Heavy rains not enough to deter Chaminade in convincing win over Monarch
Dealing with rainy conditions comes with the territory for high school football teams in South Florida.
But nothing could prepare Chaminade-Madonna and Monarch for the torrential downpour that took place on Friday night.
“It felt like a hurricane,” Chaminade coach Dameon Jones said.
A sign of a championship-caliber club is how it deals with adversity. The Lions embraced it.
Capitalizing on long touchdown runs from Derrek Cooper and Arwin Jackson, Chaminade defeated Monarch, 28-7, in a non-district game that was stopped at the 5:01 mark of the third quarter.
Jones, in his 10th season at Chaminade, has dealt with playing in challenging conditions, like excessive heat and lightning delays.
What took place on Friday was different because for more than an hour, the teams dealt with monsoon-like conditions.
“Any time it rains down here, there’s normally lightning behind it,” Jones said. “So you don’t really play in it. This is the first time it rained like that with no lightning.”
The rain dampened, but didn’t delay halftime homecoming festivities.
However, the conditions became more severe in the third quarter. Shortly after the lightning meter sounded, both athletic directors agreed to call it a night.
From a playing standpoint, the heavy rains forced both teams to rely more on running the ball.
“The ball gets heavy, and you can’t throw it,” Jones said. “That water soaks in that ball, and it gets heavy.”
Once the lightning meter goes off, the game is delayed a minimum of 30 minutes.
Officially, the game is counted as a 28-7 victory for the Lions (5-1).
With the loss, Monarch fell to 3-3.
What ultimately led to the decision to stop playing?
“The lightning and it might be a while,” Jones said. “I’ll take it. Just get out of here healthy.”
The first quarter was played under threatening skies and gusting wind, and both teams showed the ability to move the football.
Monarch was in business early after Jayden Joselin intercepted a Chaminade pass.
The Knights, led by quarterback Florentino Lopez put together an impressive eight-play drive, advancing from their 26 to the Chaminade 5. But the Lions made a fourth-down stop.
It didn’t take long for the Lions to show their big-play capability.
On first down, Cooper burst up the middle and the Texas commit outraced defenders on a 95-yard scoring run. Noah Sidan’s extra point made it 7-0.
After the Lions’ defense forced a punt, Chaminade marched 86 yards for another score. Freshman quarterback Malik Leonard connected with Jasen Lopez on two straight pass plays, covering nearly 50 yards.
Jackson broke free on a 33-yard touchdown run, and the Lions’ lead ballooned to 14-0.
Monarch responded with its best drive of the game, marching 81-yards for a touchdown.
Lopez had a 20-yard pass to Chris Cortinas on the drive, and Keshawn Paschall scored the Knights’ touchdown on a 6-yard run with 1.2 seconds left in the first quarter.
At about the nine-minute mark of the second quarter, the heavy rains became the story of the night.
In unfavorable conditions, Chaminade moved the ball on the ground with Lee Prince Jr. getting a bulk of the carries, ripping off runs of 15 and 30 yards.
But the drive stalled on a muffed field goal attempt.
Trailing by a touchdown late in the second quarter, the Knights advanced to Chaminade’s seven.
But on third down, Lopez was pushed out of bounds, for a 10-yard sack. With conditions difficult to kick, the Knights went for it on fourth down, but the pass was incomplete.
“We’ve been doing that all year,” Jones said of the Lions’ defense stopping opponents on fourth down. “It’s something we practice every day. Being in tough situations. Fourth down. It’s something we work on for situations like this.”
Taking over at their 17, the Lions scored on Jackson’s 83-yard run, his second TD of the half.
“Our line dominated up front and opened up some big holes,” Jones said. “I’ve got some athletic, fast guys back there. They just need a crease.”
Chaminade went into halftime leading, 20-7.
Monarch received the second half kickoff, but on second down from its 23, Chaminade defensive back Daveon Black recorded a pick-six, intercepting Lopez’s pass and returning it 30-yards for a touchdown.
Cooper rushed for the 2-point conversion, and Chaminade enjoyed a 21-point lead with 10:34 remaining in the third quarter.
Chaminade had possession and was driving again when play was halted for good at 5:01 of the third quarter.
“That’s something you can’t really practice for,” Jones said of the torrential rains. “Even if you practice in the rain, it ain’t that type of rain. It was kind of whipping out there tonight. You can’t really practice for that. But the kids embraced it.”
