Jacksonville Fl-After up and down seasons for both teams, Bishop Kenny and Pedro Menendez were scheduled to meet on Friday for the district championship, but hurricane Milton pushed the game back to Monday night. This game may not have had as much excitement as some of the other games around Northeast Florida, but it certainly did not disappoint.
The Crusaders would win the toss and elect to receive, however they would not do much on their first possession. Menendez would get the ball and move right down the field, before giving running back Mason Lynch a carry. Lynch punched it in for the short rushing touchdown, giving the Falcons the early lead.
Menendez on the board first with a short rushing touchdown.
— Christian Schultz (@schultzmedia_) October 14, 2024
Pedro Menendez 7
Bishop Kenny 0 @DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/WLeZR3QRWl
Bishop Kenny would continue to sputter on offense. In fact, both teams would continue to sputter on offense, as not many yards gained or big plays were had. That was until Bishop Kenny’s defensive back, Andrew Clifford, intercepted a pass and returned it all the way for a touchdown. A block in the back penalty on the return would negate the touchdown scored, but would still give Bishop Kenny possession in great field position.
The Crusaders would get their first points of the game early in the second quarter thanks to a short field goal from Christian Lopez, to make the score 7-3. Not much action would happen through the rest of the half as it was an extremely defensive battle. The two teams would go into halftime eager to make adjustments.
Yet that trend would continue into 3rd quarter as both offenses didn’t seem to have any sign of life. Menendez would get a good drive going down the field before making the decision to go for it on fourth down to continue that drive. Quarterback Cash Downey would scramble out of the pocket before meeting Gunnar Rogers who came up with a huge sack for Bishop Kenny. This play would be the turning point in the game as it sparked a lot of momentum for Bishop Kenny.
Fourth down and Gunnar Rodgers comes up with a HUGE sack for Bishop Kenny mid way through the 3rd quarter. @DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/9hziVjcGLt
— Christian Schultz (@schultzmedia_) October 15, 2024
The following possession, the Crusaders would march all the way down field and culminating with running back Caleb Mattison punching it in to give Bishop Kenny their first lead of the night. They would continue to hold onto the lead as the 3rd quarter would end 10-7.
Bishop Kenny playing excellent complementary football. Defense gets the turnover on downs. Offense drives down the field and lets Caleb Mattison punch it in to take the lead!
— Christian Schultz (@schultzmedia_) October 15, 2024
Bishop Kenny 10
Pedro Menendez 7@DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/r5pxjYG26z
After a long drive for the Falcons, they would get all the way down to the 5-yard line, but the Bishop Kenny defense would hold strong and keep Menendez to just a field goal, tying the game up half way through the 4th quarter.
The defensive battle would continue. With a minute left in the game, and the score tied 10-10, Menendez would look to make a game winning drive, but the Crusaders would have other plans. On a deep pass downfield, defensive back AJ Alicea would leap up to make the interception, his 5th of the season. He’d add a great return which would put Kenny in amazing field position with 24 seconds left.
Just a few plays later, Derek Heideman would find JP Donovan in the end zone for the game winning touchdown. Heidman and Donovan have had an incredible connection this year, as the two hook up on big plays when their team needs them the most.
With the win Bishop Kenny would end their 3-game losing streak with a huge comeback win to keep their district championship hopes alive, defeating Pedro Menendez, 17-10. Menendez, Bishop Kenny, and Terry Parker, all have one loss in the district. The district tie rules will come down to the highest ranked team on Maxpreps. Currently, Bishop Kenny is ranked 156th, Menendez is ranked #164th, and Parker is ranked 242nd. Rankings will be finalized at the end of the season November 7th. The Crusaders look to keep their winning ways against First Coast next week and the Falcons look to bounce back next week, as they will have a great matchup with Tocoi Creek.
