On a cloudy Thursday night in Boca Raton, Monarch defeated Olympic Heights 45-0 in a district matchup.
Led by Jabari Brady’s two touchdowns and Gabriel Birnbaum’s four sacks, the Knights scored early and often, cruising to an easy win, even without their starting quarterback, AJ Hairston. Hairston, a three-star who is committed to UMass, is out with some sort of a shoulder injury, but he is expected to return before the regular season ends.
In the first quarter, Monarch took an early 7-0 lead after wide receiver Jeffrey Wright recorded a 35 yard receiving touchdown on a pass from backup quarterback Jaeden Phillips, a freshman who threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns last week against Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
Monarch quarterback Jaeden Phillips (@jphillips2_) connects with wide receiver Jeffrey Wright for an easy 40 yard touchdown. The Knights lead Olympic Heights 7-0. pic.twitter.com/24DCD5oPO3
— Isaac Edelman (@IsaacEdelman) September 28, 2023
On the following drive, Phillips threw an interception to Olympic Heights linebacker Kevin Rubay. Unless he suffered an injury, Phillips was benched as a result. Jack Spaeder took over at the helm.
The Knights extended their lead to 14-0 in the second quarter when Leonard Ester recorded a strip sack. Antonio Ward picked the ball up and ran it to the house for a long touchdown.
Ward’s production on the defensive end did not go unnoticed. He scored his second touchdown of the game after Olympic Heights botched a snap on a punt. Ward fell on the ball in the end-zone to extend Monarch’s lead to 20-0.
Spaeder threw his first touchdown of the game with 49 seconds left in the first half. Senior wide receiver Terrell Lo-Ray hauled in the 15 yard reception to extend the Knights’ lead to 26-0.
Monarch is up 26-0 over Olympic Heights after Terrell Lo-Ray (@TerrellLoRay1) catches a 15 yard touchdown from Jack Spaeder (@JTheqb). pic.twitter.com/uPmm1FKr7s
— Isaac Edelman (@IsaacEdelman) September 28, 2023
Spaeder opened up the third quarter with a 50 yard touchdown to wide receiver Samari Reed, who has offers to Florida, FSU, FAU, Miami, and a ton of other schools. It was a simple route that simply exposed the Lions’ weaknesses on defense.
Too easy for Monarch!
— Isaac Edelman (@IsaacEdelman) September 29, 2023
Quarterback Jack Spaeder (@JTheqb) throws a 50 yard touchdown to wide receiver Samari Reed (@ReedSamari).
Reed has offers to Florida, FSU, FAU, Miami, and a ton of other schools.
Monarch leads Olympic Heights 33-0. pic.twitter.com/duy5BkblMi
Speaking of exposing Olympic Heights’ defense, that’s exactly what Jabari Brady did to extend Monarch’s lead to 39 points.
The five-star wide receiver, who has offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, among a ton of other schools, recorded a 43 yard touchdown on a slant across the middle.
There goes that man!
— Isaac Edelman (@IsaacEdelman) September 29, 2023
Jabari Brady, the No. 2 WR in the class of 2026 and the best player in Florida, scores a 43 yard receiving touchdown.
The five-star has offers from literally everywhere, including Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State.@_jbrady1 pic.twitter.com/3FoduWeJwA
Brady’s ability to catch the ball combined with his speed and height makes him a lethal weapon. No wonder he is ranked, according to 247 sports, the No. 2 ranked WR and the No. 1 player in the state of Florida in the class of 2026.
Brady scored a second touchdown with one minute remaining in the fourth quarter, making it 45-0, ultimately the final score.
Five-star WR Jabari Brady (@_jbrady1) scores his second touchdown of the game as Monarch beats Olympic Heights 45-0. pic.twitter.com/5mIdyhqYSu
— Isaac Edelman (@IsaacEdelman) September 29, 2023
Simply put, Monarch dominated. While the spotlight is mainly on Jabari Brady for obvious reasons, the defense did their job.
Gabriel Birnbaum, who just committed to FAU this week, recorded four sacks and five tackles for a loss. The Olympic Heights offensive line struggled the entire game, causing the run game to struggle and the quarterback to be under continuous pressure.
Despite winning their first two games, Olympic Heights has now lost three straight games by double digits.
Monarch, meanwhile, is 5-1 with their only loss being a one-point loss to a feisty Atlantic Eagles team.
Monarch now has a clear path to not just winning the district (4M District 12), but becoming a No. 2 seed behind Palm Beach Central in the FHSAA Playoffs.
But before the Knights turn their attention to the playoffs, they prepare for two difficult home games. Next week Monarch is set to face McArthur. The following game will feature a matchup with one of the best programs in the state of Florida, St. Thomas Aquinas.
