Five takeaways from American Heritage's historic comeback against St. Joseph's Prep

Dia Bell leads the Patriots back from a 28-point deficit to stun St. Joseph's Prep, 31-28

American Heritage running back Jonathan Bueno scores three touchdowns in Patriots stunning 31-28 comeback win against St. Joseph's Prep / Joe Frisaro

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. –- What was shaping us as a forgetful night turned into a historic comeback for American Heritage in the Broward County National High School Showcase.

Rallying behind 5-star quarterback Dia Bell, Heritage stormed back from four touchdowns down to stun St. Joseph’s Prep (PA), 31-28, at St. Thomas Aquinas’ field.

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American Heritage (FL) rallies to defeat St. Joseph's Prep (PA): Live score recap — August 22, 2025

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Kade Bailey’s 42-yard field goal with four seconds left capped the miraculous comeback in a game nationally televised on ESPN2.

Heritage is the defending Florida Class 4A state champions, while St. Joseph’s in 2024 captured the PIAA State Championship.

Here are five takeaways from the game:

Never Count Out Dia Bell

The first half was a nightmarish one for Bell and the Patriots offense.

Heritage mounted just 72 yards of total offense in the first two quarters, with Bell, the touted Texas recruit, losing two fumbles.

St. Joseph’s led 21-0 at intermission, and Heritage didn’t show much of anything.

Then, after falling behind 28 points in the third quarter, Bell engineered one of the great comebacks recent memory.

Bell directed four touchdown drives, to pull the game even at 28 with two minutes, 51 seconds to go.

Bell completed a key fourth-and-10 with a pass to Jamar Denson, who became his primary target in the second half. Bell connected with Denson for a 31-yard touchdown pass with 6:49 left to make it 28-21.

“We showed the country we’re never going to give up,” Bell said. “It don’t matter how [far] we get behind, we’re never going to give up until that clock hits 00:00.”

Career Long Kick for Kade Bailey

The kicking game proved crucial for the Patriots.

In the end, Heritage was able to pull off the remarkable win on a 42-yard field goal by Kade Bailey with four seconds left. The game-winning field goal was set up by a blocked punt by the Patriots.

Bailey also connected on all four of his extra point attempts.

Hawks Weather Storm in the First Half

Rain was a big story in the first half. The start of the game was delayed 90 minutes due to the threat of lightning.

The first quarter was played under a steady rain, and the soggy field created some slick and slippery conditions.

The team that dealt with the adversity the best was St. Joseph’s.

Midway through the first quarter, the Hawks were pinned back on their 14-yard line. But behind the scrambling and throwing of quarterback Charlie Foulke, the Hawks marched 86 yards on 13 plays. On third down, it was Foulke dashing 11 yards for the touchdown with 4:31 left in the opening quarter.

St. Joseph’s capitalized again minutes later when linebacker Thomas Morano recovered a Patriots’ fumble deep in Heritage territory.

The Hawks built a 14-point lead on Khyan Billups’ 7-yard touchdown run.

Big First Game for Jonathan Bueno

Heritage is known for producing great running backs. In 2023, Mark Fletcher, now at Miami, was the star, and in 2024, Byron Louis, now at Florida, handled the bulk of the running game.

The featured back this season is Jonathan Bueno, a transfer from Western High School.

Bueno has a hard-nose style of running, and rarely goes down on first contact.

The junior ran for three touchdowns, including the tying touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. In the third quarter, with the Patriots trailing, 28-0, Bueno made a spectacular 20-yard touchdown run that inspired the comeback.

St. Joseph’s Showed Some Special Special Teams

The inclement conditions didn’t hinder St. Joseph’s special teams.

In the second quarter, the Hawks capitalized on a couple of key special teams moments.

Punter Blake Sholder, who also kicks, pinned the Patriots inside their own 1-yard with a terrific punt. Heritage was able to move out from the shadows of its end zone and advanced to its 37-yard line.

But facing a fourth down, Heritage went back to punt. But St. Joseph’s Masiia Acrey blocked the Patriots’ punt, and scooped the ball up at the seven, and dashed into the end zone for a touchdown that made it, 21-0, with 2:21 left in the first half.

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