Chaminade-Madonna overcomes QB injury to grind out a victory over Western

Overcoming adversity is a mark of a championship-caliber team.

Chaminade-Madonna, a perennial state title contender, has certainly dealt with more than its share of hardships.

On Friday night, Lions’ quarterback Preston Wright suffered a right thumb sprain in the second quarter that limited his playing time in the second half. That forced coach Dameon Jones to go with a “quarterback by committee.”

Chaminade went mainly with a wildcat offense, and behind rushing touchdowns from Arwin Jackson and Koby Howard, the Lions grinded out a 26-9 victory at Western in a grueling in-the-trenches game.

“We just came together, and played Chaminade-Madonna football, and came out on top,” Jackson said.

The Lions (4-2) have now won four in a row after starting off winless after two games. Western (1-4), meanwhile, came up short again against a national-caliber opponent.

The Wildcats’ losses are to Hoover (Ala.), American Heritage, St. Thomas Aquinas and now Chaminade-Madonna.

While the Lions are loaded with speedy, play-making receivers, they bled the clock most of the night.

“We had to nail down and start running the ball, and get some clock going,” Jones said. “But defensively, they covered us tonight. They played well.”

The Lions’ defense limited Western to a touchdown and a field goal. And while they allowed some big plays, they repeatedly stepped up to stall Western drives deep in their own territory.

After taking a 14-3 into halftime, Chaminade was boosted by a key defensive play at the start of the third quarter.

Western had first possession, and opened at its 20. A penalty on first down backed the Wildcats up to their 10.

On first down, Chaminade defensive lineman Donta Simpson sacked Sebastian Circo in the end zone for a safety, padding the Lions’ lead to 16-3.

The way the game started, it appeared the night would be more of a high-scoring affair than a defensive tussle.

Howard returned the opening kickoff to the Chaminade’ 45-yard line.

The Lions found early success with their ground game. Jackson gobbled up 29 yards rushing on five carries on that first drive, and opened the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run. Noah Sidan’s extra point made it 7-0 at 8:34 of the first.

Chaminade used an explosive play to take a 14-0 lead when Wright connected with a wide-open Jasen Lopez on a 51-yard pass play with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.

Western threatened early in the second quarter but had a 37-yard field goal attempt sail wide.

The Wildcats’ defense stepped up, and safety Jaylin Jones had an interception that he returned to the Lions’ 29. However, Chaminade’s defense tightened and made a stop on fourth down.

“They started [the season] off slow, man, but are getting better, week-to-week,” Jones said of the Lions’ defense. “I’m proud of them.”

Western also had its share of big defensive plays.

Defensive end Samuel Mitchell recovered a fumble in the second quarter to stall another Chaminade drive.

Before halftime, Gavin Katz booted a 27-yard field goal to put Western on the board.

In the first half, Wright injured his thumb scrambling for a first down on a five-yard run on third down. From there, Chaminade rotated between Jackson, Howard, Derrek Cooper and Lopez in the wildcat formation.

“Our quarterback got injured,” Jackson said. “The o-line made the holes for me. We hit ‘em, every time. The second half was rough. We stuck with it, and we fought to the end. That’s all that mattered.”

Wright did return in the second half and completed some key passes.

Western made it a touchdown game on Johnathan Bueno’s 40-yard touchdown run with 8 minutes left in the third quarter. But the point after was blocked, trimming the Lions’ lead to 16-9.

In the closing minutes of the third quarter, Sidan was successful on a 35-yard field goal, and Chaminade built a 19-9 lead.

Western had some big plays turned in by freshman receiver Tromon Isaac Jr., including a 71-yard reception in the first half.

But it was Chaminade’s ground game that stole the show.

The Lions capped the scoring with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter on Howard’s 5-yard touchdown run.

“That’s one of the strongest suits of our team,” Jones said. “Our running game. It’s a three-headed monster back there. It’s hard to stop. Good teams find a way to win. We found a way to win.”