With two 5-star recruits, ‘of course’ Chaminade-Madonna has best receivers in the nation
Dameon Jones has coached for nearly two decades, won five state championships and sent a quarterback, a running back and a couple wide receivers to the NFL, and still he has never seen anything quite like he has at Chaminade-Madonna right now.
His No. 1 wide receiver might be the best player in the entire country and his No. 2 receiver, really a two-way athlete, is a five-star recruit, too. His running back has been a Broward County Offensive Player of the Year multiple times and his quarterback threw for 45 touchdowns last season.
“I think this is my 17th year. I’ve never had anything like this,” the coach said. “It’s special. I don’t know if I can duplicate it ever again.”
The collection of offensive skill talent in Hollywood truly may be unprecedented and it’s why the Lions are considered not just the overwhelming favorite to repeat as Class 1M champions, but also a legitimate contender for a national title.
Five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is the No. 2 player in the Class of 2024, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, and is orally committed to Ohio State, and five-star athlete Joshisa Trader is the No. 25 player in the 2024 recruiting class and has committed to Miami. Four-star running back Davion Gause is committed to North Carolina and three-star quarterback Cedrick Bailey has pledged to NC State.
Around those four stars, Chaminade-Madonna has three other blue-chip recruits, including elite safety Zaquan Patterson and junior wide receiver Kamare Williams.
All across their roster, the Lions are impressive. The wide receivers, however, are in a class of their own and they’re not afraid to buy into their own hype.
“Of course,” Trader said, when asked whether he thinks Chaminade-Madonna has the best wideouts in the country. “You’ve got to feel that. You’ve got to have confidence. Confidence is key.”
The numbers, any way they’re taken, are staggering.
There are the recruiting star rankings: Smith and Trader are both five-star prospects, and two of the top three players in the state for the 2024 class, excluding players at Bradenton IMG Academy; they get tested every day in practice by safety Zaquan Patterson, another top-100 prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle; they catch passes from Bailey and they all get some extra help from Gause.
There are also the on-field numbers — their recruiting rankings are backed up by monstrous production: Smith had 1,073 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns last year; Trader had 743 yards and seven touchdowns; Gause ran for 1,143 yards and 19 touchdowns; and Bailey’s 45 touchdowns as the triggerman of it all.
Chaminade-Madonna — with one of the most prolific offenses in the country, averaging 48 points per game — finished last season as the No. 10 team in the country, according to MaxPreps, and were probably one win away from a national title, undefeated and already a Class 1M champion when they traveled to Las Vegas to play Bishop Gorman in the State Champions Bowl Series.
The No. 7 Lions have legitimate national title aspirations again this year and are taking every opportunity they can to prove they worthy: They open their season with five straight games against top-50 teams, including No. 2 Miami Central, No. 8 St. Frances Academy from Baltimore, No. 12 Plantation American Heritage and No. 20 Bergen Catholic from Oradell, New Jersey.
“Y’all thought you saw something last year,” Trader said. “Y’all are about to see something different this year.”
No one knows better how good Chaminade-Madonna’s offense can be than Patterson.
The Lions’ defense is relatively inexperienced and Patterson — who’s the No. 3 prospect in South Florida, behind only Smith and Trader — is its unquestioned leader. He also matches up against Smith and Trader constantly, lining up all over the defense as a do-it-all athlete. Although he’s being recruited as a safety, Patterson actually spends most of his time watching cornerbacks — NFL stars like Jalen Ramsey and Sauce Gardner — and puts his skills to the test every day against some of the best wideouts in the nation.
“You also learn from them,” Patterson said. “You’re not going to go against guys like Jeremiah and Jojo during the game. Those are two once-in-a-generation type of guys and we’ve got two of them, so you learn so much from their game and apply it to your game, and when you play, it’s easier than practice.”
With the schedule Chaminade-Madonna is about to face, the games will be hard, too.
With the players they have, the Lions are ready for them.
“You stay humble,” Trader said, “and remember you can lose it as fast as you got it.”
