The early blitz by the Lions came after lightning delayed kickoff by nearly an hour.
It was Chaminade-Madonna's defense that struck first when
Curtis Janiver intercepted a
Dia Bell pass on American Heritage's first possession less than three minutes into the game.
After holding American Heritage to a three-and-out on the next possession,
Jeremiah Smith almost added a second touchdown with a 70-yard punt return but a litany of flags negated the score. Undeterred, the Lions needed just eight plays to find the end zone on a 7-yard slant pass from quarterback
Cedrick Bailey to Smith, the five-star receiver and No. 2-rated player in the country.
Chaminade-Madonna wide receiver Jeremiah Smith helped the No. 6 Lions to a 28-16 win over No. 16 American Heritage on Friday. Smith, the top-rated player in high school football had two first-half touchdowns in the victory. (Photo: Laura Martin)
On the next Chaminade-Madonna possession, Bailey hit Smith on a skinny post for a 20-yard score and a 21-0 lead with just under four minutes left in the first quarter.
Smith had five catches for 77 yards and two scores in the first half.
The only signs of life for American Heritage came off a
Gregory Thomas interception that turned into a 21-yard
Gavin Harvey field goal. Chaminade-Madonna led 21-3 at the half.
The Patriots came out of the locker room and cut the lead to 21-10 on a 1-yard
Byron Louis run on their first possession, using nearly half of the third quarter clock.
Chaminade-Madonna, with the 11-point lead, relied on running backs
Davion Gause,
Arwin Jackson and
Jaquari Lewis to pound the rock and kill clock in a scoring drive that straddled the third and fourth quarters. The Lions converted two fourth downs on their 17-play, 85-yard drive before finding the end zone on a 3-yard Jackson run for a 28-10 lead.
American Heritage answered with a quick drive, capped by a 2-yard
Deandre Desinor plunge and trailed 28-16 after the failed two-point conversion with six minutes remaining.
Chaminade-Madonna moves to 4-0 with all of its victories coming against teams in the top 100 nationally, including a 61-21 dismantling of Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) last week. The stakes get even bigger next week with a showdown against No. 5
Central (Miami).
American Heritage falls to 2-1 and will look to rebound Sept. 29 against
Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale).
Chaminade-Madonna defensive end Zach Crothers celebrates during the Lions' 28-16 win over American Heritage on Friday. (Photo: Laura Martin)
A Chaminade-Madonna teammate celebrates Jeremiah Smith's second touchdown of the night in the Lions' 28-16 win over American Heritage. (Photo: Laura Martin)
