Tallahassee, FL — The Lions of Hialeah have made it a habit of not only appearing in the 2A state championship game but also winning it. Champagnat Catholic wins their third state championship in school history with an impressive 35-14 victory over Victory Christian Academy (Lakeland) Thursday night at Gene Cox Stadium. Senior quarterback Ryle Aguila was the MVP of the game throwing three touchdown passes to lead the Lions to their second title in three years.
“We just put it all together you know.” said a jubilant Head Coach Hector Clavijo with a custom made guayabera his school logo on the front. “From the weight room to the summer and the spring, the whole nine, practicing every week, conditioning, that’s all you can ask for.”
This was Champagnat’s fourth consecutive appearance in the championship game with their last title coming in 2017. Champagnat, the high school with just 146 total students, played a tough schedule all year and was battle-tested for another playoff run.
“The kids have to know how to fight back. If you go out there and blow everybody out and always win and always win easily, it doesn’t do anything for you. I don’t believe in regular-season championships. This is what we care about winning that championship and getting that ring.”
The Storm would jump out to a 7-0 lead as senior quarterback Jeremiah Byrd took the corner on a keeper for a 23-yard touchdown at the 6:29 mark in the first quarter. The score was set up by a special teams miscue as junior William Nunez recovered a punt that bounced off of Lion player.
The Lions would bounce back quickly on the ensuing drive as junior Donovan Jones caught a pass in the flat and got into the end zone with a 10-yard touchdown for the first Lion score.
TOUCHDOWN LIONS! #8 Donovan Jones scores the first TD for the Lions! #CC 6 VC 7 under 3 1qtr pic.twitter.com/4exiJVJghQ
— ChampagnatLionsRock (@ChampagnatCS) December 6, 2019
Champagnat would take 8-7 lead with an Everett Bradley run for the two-point conversion.
Aquila would throw his second touchdown pass throwing on the run to Georgia Tech commit Malik Rutherford for a 69-yard touchdown. Rutherford would make a man miss and jet into the end zone to put his team up by a touchdown. Aquila went 9 of 16 for 153 yards throwing three touchdowns and zero turnovers.
“My mindset is looking at the scoreboard and to try to put points on the board and give my team the best opportunity to win football games,” said Aguila. “That’s my job is to keep the drive going and keep the drive moving and get in the end zone.”
TD Lions: Ryle Football! @ChampagnatCS QB 2020 Ryle Aguila hits Malik Rutherford with a dime after escaping a sack for a score. Champanagnt leads Victory Christian 15-6 with 7:58 left in Q2 @ryle_aguila #hotbedworld pic.twitter.com/90KQ8AS5fR
— Football Hotbed (@FootballHotbed) December 6, 2019
The Lions defense would show their teeth on the next drive as Shedrick Ursery ripped the football away from Byrd and the Lions would recover at mid-field. The Lions would extend their lead with an Eathan Moncada 28-yard field goal.
Champagnat would take an 18-7 lead into halftime as Victory Christian ran the ball 26 out of 29 plays for 117 yards and netted zero passing yards in the first half.
VCA would attempt a pass start the second half on a fake punt, but the football would fall harmlessly to the ground creating a turnover on downs at mid-field. Champagnat would add another field goal from the sophomore Moncada to make it a 21-7 game at the 5:54 mark in the third quarter. It was Moncada’s third made field goal of the season.
Following the score, the Lions would attempt a squib kick that would work in their favor as Bradley would recover a mishandle by the Victory return team. Aguila would toss his third touchdown pass of the game and perhaps his best of the night when he found senior Johnquai Lewis for a 26-yard touchdown.
Lewis, a four-year starter caught it over the shoulder in the corner of the end zone.
TD @ChampagnatCS 2020 QB Ryle Aguila to 2020 WR Johnquai Lewis for 6. 28-7 Lions with 3:42 left in the 3rd quarter. #hotbedworld @ryle_aguila @Brandon_Odoi pic.twitter.com/Mu5XkBxchA
— Football Hotbed (@FootballHotbed) December 6, 2019
Lewis has over 20 D-1 offers.
The Champagnat defense held Victory running back Cornelius Shaw to under his playoff average of about 200 yards per game. Miami target Jesus Machado led the Lions with 13 tackles and half-sack on defense.
Shaw would finally breakthrough for a 16-yard run eluding defenders and bouncing off of another en route to the end zone. The junior back rushed for 117 yards on 27 carries and the one score. The Storm made it to four consecutive state semifinals before breaking through this season.
Senior running back Calvin Montgomery would add the last Lion score of the game with a one-yard touchdown run with 1:32 left.
Champagnat won its first championship in 2013 and clearly have established themselves as the kings of 2A and chances are they will be back.
“Throughout the season we’ve been working, working to the one goal that we got,” said Aguila. “And we got it today.”
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