Cardinal Gibbons has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the American Heritage Patriots at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Cardinal Gibbons walked away with it. They blew past the Eagles 34-9. Cardinal Gibbons' win was all the more impressive since Calvary Christian Academy was averaging only 16.25 points allowed on the season.
Among those leading the charge was Patrick Anderson jr., who rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries. Anderson jr. was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 61 yards. Michael Merdinger also helped out by tossing the rock for 276 yards.
Meanwhile, American Heritage came tearing into Saturday's contest with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 38 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took their game at home with ease, bagging a 49-7 victory over King's Academy. Given American Heritage's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked fifth, while King's Academy is ranked 108th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
American Heritage found their leader in underclassman Dia Bell, who threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns while completing 92.3% of his passes, and also punched in two touchdowns on the ground. Malachi Toney also helped out as he racked up 101 receiving yards.
Cardinal Gibbons has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. As for American Heritage, they pushed their record up to 9-1 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home.
Cardinal Gibbons was taken down by American Heritage 48-7 in their previous meeting back in September. Can Cardinal Gibbons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
