FORT LAUDERDALE -- The first of the last five State Championship games kickoff tonight in Fort Lauderdale at the beautiful DRV PNK Stadium. The Class 4A State Championship between the Defending State Champs Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs (10-2) and perennial Central Florida powerhouse Cocoa Tigers (11-1) will be held Thursday night December 16, with kickoff at 7PM Eastern.

A LOOK AT THE CLASS 4A STATE FINAL'S TEAMS

Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs Team Hub
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Broward Area


DEFENDING CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPS

TEAM RECORD: 10-2


BIG WINS: Gainesville Buchholz, Venice, Gulliver Prep, Lakewood
LOSSES: Only 2 losses come to Broward Powerhouses St. Thomas Aquinas, Plantation American Heritage.

HEAD COACH: Matt DuBuc

Matt DuBuc is a Cardinal Gibbons Chief.. not only the head coach, but also a star running back during his days donning the red and white. He was part of the Gibbons' team that went to the Class 3A State Championship game in 1990, but lost to the Suwannee Bulldogs 44-14 for the title. Now, in his sixth season at the helm of the Chiefs, he has 61-12 record, with his team winning last year's Class 4A Title and in 2018 bringing home the trophy back to Fort Lauderdale.
Alma Mater: Texas Tech Red Raiders (1997)

KEY PLAYERS:
#10 QB Dylan Rizk (JR): 164-240, 68.3%, 1933 yds passing, 16TD, 9INT, 437 yds rushing, 8TD
#19 RB Kamari "Hulk" Moulton (JR): 128 carries, 904 yds, 16TD
#3 WR Davon Kiser (SR): 27 rec, 429 yards, 5 TD, Averaging 74.3 all-purpose yards a game
#16 WR Jesse Anderson (JR): 37 rec, 476 yards, 3TD
#2 WR Elisha Edwards (SR): 28 rec, 333 yards, 3TD
#17 WR Komani Beneby (JR): 18 rec, 240 yards, 3TD
#55 LB Tray Brown (SR): 95 Tackles, 13 TFL, 3 Sacks
#7 DE Mason Thomas (SR): 62 Tackles, 11 Sacks, 18TFL, 55 yard rushing TD

CARDINAL GIBBONS CHIEFS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY (2)

DEFENDING 2020 CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPS

3 STATE FINAL APPEARANCES, 2 STATE TITLES:
1990 3A State Runner-Up
2018 4A STATE CHAMPION
2020 4A STATE CHAMPION

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Cocoa Tigers' Team Hub
Cocoa, Florida
Space & Treasure Coast Area

TEAM RECORD: 11-1


BIG WINS: Vero Beach, Kissimmee Osceola, Treasure Coast, Orlando Dr. Phillips, Port Orange Spruce Creek, Rockledge, Jacksonville Bolles
LOSSES: Only loss is a one point defeat to current 2021 Class 8A State Finalist Venice

HEAD COACH: Ryan Schneider

Coach Schneider played high school at Plantation HS (Broward Area) where he was a star QB. He signed with the University of Central Florida where made a name for himself. Coach Schneider comes under the Roger Harriott (State Champion Head Coach at St. Thomas Aquinas) coaching tree during his time at Aquinas before accepting the HC job at Cocoa.
Alma Mater: UCF Knights (1997)

KEY PLAYERS
#5 SB OJ Ross (SR): 237 carries, 1791 yards, 36 TD, 351 yards receiving, 0 fumbles
#4 QB Davin Wydner (SR): 205-288, 3328 yards, 21 TD, 8 INT
#6 WR Jmariyae Robinson (SR): 64 rec, 1279 yards, 7TD
#2 WR Donte Cook (SR): 55 rec, 851 yards, 9TD
#21 Cedrick Hawkins (JR): 106 tackles, 3INT
#15 Samadrae Hawkins (S0): 151 tackles (106 solo), 8TFL, 2 sacks

COCOA TIGERS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY (4)

6 STATE FINAL APPEARANCES, 4 STATE TITLES:
2008 3A STATE CHAMPION
2009 2A STATE CHAMPION
2010 2A STATE CHAMPION
2016 4A STATE CHAMPION
2017 4A State Runner-Up
2018 4A State Runner-Up

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BY THE NUMBERS

SCORING DIFFERENTIALS

Official 2021 State Championship Game Page on Florida Gridiron

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MORE RELATED LINKS

2021 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
2021 Class 4A Playoff Brackets
2021 FHSAA Class 4A Final RPI Rankings

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VIDEOS OF THE 2021 CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

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