Coconut Creek, FL.- On Saturday Night the Monarch Knights(4-2) faced off against the Chaminade Madonna Lions(4-1).
The Monarch Knights started the game hot, forcing a fumble on the first scrimmage play. This gave the Knights the ball deep in Lions territory. Monarch made their way down to the 5-yard line, but were stopped short and turned the ball over to the Lions.
The Lions, taking advantage of the stop, moved forward with a series of wildcat runs from Senior RB Jaquari Lewis. After picking up a first down, a bad snap put them in a tough spot at their own 5-yard line. A second bad snap would cost the Lions, resulting in a safety and giving Monarch the early 2-0 lead.
On their next possession, Monarch would make it towards midfield however on a fourth down attempt, the Knights would throw an interception giving the ball right back to Chaminade. The Lions would take advantage of the turnover. This time, the Lions found their rhythm, moving down the field and ending the drive with a touchdown run from RB Jaquari Lewis to take a 7-2 lead.
Monarch’s next drive started with a few costly mistakes, pushing them back to their own goal line. An intentional grounding call in the endzone gave the Lions another safety, increasing their lead to 9-2. Shortly after, Lions’ Junior WR Jasen Lopez made a spectacular catch in the endzone, to help bring the score to 16-2.
On the ensuing drive for the Knights they would go on to punt. After what seamed to be quick drive, an offsides penalty on Monarch’s defensive line extended the Lions’ drive, and they capitalized with another touchdown, pushing the lead to 23-2 at the end of the first half.
The second half began with Monarch struggling to gain momentum. After managing just one first down, the Knights punted again. The Lions continued their dominance, and a personal foul against Monarch on a third-and-long gifted the Lions another first down. Running back Jaquari Lewis then broke loose for a 40+ yard rushing touchdown, extending the Lions’ lead to 30-2.
The Knights, even with a new quarterback in the game, couldn’t find their rhythm and were forced to punt again. The Lions, however, missed a scoring opportunity when their quarterback overthrew a wide-open receiver on fourth down in the endzone.
Monarch showed some life with a promising drive, getting the ball to midfield. However, a costly fumble by the Knights’ quarterback was recovered by the Lions. The Knights’ defense responded as they would force a turnover of their own with an interception from Senior RB/LB Bre’lan Mareus.
Monarch would convert on this drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Senior WR Jabari Brady, but their two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the score at 30-8.
On the Lions’ next possession, they continued to pile on with a 35-yard rushing touchdown, bringing the final score to 37-8.
Upcoming Games
The Chaminade Madonna Lions improve to 5-2 on the season and will host a home game against the St. Thomas Aquinas on October 11th.
The Monarch Knights fall to 4-2 and will have a full week to prepare before also taking on the the St. Thomas Aquinas on October 18th.
