Chaminade-Madonna played Deerfield Beach in one of the top matchups of this opening weekend. High school football fans from all across Broward County gathered in Hollywood as Chaminade unveiled their new stadium lights. The lights brought out one of the biggest crowds Chaminade had ever seen for a home game. With this electric stage now set, we were bound to have a good one on our hands.
The offense for both teams started off sluggish, with both defensive lines controlling the line of scrimmage. After a few traded punts, Deerfield realized they had an advantage on the right side of the offensive line and abused that advantage throughout the game. This advantage for Deerfield became very clear when 2020 Oklahoma running back commit Jaylan Knighton ran to the right and broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run. Deerfield Beach was now up 7-0 late in the 1st quarter.
Chaminade’s offense was not going to roll over. They came back onto the field and drove all the way down and into the red zone. One of the most important plays in the game came from Penn State wide receiver commit John Dunmore. With Chaminade in the red zone, Dunmore beat his man off the line only to drop a would-be game tying touchdown catch. Chaminade was forced to settle for a field goal making the score 7-3 with 1:40 left in the 1st quarter.
The second quarter was very quiet with both teams just trading punts. All of that changed late in the 2nd quarter when Deerfield Beach junior wide receiver Deajaun McDougle beat his man off the line and came up with an easy 30-yard touchdown grab. Deerfield Beach missed the extra point, leaving the score at 13-3 with about a minute left to play in the half.
Chaminade was set to receive the second half kick-off, but when the ball was kicked, they fumbled, giving the ball to Deerfield at around the 30-yardline. Chaminade’s defense came onto the field and was able to keep the score at 13-3. Chaminade’s defense did not allow Deerfield do anything in the second half.
The third quarter was very slow. All of that changed with about three minutes left in the quarter. Chaminade punted the ball away and the ball touched Deajaun McDougle. Chaminade was able to jump on the fumble at the three yard line. This was a break they needed.
Chaminade had the ball on the 3 yard line, but Deerfield stood tall. With Deerfield Beach having won the battle three straight times, it was 4th down, and Chaminade had a decision to make. Ultimately, the Lions kept their offense on the field and Chaminade quarterback Thad Franklin kept the ball on a QB option play, walking into the endzone for a 1 yard touchdown run. Deerfield’s lead was cut to 13-10 with 2:20 left in the 3rd quarter.
The 4th quarter was dominated by the defenses. Chaminade's only good drive of the final quarter, that had put them within field goal range, ended in an interception. Eventually, with about three minutes remaining, Chaminade was forced to punt and Deerfield was able to run the clock out. It was an anticlimactic finish to what was an otherwise very good football game.
Final Score: Deerfield Beach 13 Chaminade-Madonna 10
The Players
Bryce Gowdy- Gowdy was really a non-factor in this one. Multiple sources told me Gowdy had a great camp season and was in for a breakout year, but he did not see a lot of playing time on Friday. Gowdy’s best play came when he was lined up at tight end and successfully blocked 2019 Miami commit Cam Williams, freeing up Jaylan Knighton for a nice first down run.
Marcus Lafrance- One of the stars of this game was 2019 FAU defensive back commit Marcus Lafrance. Lafrance was challenged with guarding 4-star wide receiver John Dunmore all night and he was more than up to the task. Lafrance made Dunmore a complete non-factor and Chaminade’s offense suffered because of it. Things got chippy between these childhood friends, but Lafrance can sleep well knowing he won the battle.
Deajaun McDougle- 2020 Deerfield Receiver Deajuan McDougle really showed out on Friday night. Aside from one special teams blunder, McDougle proved that he was deserving of his early hype, including offers from Miami, Alabama, and Oklahoma. The best play of the night for McDougle came late in the second quarter. With Deerfield Beach moving into scoring position, McDougle lined up in the slot left of the quarterback. McDougle beat the nickel corner off the ball and came down with an easy 30-yard touchdown pass.
Jaylan Knighton- Along with Keontra Smith, Knighton was one of the stars of this game. Knighton dominated the first half, epitomized by his 65-yard touchdown run to open the scoring. Knighton got first down after first down during the first half and really made his presence felt. In the second quarter, Knighton went down with an injury. Although he eventually came back into the game, he never looked the same.
