Cardinal Gibbons Tops North Marion For 5A Title

     The Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs finally reached the top of the mountain as they defeated the North Marion Colts 48-10 for the FHSAA Class 5A state championship on Friday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The Chiefs captured their first football state title and finished the season winning their last 13 games.
     North Marion(12-3) got the ball first and put up points in their first possession. Tyler Stopford kicked a 38-yard field goal at the 7:52 mark to give them a 3-0 lead.
     Cardinal Gibbons(13-2) responded quickly on their first drive. They finished their first possession with a 20-yard field goal from Daton Montiel with 3:51 left in the first quarter.
     The Colts retook the lead with no time remaining in the first. Quarterback Quintin Gross rushed in from 11 yards away and they were up 10-3.
     The Chiefs special teams unit would have an impact midway through the second quarter. Sidney Porter blocked a punt and returned it six yards for a touchdown to tie the score 10-10 at 6:55. They got their first lead of the contest 13-10 with 2:04 to go when Montiel booted a 19-yard field goal and they led 13-10.
     Cardinal Gibbons expanded the gap with 50 seconds remaining in the first half. Quarterback Brody Palhegyi connected a 52-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jake Harrington for a 20-10 lead.
     In the third quarter, the Chiefs continued their momentum during their second possession. Running back Vincent Davis sprinted 49 yards up the middle into the end zone for a touchdown at 8:04 and extended their lead to 27-10.
     On the third play of the next North Marion drive, Wright intercepted a Gross pass at the Colts 34-yard line. It led to running back Coleman Bennett rushing in from three yards away with 5:06 left in the third for a 24-point margin.
     In the fourth quarter, Cardinal Gibbons extended the gap to 41-10 at the 9:57 mark. Palhegyi kept the ball and scored from six yards out.
     North Marion surrendered another touchdown with 6:10 left in the contest. Davis broke into the end zone on a three-yard touchdown run to make it 48-10. A running clock was implemented for the remainder of the game.