Chaminade-Madonna pummels playoff-bound Treasure Coast in tune-up before postseason

Chaminade-Madonna and Treasure Coast kept trying to find a time to reschedule their showdown, and finally got to play in the final week of the regular season Thursday. Without it, the Lions would’ve only had eight games on their regular-season schedule and they badly wanted a test before the postseason begins next week.

The Titans are playoff-bound and it still didn’t matter. Chaminade-Madonna wrapped up a perfect regular with a 45-6 rout in Hollywood.

“It was great to end the season off with a bang. Going to the playoffs, we’ve got to be even better,” star quarterback Cedrick Bailey said. “Even though it was a great team, we put it on them like we usually do.”

After outscoring their last four opponents 244-0, the Lions (9-0) went ahead 31-0 at Vince Zappone Field before Treasure Coast, which traveled all the way down from Port St. Lucie, scored a garbage-time touchdown in the fourth quarter.

It ended a run of 275 straight points for Chaminade-Madonna, which now sits at No. 7 in MaxPreps’ national rankings.

Despite the lopsided final score, the Titans (3-6) still provided a unique test. Treasure Coast runs an old-school, single-wing offense and used up nearly all the play clock on almost every play in the first half to be perfect to build a big lead.

Bailey and Co. essentially were.

The junior threw six touchdown passes to four different receivers and finished 20 of 28 for 244 yards. Jeremiah Smith and Joshisa Trader, a pair of five-star juniors, were his two favorite targets, going off for five catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns, and nine catches for 110 yards with a touchdown, respectively.

Star athlete Edwin Joseph also caught two touchdowns — he finished with three catches for 24 yards and three carries for 11 yards — and wide receiver Duane Thomas caught another, adding four catches for 31 yards and three carries for 22.

Chaminade-Madonna never punted, never turned the ball over and never committed a turnover on downs. The Lions’ only non-scoring drive came on a missed field goal.

“Everything’s starting to slow down for him,” coach Dameon Jones said of Bailey. “He’s not going to do anything but get better. I tell people all the time: You sleep on him now, but he’s going to be real scary later and that later is starting to come to fruition.”

On his first drive, Bailey sliced up the Titans, lading a 13-play, 85-yard march and capping it with a dart to Smith in the middle of the end zone. The Lions’ two worst drives followed — they settled for field goal attempts — before he put together one more gem of a possession right before halftime. This time, the Lions went 68 yards on 11 plays, and Bailey tossed an easy swing pass to Joseph for a 5-yard touchdown and 17-0 halftime lead.

By the end of the third quarter, it was a rout. Bailey found Trader for his touchdown in the first two minutes of the second half and then hit a 58-yard bomb to Smith with 1:24 left in the third to put Chaminade-Madonna up 31-0. The Lions eventually triggered a running clock on Thomas’ touchdown with 4:26 left.

“We’ve built a bond as brothers,” Joseph said. “We just make sure nobody’s selfish because that’s one thing that can break the team down. None of us our selfish, no matter if we’re not getting the ball. Everybody goes to celebrate with him. We’ve got to be big on connections. We’ve got each others’ backs, no matter what.”

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This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 10:49 PM.