5 takeaways from Chaminade-Madonna’s thrilling win over American Heritage

Lions overcome injuries and adversity and beat the Patriots on a last-second field goal

Chaminade-Madonna drills field goal on final play to beat American Heritage /

HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA – Don’t let the records fool you.

After Chaminade-Madonna’s thrilling 48-45 victory over American Heritage on Friday night, both national powers share 1-2 overall records.

Even with a couple of defeats, the two Broward County programs are among the most elite teams in the state and country.

By the end of the season, Chaminade-Madonna projects to be in the hunt for the Class 1A state championship, while Heritage should be in the mix for top state honors in Class 4A. Where the early losses hurt is neither program is likely to be in the national championship conversation.

Still, both teams put on a classic shootout at Zappone Field.

SBLive was on hand, and offers these five takeaways:

Quarterback is not an issue for Chaminade-Madonna

Who would replace Cedrick Bailey (now at North Carolina State) was a big question entering the season. Tyler Chance received the bulk of the playing time in the season opening loss to St. John Bosco. And in the second game, a loss to Blanche Ely, Chance went down with a leg injury. Enter Preston Wright to take over the starting role.

A year ago, Wright was playing in Ocala. On Friday, the senior was masterful, completing 27-of-43 passes for 487 yards, and four touchdowns. Equally important, Wright did not throw an interception. Showing poise in the pocket, he also made plays with his legs, scrambling for some crucial yards on the game-winning drive.

Chaminade-Madonna quarterback Preston Wright threw for 487 yards in a win against American Heritage. It was his first start for the Lions. / Joe Frisaro

Dia Bell is among the best in the nation

This loss will sting for the Patriots. No doubt. They’ll feel this was a winnable game. Still, they showed why their offense is among the best in the nation. And Bell, the Class of 2026 Texas recruit, demonstrated why he’s deserving of his 5-star ranking.

Bell was 24-for-33 for 358 yards, and four touchdowns. The junior also ran 16 yards for a touchdown in the final minute, which at the time, tied the score at 45. Heritage fell behind by 14 points in the first quarter, and stormed back with Bell making all the right passes, and picking up yards on the ground, when necessary.

Jasen “Jroc” Lopez is the real deal

A case can be made that Lopez, a 4-star receiver, is the best receiver in Broward County right now. The Class of 2026 standout is a superb route runner, and elusive after the catch. The Lions have an outstanding receiving corps to begin with. Lopez has become a primary target. Against Heritage, the 5-foot-10 junior caught 11 passes for 256 yards. In their game-winning drive, Lopez had a 7-yard reception on fourth-and-five, and his 24-yard catch down the sideline with two seconds left, set up Noah Sidan’s game-winning, 26-yard field goal.

Heritage gets a huge boost with the return of Brandon Bennett

There’s no shortage of weapons on the Patriots offense. Running back Byron Louis is as good as it gets. The senior rushed for 149 yards and added six catches for 78 yards. Receiver Malachi Toney (Miami commit) had six catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns. Louis and Toney deservingly receive plenty of attention. On Friday the Patriots offense got back another big weapon.

Receiver Brandon Bennett, who had missed the Western game with a toe injury, was back. And, boy, was the junior ever back. The stats credited Bennett with five catches for 112 yards. Why we note “credited” is because a play or two to Bennett could have been ruled as a lateral, which would have given some of that yardage to his rushing total. Regardless, Bennett is a speedster with big play capabilities. And in the fourth quarter, he made a couple of big plays.

Kicker Noah Sidan is cool under pressure

It will take more than a blocked field goal to shake the confidence of Noah Sidan. The Chaminade kicker embraces the big moment. Always has. After booting the game-winning field goal as time expired, Sidan said he anticipated the game possibly coming down to a last-second field goal. Last week, Sidan had a last-minute field goal attempt blocked in the loss to Ely. Still, he didn’t get down, and noted he was boosted by the support he was receiving from the Lions coaches and his teammates. Last year, while with Miami Norland, Sidan delivered a couple of game-winning late field goals. So, when Sidan was called upon to make the decisive field goal with two seconds on the clock, the junior was ready.