John Dunmore- Another non-factor for Chaminade was 2019 Penn State wide receiver commit John Dunmore. Dunmore had a first down catch in the first quarter and another one in the second half, but was quiet aside from that. Dunmore was matched up against his childhood friend Marcus Lafrance, who neutralized him through the entire game. Dunmore was returning punts for Chaminade and picked up a few that he should have just let go into the end zone. The biggest blunder for Dunmore was a dropped touchdown pass in the 1st quarter forcing Chaminade to settle for a field goal. All in all, it was a forgettable night for Dunmore.
Willie Moise- The lone 2020 Miami commit on the field was two way player in Willie Moise. Although he was offered as a defensive tackle by Miami, Moise primarily played on the offensive side of the ball as the starting right tackle for Chaminade. Mosie has good size and two more years to grow. While he was able to hold his own for the most part at right tackle, I was not blown away by his play. When he did line up on the defensive side of the ball, Moise made his presence felt. The best play for Moise came in the first quarter when he beat his man off the ball and blew up the run. I think he will be a better DT than RT in college.
Cam Williams- Williams did not have the best game. Although he was decent as a pass rusher, he did not make a big impact. One glaring weakness in Williams’ game was in his run defense. Williams really struggled against the run and was a liability for Chaminade’s defense. Deerfield Beach recognized Williams as a weakness and was running the ball to his side the entire first half. Williams’ best play, and only good play against the run, was when he was able to chase down the backup running back for Deerfield and come up with the stop.
Te’Cory Couch- 4-star Miami defensive back commit Te’Cory Couch silenced any doubters on Friday night. Couch is obviously not the biggest defensive back, but his speed and length more than make up for that lack of height. Couch did struggle against a few short crossing routes, but played very well overall. The play of the night for Couch came when he was covering McDougle on a go route. Couch stayed with McDougle stride for stride and bodied McDougle to the sideline as the pass fell incomplete.
Keontra Smith- Despite being on the losing team, Keontra Smith was the best player on the field. The 2019 Miami commit will play safety in college, but is playing linebacker this season for Chaminade. Smith set up camp in the Deerfield Beach backfield. Time after time, Smith was making his presence felt in the running game. Along with multiple tackles, Smith also had two huge sacks and was doing whatever it took to keep Chaminade in the game. This has become just a normal game for Smith, but we really need to take a step back and realize how impressive of a player he is.
The offense for both teams started off sluggish, with both defensive lines controlling the line of scrimmage. After a few traded punts, Deerfield realized they had an advantage on the right side of the offensive line and abused that advantage throughout the game. This advantage for Deerfield became very clear when 2020 Oklahoma running back commit Jaylan Knighton ran to the right and broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run. Deerfield Beach was now up 7-0 late in the 1st quarter.
Chaminade’s offense was not going to roll over. They came back onto the field and drove all the way down and into the red zone. One of the most important plays in the game came from Penn State wide receiver commit John Dunmore. With Chaminade in the red zone, Dunmore beat his man off the line only to drop a would-be game tying touchdown catch. Chaminade was forced to settle for a field goal making the score 7-3 with 1:40 left in the 1st quarter.
The second quarter was very quiet with both teams just trading punts. All of that changed late in the 2nd quarter when Deerfield Beach junior wide receiver Deajaun McDougle beat his man off the line and came up with an easy 30-yard touchdown grab. Deerfield Beach missed the extra point, leaving the score at 13-3 with about a minute left to play in the half.
Chaminade was set to receive the second half kick-off, but when the ball was kicked, they fumbled, giving the ball to Deerfield at around the 30-yardline. Chaminade’s defense came onto the field and was able to keep the score at 13-3. Chaminade’s defense did not allow Deerfield do anything in the second half.
The third quarter was very slow. All of that changed with about three minutes left in the quarter. Chaminade punted the ball away and the ball touched Deajaun McDougle. Chaminade was able to jump on the fumble at the three yard line. This was a break they needed.
Chaminade had the ball on the 3 yard line, but Deerfield stood tall. With Deerfield Beach having won the battle three straight times, it was 4th down, and Chaminade had a decision to make. Ultimately, the Lions kept their offense on the field and Chaminade quarterback Thad Franklin kept the ball on a QB option play, walking into the endzone for a 1 yard touchdown run. Deerfield’s lead was cut to 13-10 with 2:20 left in the 3rd quarter.
