After Columbus' win, 'a parade in Westchester'

By Lynn Ramsey - Florida Catholic

Photography: LYNN RAMSEY | FC

DAYTONA BEACH | When Christopher Columbus High found itself down 13 points to Apopka on Friday, they drew inspiration from a year ago. They had been there before.

Unlike last year, when they rallied but fell short, they completed the comeback. Brandon McDuffey threw for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, then capped the last one with a two-point completion to Jahvar McSween with 8.1 seconds left to give the Explorers a 21-20 victory.

The victory gave the Explorers their first football state championship in school history. The Explorers won their first state final after going 0-5 in the previous ones – including a 30-23 loss to Apopka in 2014.

“All your life, you want to win,” said senior linebacker Dustin Vinas, who made 11 tackles. “Once you get to Columbus – Columbus is a place everybody wants to go – to be the first in history to win a championship at Columbus is amazing. All that hard work, we put in, it feels good.”

 

‘BAD TASTE IN OUR MOUTH’

In last year’s 37-35 loss, the Explorers rallied from 37-21 down, scoring on a 9-yard Xzavier Henderson reception, only for Mandarin to stop Henry Parrish on a 2-point run that would’ve tied the game.

That game was on many Explorer minds when Tramar Jackson’s 10-yard run put the Blue Darters up 20-7 with 9:21 left in the third quarter.

“We’ve been saying since we were in the locker room last year that we were going to be back here,” Henderson said. “We have a team full of leaders, not just senior leadership.”

McDuffey added, “(Mandarin quarterback) Carson Beck was a good quarterback, and he left us with a bad taste in our mouth. We didn’t want that same feeling this year.”

First, the Explorers had to withstand several Apopka attempts to deal a knockout punch. Apopka drove to the Columbus 13 to start the fourth quarter until forcing a Titus Vandiver 31-yard field-goal attempt that fell just short. The Explorers held Apopka on its next series, taking possession at the Columbus 47 with 4:35 left but still down 20-7.

 

TWO FOR THE WIN

Columbus then went into a 2-minute offense, getting passes to the sideline and hustling to the line of scrimmage. A Henry Parrish 11-yard rush gave the Explorers a first down to the Apopka 15. After two incompletions and a no-yard completion, McDuffey recovered a fumble, then rolled right and found Parrish running backward. Parrish caught the ball and fell into the end zone for a touchdown with 3:21 left. After Apopka’s Anthony Fieldings blocked the extra point, the Explorers trailed 20-13, needing a stop to get a chance to either tie or win.

An Apopka personal-foul penalty on its first play of the next drive set up a Columbus stop. Vinas stopped Jackson for a 1-yard gain on third and 17 to force a Blue Darters punt, and the Explorers got the ball with 1:57 left and 72 yards between them and a potential tie or victory.

“We did a really good job with the film,” Vinas said. “We just kept watching our keys, and our keys were taking us to the play every single time. We had to do some shifts in the fourth quarter. They were beating us outside, so we had to shift over and make that adjustment.”

McDuffey hit Henderson for 22 yards on a third-and-10 pass to the 50. After a few short passes, McDuffey found Henderson for a 26-yard pass to the Apopka 6, with Henderson leaping over two Apopka defenders to win the catch. “I saw the ball in the air, and I knew I had to get it,” Henderson said.

The Blue Darters called timeout with 18 seconds left to regroup. After an incompletion, McDuffey hit Parrish in the right flat, and Parrish outraced Fieldings for a touchdown with 8.1 seconds left. The play worked so well, McDuffey hit McSween on the same play for the 2-point conversion, and McSween brought home the title.

McDuffey said the Explorers had practiced that play all week, and he saw a defensive back move in to cover the run, which opened up McSween.

“I saw victory,” McSween said of what he saw on the play. “Last year, they took two points away from us. This year, we had to get it back.”

 

AIR DELIVERY

Apopka sold out to prevent Parrish from beating the Blue Darters with his rushing ability. Parrish had entered the game with 2,319 yards rushing and 28 touchdowns. But the Blue Darters held him to 24 rushing yards.

McDuffey and the passing offense picked up the slack, completing 34 of 47 passes for 275 yards. McDuffey’s two touchdown passes went to Parrish. Receiver Xzavier Henderson, who caught eight passes for 105 yards, ran in the Explorers’ first touchdown on a 2-yard run.

“We just started playing pass protection,” said guard Jordan Garcia. “We started sliding toward (Jalen Carter) – he’s a very good player – and it took off from there.”

Columbus’ defense had to deal with an Apopka rush offense that relied heavily on misdirection and subterfuge with the handoffs. Dual-threat quarterback Jaquan Lowman ran for 249 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown. He also threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Williams.

“We knew their offense was tough in 2014, so we knew they were tough to stop,” Vinas said. “Our coaches did an amazing job in the film room, and they gave us our keys, and we stuck to them all game.”

 

FROM 4-4 TO CHAMPS

To prepare Columbus for another journey to the state final, coach David Dunn scheduled several teams that ended up making the 2019 playoffs. Every foe but season-opening Belen Jesuit made the playoffs, and Booker T. Washington won the Classs 4A championship.

McDuffey called the schedule the toughest in all of Dade County. However, the Explorers said many of them struggled with discipline, which led to a 4-4 start.

“There were a lot of people who didn’t think we would be in this situation we’re in now,” Vinas said. “We were able to do what we did.”

Vinas said the third loss – a 35-0 shellacking at the hands of University School – was an eye-opener. “At the beginning of the year, we were showing up late to practice. They weren’t taking it seriously. They didn’t have the mindset we needed.”

A 21-20 loss to Fort Lauderdale Dillard proved the Explorers almost had it. Then they beat Delray Beach Atlantic 27-7 to start a season-ending seven-game win streak.

“That’s when we started rolling,” McDuffey said. “We got in the playoffs, and we started believing in each other. We made history.”

 

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

Columbus’ fan base also stepped up in a big way for the Dec. 13 game. Facing a team on a field only 45 minutes from its campus, Explorers fans and alumni made the four-hour trek and matched the Blue Darters fans in size and in volume. That added to an electric atmosphere.

That support was not lost on the Explorers players. Henderson said he loved to put a smile on their faces.

“The whole game, they never gave up on us,” McSween said. “It helped us a lot.”

Garcia added, “The Columbus family is crazy. They show us so much love, and we appreciate it.”

Vinas also lauded the fans. “Their support was what helped us get the win. There’s going to be a parade in Westchester, that’s for sure.”