Chaminade-Madonna football shows off versatility, depth in rout of Monarch
Chaminade-Madonna had a wide receiver playing quarterback on Saturday.
The Lions had a defensive back as their workhorse running back.
One of their elite running backs was doubling as an effective pass rusher.
At Chaminade right now, it’s all about “making it work.”
And that the Lions did as they overcame a sloppy first quarter and turned Saturday night’s game at Coconut Creek into a 37-8 rout of fellow Broward County powerhouse Coconut Creek Monarch.
“Making it work and that’s a good football team and we knew it wasn’t going to be a cakewalk,” Chaminade coach Dameon Jones said. “We had to come in here and adjust.”
The Lions (5-2) have been tweaking their starting lineup due to injuries since the beginning of the season - especially at quarterback.
Since suffering back-to-back losses to California’s St. John Bosco and Pompano Beach Blanche Ely, Chaminade has won five in a row with victories over Plantation American Heritage, Miami Norland, Davie Western, Miami Edison and Monarch.
On Saturday, and for the second consecutive week, the Lions tried a new player at quarterback after losing senior Preston Wright to a potential season-ending thumb injury.
The starter Wright replaced, Tyler Chance, is still nursing a knee injury and remains out. Four-star wide receiver Koby Howard, who was one of the players taking snaps last week vs. Western out of a Wildcat formation, was also out with a hand injury.
Senior Bekkem Kritza, a three-star quarterback and Penn State commit, transferred to the Lions earlier this week from Miami Central. But he was not yet eligible to play due to transfer rules requiring him to sit out a week.
The Lions started sophomore wide receiver James Klaiss Jr. against the Knights (4-2) under a steady rain. But after he fumbled each of his first three snaps and was tackled in the end zone for a safety to give Monarch its only lead of the game, Klaiss Jr.’s night was over.
So Chaminade went with speedy wide receiver Jaquari Lewis behind center. Lewis completed 9 of 17 passes for 106 yards, one touchdown and one interception and ran for 51 yards and another touchdown to help the Lions break the game open in the second quarter with 23 points.
“Good teams find a way to win. We had a game plan for one quarterback and he got nervous so we had to try something else,” Jones said. “(Lewis) played quarterback in little league so he knows what he’s doing. He did a great job.”
From that point on, Chaminade leaned on its running game, defense and special teams to turn the game into a rout.
Senior defensive back Camari Hall was also pivotal as he assumed the role of lead rushing option and finished with 112 yards on 11 carries and ran for two touchdowns.
Angelo Smith recorded a key interception, which led to a touchdown and Chaminade’s defense recorded three sacks including one by RJ Alphonse for a safety that put the Lions ahead 9-2 in the second quarter. Four-star running back Derrek Cooper also had a sack while playing defense.
Following Monarch’s safety in the first quarter, Chaminade kicker Noah Sidan made a key play when he boomed the ensuing free kick into the end zone, flipping field position and helping the Lions defense deny the Knights a chance to add to their lead.
“Since the third game of the season, the defense has been getting better,” Jones said. “(Sidan) makes teams go 80 yards and can kick it anywhere on the field. He’s one of our MVPs.
“We’re still not there (as a team) yet and have it all figured out, but I like where we’re going.”
Chaminade’s next game - if it is played - is another huge test against Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday night at FIU’s Pitbull Stadium.
The two national powerhouses have not played in decades, although the threat of Hurricane Milton could affect the game’s status. In football terms, Jones said he was in favor of putting together this highly-anticipated matchup.
“It’s long overdue. We haven’t played in years and it’s a game that needs to be played,” Jones said. “Public schools play private schools, but private schools should play private schools too. Everybody who’s good needs to play each other.”
