5 takeaways from Blanche Ely's stunning overtime win over nationally-ranked Chaminade Madonna

In what might be the upset of the young season, the Tigers upended the Lions in overtime

Blanche Ely quarterback Omari McNeal scored the game winning touchdown in overtime as Blanche Ely stunned nationally ranked Chaminade-Madonna, 35-34. / Omari McNeal Hudl

Wow.

I mean, what other words can be used to describe what kind of stunning win Blanche Ely pulled off in a stunning 35-34 victory over SBLive/Sports Illustrated's Top 25 No. 8-ranked Chaminade Madonna, also ranked No. 2 in Florida.

SBLive/SI Top 25 national high school football rankings (8/26/2024)

Top 25 Florida high school football rankings (8/27/2024)

Coming off a solid showing in the Broward County Classic High School Football Showcase against St. John Bosco (CA) in a 35-27 loss was respectable. Now the Lions are reeling and we'd have to dig into the books in regards to how long its been since a Dameon Jones team has started off 0-2.

St. John Bosco (CA) wears down Chaminade Madonna (FL) in penalty-filled game

We're going to try and make some sense of this one and give you five takeaways from tonight:

Give credit where credit is due: Blanche Ely showed up to play

I mean, who could've ever seen this one coming might need to call themselves Nostradamus because Blanche Ely defeating Chaminade Madonna was not on the 2024 bingo card. Regardless of rankings or where anyone thought Chaminade Madonna stands on a national level, the Tigers came out to play the game of their lives and they did so. The effort given along with the heroics of quarterback Omari McNeal, who ended up scoring the game-winning touchdown, speaks volumes to how much of a target the Lions have on their backs every week. Let's not forget this team did defeat Boyd Anderson 70-7 in Week 1. Let's just give Blanche Ely its flowers, because this a win that certainly puts them in the discussion in Class 5A.

Special teams play dooms Chaminade Madonna

When they needed it most, Chaminade Madonna just couldn't count on special teams play to elongate the game. Instead, it torpedoed the Lions' chances of competing for a national championship, knocking them from likely every Top 25 rankings and leaving to question if they can win the Class 1A state championship this winter. A blocked field goal to end regulation and a blocked extra point prevented the Lions from coming away with a win or even tying things up. It proves that special teams play really matters.

Lions still smarting from Week 1 loss?

Now we just gave Blanche Ely a whole bouquet of flowers, but we have to wonder what kind of effect did the Week 1 loss to St. John Bosco have on Chaminade Madonna? Losing to one of the top high school football programs in the land shouldn't really bother a program, especially it was only by eight points. But maybe this had a different vibe to it afterwards. A lot to chew over for Chaminade Madonna, but there's obviously always contributing factors when a loss like this happens.

Fast start offensively fueled belief for Blanche Ely

To believe you can pull off an upset of the magnitude of Blanche Ely's over Chaminade Madonna, you have to have some positive things happen in the early onset. McNeal certainly played the role of Houdini by making magic happen out of thin air as a playmaker. The Tigers' quarterback ended the night with three rushing touchdowns and at one point gave Blanche Ely a 21-7 lead, something no one would've thought possible. There's the saying 'crazier things have happened', but when it comes to upsets and the belief to do so, there hasn't been one like this in recent memory.

What to make of Chaminade Madonna now

So coming off probably two of arguably the best seasons a high school offense could've ever had, Chaminade Madonna and fans in general were spoiled. The likes of Jeremiah Smith, JoJo Trader, Cedrick Bailey and Davion Gause were just so rare to have all on one team. This Lions' group looked like they had a chance to be something similar, but in the younger stages of course. Having Koby Howard, Jabari Brady, Jansen Lopez, Kyle Washington, Derrek Cooper and a host of others made it seem like there wouldn't be some long transitional process for Chaminade. Instead, it looks like we are left to wonder where this team ends up by season's end. The good thing is there's plenty of football to be played. It's only Week 2.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl