by Vero Beach put together a dominant performance this week, pulling away from Jensen Beach behind a big night from Notre Dame commit, Champ Monds.
The game started slowly, with both offenses struggling to find a rhythm and Vero’s offensive line battling penalty trouble early. But with 2:50 left in the first quarter, Vero’s Kaden Huggins broke through to sack Jensen Beach quarterback Dre Lott, forcing a fourth down that sent in the punt team.
From there, Monds took over. He connected with Marcus Melbourne on a slant route that turned into a 72-yard touchdown, then found Micah Roberts for a 14-yard score. Marc Johns nearly had a touchdown of his own on a play where he stepped out of bounds at the 13-yard line, but he made up for it on the very next snap, hauling in a 13-yard touchdown catch.
The physicality of the night boiled over midway through the second quarter, when Jensen Beach’s Tre Covington and Vero’s Javorie Lockhart were both ejected after a fight broke out on the field. That didn’t slow down Vero, Monds punched in a 1-yard rushing touchdown right before halftime to push the lead to 27-0, though a missed extra point from kicker Jackson Barsalou kept the margin from growing further. Monds added another score on the ground with a 14-yard rushing touchdown to extend Vero’s advantage even more.
The game was delayed an hour by lightning before it even kicked off. A second lightning delay hit early in the fourth quarter, and after a quick discussion between coaches, the game was called, with Vero Beach winning 34-0 at the time of the stoppage.
Player of the Game: Champ Monds, QB, Vero Beach
Monds was the driving force behind Vero Beach’s win from start to finish, accounting for five total touchdowns, three through the air and two on the ground, while throwing for over 190 yards. His 72-yard strike to Marcus Melbourne set the tone early, and his two rushing scores, including the touchdown right before halftime, kept Jensen Beach without an answer. It was a complete performance that made him the clear choice for Player of the Game.
