Advertisement

State semifinal football: Hialeah Champagnat Catholic 38, Cambridge Christian 0

 
Published Nov. 24, 2017

TAMPA — Hialeah Champagnat Catholic was well on its way to a third unanswered touchdown, but the Lions just couldn't stop blocking their own path.

In one second-quarter drive during Friday's 2A state semifinal against Cambridge Christian, Champagnat had touchdowns called back three times. The Lions, who eventually faced first and goal from the Lancer 43-yard line, couldn't overcome their own miscues, and Cambridge Christian, finally gaining some momentum, stepped up on defense to keep them out of the end zone.

But moments later, the Lions just found another way.

Before the Lancers could even get away from their own end zone, Champagnat's Johnquai Lewis picked off quarterback Jaylin Jackson, returning it 10 yards for a touchdown. The Lions, bolstered by a noticeable size difference on the line, beat the Lancers 38-0 in a game that was one-sided from the onset.

"I think the thing that impressed me the most was the overall team speed of everyone," Cambridge Christian coach Bob Dare said about the Lions. "That was a level we hadn't seen. I knew it would be a physical game. I knew pretty much what we were getting into."

Behind quick moves from Jackson, the Lancers (9-3) hadn't really had trouble moving the ball prior to Friday night's game at Skyway Park. Then again, they also hadn't faced a defensive line like Champagnat's.

The Lions sacked Jackson all night, many coming from defensive lineman Jesus Machado, a sophomore who famously received an offer from Alabama as an eighth grader.

The Lions (8-2) sacked Jackson eight times for 58 yards. The glue that previously held the Lancer offense together, Jackson struggled to find a rhythm, and Cambridge Christian — led by senior Caleb Young's 70 yards receiving — finished with just 97 yards of offense.

Still, Jackson kept fighting for every inch, unwilling to quit early.

"I didn't want to go out like this," Jackson said. "It's my senior year. I would do anything to get back up and play, and just finish it."

The Cambridge Christian defense started out strong, forcing a three-and-out on the Lions' first possession of the game. It was one of just two drives, though, on which the Lions didn't score in the first half. Other than Lewis' interception return for a touchdown, Champagnat also scored on a pair of touchdown passes and a 1-yard keeper from quarterback Desjaun Kearse.

And the Lions didn't slow down after the break.

On its first drive, Champagnat converted a fourth down to score on a 15-yard pass from Kease to Jahani Wright. Immediately after, the Lancers were forced to punt from deep in their own territory, and Lewis made them pay when he returned the kick 35 yards for his second score of the night.

Despite the lopsided score, Dare couldn't say enough about his Lancers' fight, especially from a senior class that helped put Cambridge Christian football on the map.

"None of them gave up," Dare said. "This senior class, I think this makes them 34-5 during these last three years. I mean, you can't say much more about that."