It was billed as a sport between a pair of seemingly state title contenders.

It didn’t take lengthy, nonetheless, to show right into a one-sided affair.

For the second consecutive week within the FHSAA playoffs, the Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs rolled to a victory, this time a 29-7 win over Miami Gulliver Prep in a Area 4-4A semifinal Friday at FIU’s Riccardo Silva Stadium.The Chiefs, 5-1 on the yr and now slated to play at Delray American Heritage subsequent week within the Area Four remaining, have outscored their two playoff opponents 66-14 after defeating Clewiston 37-7 within the regional quarterfinals.

“I imply, all I’ve heard all week, and possibly for months was how nice they have been,” Cardinal Gibbons coach Matt DuBuc stated of Gulliver Prep, “and no person was speaking about what we’ve performed or what we did. It was a little bit of a private sport for us. … We had a bit of chip on our shoulder.”

Cardinal Gibbons, ranked because the No. 12 group within the state by MaxPreps, made fast work of Gulliver Prep, holding a Raiders group that averaged 47.6 factors per sport — albeit towards a schedule of Belen Jesuit, Somerset Academy South Homestead, Palm Seashore Benjamin, Dade Christian and Monsignor Tempo — to only one landing.

The Chiefs jumped out to a 19-Zero halftime lead, prolonged the benefit to 22-Zero halfway via the third quarter earlier than giving up its solely factors of the sport and dominated on each traces of scrimmage whereas profiting from Gulliver Prep miscues.

Cardinal Gibbons turned a pair of missed Raiders discipline objectives and a third-quarter Isaiah Farris interception into 16 of their 29 factors. Working backs Kamari Moulton and Torrence Miller every scored first-half touchdowns. Moulton’s got here from 2 yards out to finish an 80-yard opening drive. Miller scored from 50 yards after breaking a pair of tackles and discovering an open lane down the left sideline. Each scores got here after Gulliver Prep’s Will Bettridge missed a pair of discipline objectives, together with a 52-yard try within the second quarter that hit the best purpose submit.

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Sandwiched between these scores was an 8-yard shovel cross from quarterback Brody Palhegyi to tight finish Bryson Williams that capped a 70-yard scoring drive.

Chris Silverstien’s 24-yard discipline purpose following Farris’ interception of Gulliver Prep’s Carson Haggard made it 22-Zero late within the third quarter. Gulliver broke up the shutout two minutes later when sophomore Jalen Brown hauled in a one-handed seize between a pair of Cardinal Gibbons defenders for a 36-yard landing.

Two drives later, Cardinal Gibbons quarterback Mason Polivka, who performed the majority of the second half whereas Palhegyi was sidelined with cramps, put the sport out of attain with a 16-yard speeding landing with 4:50 left to play. Senior security Hugo Silsby intercepted a Haggard heave to the tip zone with 2:48 remaining on the clock to seal the sport.

“I knew they have been simply going to chuck the ball up for there season,” Silsby stated of the interception, his second in as many playoff video games. “We’re up by twenty. Simply keep again.”

And now, Cardinal Gibbons is shifting on as soon as once more, reaching the regional finals for a 3rd consecutive season.

“Our minds are on state,” Silsby stated.

Gulliver completed its season 5-1 and noticed an ideal season finish within the regional semifinals for the second consecutive season. The Raiders misplaced to eventual state champion Booker T. Washington within the second spherical of the playoffs in 2019 after going an ideal 10-Zero within the common season.