Friday’s nightcap at the Broward County Classic High School Football Showcase between No. 17-ranked American Heritage (Fla.) and No. 15 St. Joseph’s Prep School (Pa.) late into the third quarter looked all but decided.
With the Hawks holding what looked like a commanding 28-0 lead late in the third, it seemed like St. Joseph’s Prep would be heading back to the City of Brotherly Love with win No. 1 on the season. That was until five-star Texas commit Dia Bell gave everyone his best Tom Brady impression.
Bell engineered a comeback to remember, leading the Patriots (1-0) to 31 unanswered points en route to an improbably 31-28 victory over the Hawks (0-1) at Brian Piccolo Stadium.
Dia Bell makes big plays down the stretch
After exiting last season with an injury and seeing wide receiver Malachi Toney, who is now at Miami, lead American Heritage to a state championship, this 2025 season is a big one in Dia Bell’s senior season.
The star signal caller made sure to start his final season as a Patriot off with a bang in leading his team back, erasing a 28-point deficit to one of Pennsylvania’s top programs, to a 1-0 start. It was how Bell did it that has wowed people across social media, who may have turned off the ESPN2 telecast of the game, believing that it was over.
After two touchdowns to get back into the game, Bell threw a crucial 31-yard touchdown to Jamar Denson (Troy commit) to get the Patriots within 28-21. A touchdown and 40-yard field goal later, Bell and American Heritage were walking out with one of the most unlikely victories of the weekend.
Jonathan Bueno fuels American Heritage offense
Now Bell made the throws to help setup the epic come-from-behind victory for the Patriots, but it was Jonathan Bueno that powered the team’s offense between the tackles.
The junior 5-foot-10, 175-pound running back barrelled his way to three touchdowns, including the game-tying score with a 7-yard touchdown with less than three minutes left to go in the game. American Heritage looked like a team that might be looking for answers at running, with Byron Louis graduating and now at Miami.
Bueno answered the bell in the backfield for Patriots’ head coach Mike Smith and now with a very viable option replacing Louis, not much has changed for American Heritage in 2025 as they look to repeat as Florida’s Class 4A state champions.
St. Joseph’s Prep can only be left to wonder what could’ve been
One of the Northeast’s top high school football programs, armed with a four-touchdown lead in the final few minutes of the third quarter.
What could go wrong?
Apparently a lot can and then some as the Hawks coughed up a 28-point advantage with just seconds left in the game en route to a season-opening loss. There’s no time to wallow in the loss, either, as St. Joseph’s Prep School will be playing in another classic next week as well.
The Hawks will head to Wilmington, Delaware to face Maryland power, DeMatha Catholic, in the Mid-Atlantic Pigskin Classic in what will be another difficult test for the nation’s No. 15-ranked team.
Playing in the Broward County Classic High School Football Showcase hasn’t been exactly kind to the prep school out of Philadelphia as the Hawks lost to St. Thomas Aquinas back in 2022, 48-37. Now St. Joseph’s Prep loses a heartbreaker by three to American Heritage.
It’s going to be a long flight back home for the Hawks as they have to ponder what could’ve been if they held on for the win.