Entering Thursday's showdown for the Class 4A title, Jacksonville Bolles was tied for the Florida high school record with 11 previous state titles while Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons entered with just one previous crown.
By the end of the game, the Chiefs could call themselves a multiple time champ.
Quarterback Brody Palhegyi threw for four touchdown passes and led Cardinal Gibbons to 35 unanswered points on the way to a 35-21 victory over the Bulldogs in front of just over 1,300 frigid fans inside Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.
Bolles jumped on the board early with a long touchdown run by Kade Frew before Palhegyi connected on touchdown strikes to Kamari Moulton, Jesse Anderson and two to Troy Stellato that put the game out of contention and sent the fans from Broward County into a frenzy.
Bolles made things interesting at the end with two quick touchdowns, including a long kickoff return from Davis Ellis and Frew's second touchdown of the day, but that was as close as they were able to get in losing their sixth title game appearance since winning their last state crown in 2011.
Cardinal Gibbons, who beat Class 7A qualifier St. Thomas Aquinas earlier in the 2020 season, out gained Bolles in yardage 492 to 213 that included 358 yards passing from Palhegyi.
The Chiefs become the second school from South Florida to win a state title in 2020 after Hialeah Champagnat Catholic's Class 2A win on Wednesday.
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Friday, Miami Central and Plantation American Heritage will play in the Class 6A and 5A title games respectively while Aquinas will play for their class title on Saturday.
