Bolles Ends Cardinal Gibbons

     The Bolles Bulldogs knocked out the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs 42-20 in Jacksonville on Friday night in a FHSAA Class 2A state semifinal game. The Bulldogs made their return to the state championship contest for the first time in a couple of years. 

     Bolles(13-1) found the end zone during their first possession of the game. They were able to move ahead 7-0. 

     Cardinal Gibbons(10-4) cut it to 7-6 midway into the first quarter when Jayden Torres connected a touchdown pass to Merrick Todich. They missed the extra point and were down by one point. 

      The rest of the first half belonged to the Bulldogs. They extended their lead to 14-6 on a rushing touchdown with until a minute left in the first. 

      Bolles made it 21-6 on a touchdown pass two minutes into the second quarter. Xavier Edwards would score on a touchdown run with five minutes remaining in the second for a 28-6 advantage. He sprinted into the end zone again for another touchdown in the final minute of the first half and they held a 35-6 halftime lead. 

      The Bulldogs added more points to begin the second half. They gained a 42-6 lead on another Edwards rushing touchdown four minutes into the third quarter. 

      The Chiefs closed it to 42-14 with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Torres rushed the ball in for a touchdown and they made a two-point conversion.

      It became 42-20 with less than a minute left in the fourth. Cardinal Gibbons reached the end zone on a touchdown pass.