Five takeaways from Chaminade-Madonna's upset win at American Heritage

Texas recruit Derrek Cooper scores three touchdowns and Chaminade defeats Heritage for fourth straight year

Derrek Cooper powers way into end zone for a touchdown in Chaminade-Madonna's 28-24 comeback win against American Heritage. / Joe Frisaro

PLANTATION, Fla. – Once again, the Chaminade-Madonna-American Heritage Plantation football rivalry lived up to the hype.

That’s not surprising considering both Broward County powerhouses are loaded with elite talent.

Neither team disappointed on Friday night in a game with national implications.

And once again, the outcome was a familiar one for Chaminade-Madonna.

The Lions rallied from 10-points down in the second half to pull off a 28-24 upset over top-10 ranked nationally American Heritage.

The Lions (2-1) have now won two straight since being roughed up by St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) in the Broward County National Football Showcase at St. Thomas Aquinas.

The setback was a tough one for Heritage (1-1), which had a bye week to prepare for the Lions after its 31-28 comeback against St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia) in the Broward Showcase.

High School on SI has these five takeaways on the latest chapter in the Chaminade-Heritage rivalry.

Chaminade’s 96-yard decisive drive

According to Lions coach Dameon Jones, 13-year-old freshman quarterback Malik Leonard has “ice” in his veins. Jones also says Leonard is “special.”

The freshman came through with the game on the line.

In the fourth quarter, Leonard was on point during a 13-play, 96-yard drive that put Chaminade ahead with 2:42 remaining.

Trailing by a field goal, the Lions were in the shadows of their end zone with 7:59 left in the game.

On first down, Leonard hooked up with Florida State commit, Jasen Lopez, on a 25-yard pass play. Two plays later, the lefty quarterback found Lopez again for 18 more yards.

Leonard to Lopez clicked for a third time, on the game-winning touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone with 2:42 left in the game.

Chaminade is splitting time with its quarterbacks in the early going. Leonard and Tyler Chance both saw action on Friday, with Leonard ultimately getting the nod in the fourth quarter.

“We’re going with the guy who is hot,” Jones said. “That’s what we did tonight.”

Dia Bell puts on a show for Heritage

The Lions’ thrilling comeback overshadowed an outstanding performance by Heritage quarterback Dia Bell, the five-star Texas recruit.

Regarded by many as the top QB in the country, Bell didn’t disappoint on a night he threw for 300 plus yards and three touchdowns.

With his tremendous composure and accuracy, Bell repeatedly came up with big plays. His touchdown passes came on tosses of 22-yards, 71-yards and 1-yard.

On a night, the Patriots couldn’t establish much running the football, Bell added a 37-yard run that set up Heritage on Chaminade’s 1-yard line in the fourth quarter.

And after the Lions’ pulled ahead late in the fourth quarter, Bell drove the Patriots from their 20 to the Chaminade 19. But after being sacked at the 25, his fourth down pass was incomplete in the final minute.

Chaminade’s goal-line stand

Heritage had a chance to make it a two-score game midway through the fourth quarter, but Chaminade’s defense put an abrupt halt to that possibility.

Bell’s 37-yard run placed on the Patriots on the 1. They were unable to budge any further.

Chaminade’s stout defensive front stepped up, and stuffed Jonathan Bueno on three straight rushing attempts. Heritage actually lost a yard, setting up a fourth-and-four. The Lions swarmed Bell and dropped him for a 2-yard loss on fourth down.

Coi Jean-Noel puts on a receiving clinic

There was no shortage of playmakers on the field for both teams.

Heritage receiver Coi Jean-Noel stood out as much as any of them.

The Georgia Tech commit finished with 11 catches for 136 yards, and he was Bell’s primary target. Jean-Noel opened the scoring with a 22-yard scoring reception in the first quarter. And with 45 seconds left in the third quarter, the senior added a 1-yard touchdown catch.

Jean-Noel wasn’t the only Patriot to have a huge game. Jamar Denson added a 71-yard touchdown reception, and had another catch for 51 yards.

Derrek Cooper, Jasen Lopez deliver

For most of the game, Heritage did an effective job of shutting down Chaminade’s high-powered offense.

But in crunch time, the Lions were able to unleash its stars, especially, Derrek Cooper and Jasen Lopez.

Cooper (Texas commit) finished with three rushing touchdowns, and Lopez (Florida State recruit) pulled in the game-winning scoring pass.

Cooper scored the Lions’ first touchdown on 20-yard run. In the second half, he had a pair of 6-yard runs out of the Wild Cat. And in the decisive drive, Lopez had three big catches, including a 25-yard reception on first down from the Chaminade four.

“We’re trying to put the ball in our playmakers’ hands,” Jones said. “They took some stuff away early, but we made adjustments, and it worked out for us at the end.”

Bonus: The University of Texas may be the biggest winner

Regardless of the stakes this game had in South Florida, the Texas Longhorns are most likely the biggest winners of all. With Dia Bell and Derrek Cooper both headed to Austin, Texas fans have a lot to forward to over the next few seasons.