Led by its running game, Chaminade powers its way to a victory over St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas Aquinas has long been the standard of excellence football teams strive to reach not just in Broward County but nationwide.
For nearly a decade, Chaminade-Madonna has built its own brand to a similar level.
But the Lions had not had the chance to test themselves against the Raiders on the field.
That changed Friday night.
Led by a powerful running game which amassed 315 yards, Chaminade erased a pair of deficits and pulled away from Aquinas late for a 29-22 victory at Pitbull Stadium in an event dubbed The Battle in Miami.
It was Chaminade’s first win over Aquinas since the teams last met in 1981 when the Raiders won 70-7.
While Aquinas has won a state-record 15 state championships, things have changed greatly for the Lions since then as they have won eight state titles themselves including six since 2017.
It was Aquinas’ first loss to a Broward County school since losing to Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons in 2020.
“It’s another step for us,” Chaminade coach Dameon Jones said. “They’re the standard and we want to be better than the standard.”
Five-star 2026 prospect Derrek Cooper led the Lions (6-2) with 146 yards on 12 carries and scored two touchdowns.
Senior Camari Hall, who normally plays safety, ran for 95 yards on seven carries, and scored the go-ahead touchdown from 3 yards out with 6:35 left to put Chaminade ahead for good.
The Raiders (6-2) drove into Lions’ territory twice late in the fourth quarter led by quarterback Andrew Indorf, who completed 14 of 30 passes for 134 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Senior running back Chance Washington paced Aquinas on the ground with 88 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
But Chaminade’s defense stopped Aquinas on downs each time.
“It was big for us to be able to control the clock and control the game. I’m proud of my team and coaches getting past adversity,” Jones said. “That’s the mark of a good team. A lot of schools haven’t been through what we’ve been through.”
Hall, Cooper and Jaquari Lewis, an Appalachian State commit who ran for 62 yards on eight carries helped Chaminade run out the clock.
“We’ve been fighting through adversity since week 2 so to do this feels amazing. Me and my boy, Camari, are one of the best teams in the country,” Cooper said. “Our next goal is a state championship.”
That adversity Cooper referred to was highlighted again by players like Hall excelling in roles they don’t assume regularly. Since its 0-2 start, Chaminade has won six in a row by adjusting to multiple injuries to key players, primarily at quarterback.
Chaminade lost both Preston Wright and Tyler Chance to injuries earlier this season and were forced to run multiple running backs and receivers at Wildcat in a recent win over Western and start Lewis at quarterback last week in a win over Monarch.
The Lions started their fifth different quarterback on Friday as Miami Central transfer Bekkem Kritza made his team debut and went 18 for 25 for 176 yards and one interception.
“I had to step up and I was practicing a lot at running back in practice so I knew we had to step up. We just had to get through adversity and keep playing and keep working,” Hall said. “This is very good for us because the last time we played St. Thomas we lost and that was a top 5 team and we knocked them off.”
Chaminade opened the game with a long drive into the red zone, but settled for a 25-yard field goal attempt by Noah Sidan. The kick was blocked by Jermiyah Douglas and returned 80 yards for a touchdown by Justice Fitzpatrick.
Chaminade counter punched quickly though thanks to Cooper, who burst through the Aquinas defense on the first play of the ensuing drive for his own 80-yard score.