The 4th quarter was dominated by the defenses. Chaminade's only good drive of the final quarter, that had put them within field goal range, ended in an interception. Eventually, with about three minutes remaining, Chaminade was forced to punt and Deerfield was able to run the clock out. It was an anticlimactic finish to what was an otherwise very good football game.
Final Score: Deerfield Beach 13 Chaminade-Madonna 10
The Players
Bryce Gowdy- Gowdy was really a non-factor in this one. Multiple sources told me Gowdy had a great camp season and was in for a breakout year, but he did not see a lot of playing time on Friday. Gowdy’s best play came when he was lined up at tight end and successfully blocked 2019 Miami commit Cam Williams, freeing up Jaylan Knighton for a nice first down run.
Marcus Lafrance- One of the stars of this game was 2019 FAU defensive back commit Marcus Lafrance. Lafrance was challenged with guarding 4-star wide receiver John Dunmore all night and he was more than up to the task. Lafrance made Dunmore a complete non-factor and Chaminade’s offense suffered because of it. Things got chippy between these childhood friends, but Lafrance can sleep well knowing he won the battle.
Deajaun McDougle- 2020 Deerfield Receiver Deajuan McDougle really showed out on Friday night. Aside from one special teams blunder, McDougle proved that he was deserving of his early hype, including offers from Miami, Alabama, and Oklahoma. The best play of the night for McDougle came late in the second quarter. With Deerfield Beach moving into scoring position, McDougle lined up in the slot left of the quarterback. McDougle beat the nickel corner off the ball and came down with an easy 30-yard touchdown pass.
Jaylan Knighton- Along with Keontra Smith, Knighton was one of the stars of this game. Knighton dominated the first half, epitomized by his 65-yard touchdown run to open the scoring. Knighton got first down after first down during the first half and really made his presence felt. In the second quarter, Knighton went down with an injury. Although he eventually came back into the game, he never looked the same.
John Dunmore- Another non-factor for Chaminade was 2019 Penn State wide receiver commit John Dunmore. Dunmore had a first down catch in the first quarter and another one in the second half, but was quiet aside from that. Dunmore was matched up against his childhood friend Marcus Lafrance, who neutralized him through the entire game. Dunmore was returning punts for Chaminade and picked up a few that he should have just let go into the end zone. The biggest blunder for Dunmore was a dropped touchdown pass in the 1st quarter forcing Chaminade to settle for a field goal. All in all, it was a forgettable night for Dunmore.
Willie Moise- The lone 2020 Miami commit on the field was two way player in Willie Moise. Although he was offered as a defensive tackle by Miami, Moise primarily played on the offensive side of the ball as the starting right tackle for Chaminade. Mosie has good size and two more years to grow. While he was able to hold his own for the most part at right tackle, I was not blown away by his play. When he did line up on the defensive side of the ball, Moise made his presence felt. The best play for Moise came in the first quarter when he beat his man off the ball and blew up the run. I think he will be a better DT than RT in college.
Cam Williams- Williams did not have the best game. Although he was decent as a pass rusher, he did not make a big impact. One glaring weakness in Williams’ game was in his run defense. Williams really struggled against the run and was a liability for Chaminade’s defense. Deerfield Beach recognized Williams as a weakness and was running the ball to his side the entire first half. Williams’ best play, and only good play against the run, was when he was able to chase down the backup running back for Deerfield and come up with the stop.
Te’Cory Couch- 4-star Miami defensive back commit Te’Cory Couch silenced any doubters on Friday night. Couch is obviously not the biggest defensive back, but his speed and length more than make up for that lack of height. Couch did struggle against a few short crossing routes, but played very well overall. The play of the night for Couch came when he was covering McDougle on a go route. Couch stayed with McDougle stride for stride and bodied McDougle to the sideline as the pass fell incomplete.
Keontra Smith- Despite being on the losing team, Keontra Smith was the best player on the field. The 2019 Miami commit will play safety in college, but is playing linebacker this season for Chaminade. Smith set up camp in the Deerfield Beach backfield. Time after time, Smith was making his presence felt in the running game. Along with multiple tackles, Smith also had two huge sacks and was doing whatever it took to keep Chaminade in the game. This has become just a normal game for Smith, but we really need to take a step back and realize how impressive of a player he is.
