Chaminade-Madonna steamrolls True North to secure seventh state final berth in a row
The Chaminade-Madonna Lions left no doubt against True North Academy running all over the young Titans, 56-0, in Friday night’s Class 1M state semifinal matchup, securing a berth in the state championship. This will mark the Lions’ seventh consecutive trip to the title game, tying a state record. Chaminade will take on Clearwater Central Catholic on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Gene Cox Stadium in Tallahassee.
The Titans (9-4), a program in only their fourth season and third at the varsity level, started the night off with some trickery, opening the game with an onside kick that they were able to recover. That was essentially the high note of the evening, though, for True North as Chaminade took over quickly after the excitement subsided.
After taking over on downs, the Lions, who are ranked No. 5 in the nation by MaxPreps, struck their first blow without hesitation on a 58-yard touchdown from running back Davion Gause. Chaminade followed that up with another rushing touchdown on its second possession, a five-yard dash from receiver Duane Thomas that capped off the Lions’ 80-yard drive.
Lions quarterback Cedrick Bailey got in on the action for Chaminade’s third score, lacing a 30-yard rope to star receiver Jeremiah Smith that extended the lead to 21-0 as the first quarter expired. On the next drive, he added another with a screen pass to wideout Edwin Joseph who broke free for a 15-yard trip to the endzone. Bailey would finish the contest with 144 yards passing and three touchdowns to lead the way for the Lions.
True North really saw things start to fall apart in the second quarter. Titans quarterback Zack Katz, an eighth grader, was picked off by Chaminade safety Zaquan Patterson, who waltzed into the end zone for another Lions touchdown after a 30-yard return.
Titans wide receiver J-Roc Lopez made some big plays for his side, including a spectacular one-handed catch on the sidelines. Lopez’ efforts weren’t enough, though, as Chaminade broke the game open heading into halftime.
Chaminade’s Thomas found paydirt again when Bailey connected with him on a seven-yard touchdown to close out the half with a 42-0 lead.
In the second half, under a running clock, Chaminade shifted gears into cruise control, allowing some less-seasoned players to get some snaps. Xavier Richardson, a senior long snapper playing his final game on Chaminade’s home field, came in at quarterback late in the fourth quarter with the ball in the red zone. On his first (and only) play under center, he threw a touchdown pass to receiver Kyle Washington.
After the game, Chaminade-Madonna head coach Dameon Jones talked about the special group of seniors on this team.
“This class is different man,” noted Jones. “They kept it going. A lot of people doubted…I’m just proud of them. I want them to finish. Because if they don’t finish, it don’t matter.
“We haven’t done nothing, haven’t accomplished anything yet...the main thing is just to finish at this time. At the end of the day, we’ve gotta get better, clean some stuff up. I’m just proud of these young men. They’ve been consistent all year and this is the goal. This is where we wanted to be. We’ve just gotta finish.”
This story was originally published December 2, 2022 at 11:50 PM.