Champagnat’s strong start propels it by Neumann and into regional finals

An explosive first half propelled the Champagnat Catholic Lions (6-2) to the regional finals with a 44-12 victory over St. John Neumann (9-1) at Milander Park on Thursday night.

The win puts the Lions one step closer to making a return trip to Orlando, where they fell in the state championship game last year.

“We knew we had to come our aggressive against a good football team and make sure they didn’t have an opportunity to make a comeback,” Lions Head Coach Dennis Marroquin said. “This is year is all about finishing. Last year we didn’t finish and it hurt a lot.”

The Lions set the tone early with 30 unanswered points coming from big plays on both sides of the ball.

Champagnat Catholic’s Gregory Rousseau opened up the scoring with a 26-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Desjuan Kearse.

A few minutes later, Rousseau — playing defensive end — sacked Celtics quarterback Jensen Jones in the end zone for a safety.

Defensive lineman Jesus Machado also made a pair of big plays for the Lions, recovering a fumble that lead to Champagnat Catholic touchdown in the first quarter and then intercepting a screen pass and taking it back 60 yards for another score early in the second quarter.

By halftime, the Lions had opened up a 36-6 lead over the Celtics. Wide receiver Johnquai Lewis turned a short pass into 60-yard score on the first play of the second half to trigger a running clock.

The Lions will play the winner of Friday’s Moore Haven and Glades Day regional semifinal game on Nov. 17.

This story was originally published November 9, 2017 at 10:11 PM with the headline "Champagnat’s strong start propels it by Neumann and into regional finals."