“In my head, it was just make a play, man,” said Brown, who signed with the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Wednesday. “It was either stop them or you let them score.”
Moulton scored again with 2:22 left and coach Matt DuBuc decided to kick the extra point for a 21-13 lead rather than try to put away the game with a two-point conversion.
Less than 30 seconds later, the Tigers were in the end zone. Wydner heaved a 72-yard touchdown pass to Cocoa wide receiver Kyon Clahoun on third-and-17 with 1:57 remaining to give the Tigers a chance to tie.
This time, Cocoa kept the call simple: Wydner handed off Ross, who finished with 121 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, and Etienne stopped him short of the goal line.
“This whole team’s got heart,” the sophomore said. “This team is tough, man. I love these boys. Next year, you’ll see the same thing, too.”
It’s the standard the Chiefs have set now. Before 2019, Cardinal Gibbons had only ever been to one title game and never won a championship. When they went to the 4A championship in 2018, the Chiefs had a backup quarterback and found a way to win. Two years later, their backup was in his second season as a starter and led Cardinal Gibbons to its second championship in three years.
After he quarterbacked the Chiefs to their 2020 win in Tallahassee, Palhegyi said Cardinal Gibbons was “getting on the map” and asserting itself as one of the top teams in talent-rich South Florida.
After yet another win, it’s hard to argue.
“Coach DuBuc told us if we win one more, we become a dynasty, and I feel like that dynasty is being built right now behind us and behind the people that’ve been here,” Etienne said. “We’re going to keep building.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 10:14 PM.
