Chaminade’s running attack propels it to win over American Heritage

American Heritage spent most of Friday night knowing what Chaminade-Madonna wanted to do, but they still couldn’t stop it.

Read more Here is the high school football scoreboard for South Florida – Week 3

The Lions repeatedly attacked Heritage on the ground, controlling the line of scrimmage and wearing down the Patriots in a 47-26 win at Vince Zappone Field.

After falling 24-7 to California powerhouse Sierra Canyon the previous week, Lions coach Damon Jones was encouraged with his team’s response.

“We came out here with something to prove from last week. We did a wonderful job,” Jones said. “Our kids came out there and played their behinds off, and I knew they would after a loss.”

Behind a stout offensive line anchored by three-star Liberty commit Devon Munnings and fellow senior Daniel Appah, Chaminade leaned on multiple running backs while finding success attacking both the edges and between the tackles.

By the time Patriots quarterback and four-star Texas commit Neimann Lawrence began finding answers through the air, Chaminade was already rolling, and Heritage had shown little ability to slow the Lions’ rushing attack.

Chaminade establishes control on the ground

Sophomore running back Nakia Lambright, who already boasts verbal offers from Ole Miss and LSU, set the tone early.

With Chaminade near the goal line in the first quarter, Lambright lined up in the Wildcat and powered into the end zone to give the Lions a 7-0 lead with 6:38 remaining.

The Lions’ defense added to the advantage shortly afterward when defensive back Derrick Jones scooped up a Heritage fumble and returned it roughly 70 yards for a touchdown.

Then Chaminade went right back to the ground.

Lambright took a handoff toward the right side, stretched the run outside and broke free for a touchdown of roughly 20 yards to push the lead to 20-0.

It became the theme of the night.

Whenever Heritage threatened to make the game competitive, Chaminade answered by hitting the Patriots right back with its rushing attack.

The Patriots finally began finding some offensive rhythm when Lawrence connected with Kentucky commit Trae Proctor near the goal line, then dropped a goal-line corner route into the bucket for Western Kentucky commit Michael Stringer near the pylon for a touchdown, cutting Chaminade’s lead to 20-13.

Read more Poll: Vote for the Miami Herald High School Athlete of the Week for Week 2

Running back Amos Bradford answered immediately for the Lions, finishing another Chaminade drive with a short touchdown run, to restore the two-score lead at 26-13.

Chaminade’s dominance up front wasn’t limited to offense, either.

The Lions closed the first half by sacking Lawrence on three consecutive plays, preventing Heritage from carrying any momentum into halftime.

Chaminade pulls away

Lawrence wasn’t plagued by mistakes throughout the night, but he was repeatedly forced to play from behind while Chaminade controlled possession and the physical aspect of the game.

He connected with Stringer again near the goal line to open up the second half, trimming the deficit to 26-20.

On the following drive, Chaminade quarterback Brady Quinn Jr. found receiver Khedarius Rhaney on a drag route. Rhaney made a defender miss and turned the short completion into a roughly 35-yard touchdown, pushing the Lions’ lead to 33-20.

“We had some mishaps. We made some adjustments offensively and defensively,” Jones said of Heritage’s short-lived comeback bid. “Just proud of my guys. Back to work for next week.”

From there, Chaminade’s physical advantage took over again.

Heritage fumbled inside its own territory late in the fourth quarter, and running back Jeremy Douglas capitalized with another rushing touchdown. Quinn later connected with Tromon Isaac Jr. on a fade near the goal line as Chaminade continued to pull away.

Heritage added a late touchdown to narrow the margin, but the Patriots simply couldn’t consistently keep Chaminade from moving the line of scrimmage.

In a matchup between two programs loaded with highly recruited skill players, the difference ultimately came up front.

Chaminade returns home Thursday to face True North Classical Academy at 6:30 p.m. American Heritage travels to Jacksonville on Friday to face Trinity Christian Academy at 7 p.m.

Read more Malachi Toney’s record-setting night sets tone in No. 7 Hurricanes’ rout of Stanford