Rings shine bright under new lights

As Chaminade-Madonna closed the chapter on last season’s state championship, an inadvertent look into the future of the program was in the air over the football field.

The Lions held a ring ceremony on Tuesday evening to celebrate last fall’s Class 3A state title, their third overall and first since 2005.

Meanwhile, the company handling the installation of a new lighting system for their football field – Chaminade is one of only a few Broward County high schools that did not yet have field lights as of last season – was running tests that required the lights to be turned on for the not-yet-completed project.

With the sun setting, players and coaches received their glistening rings – with the Lions logo on them and players’ names inscribed – and the new lights shining on them. Championship rings are always symbolic of what was accomplished the previous season. A symbol of what’s in store for future seasons at Chaminade, although unintentional, was also there.

“It looked real good, and they’re going to do what they do best and win under the lights,” said Shaun Shivers, an Auburn-bound running back who capped his accomplished high school career with 2,241 yards as a senior – 216 and two touchdowns in the final over Oxbridge Academy.

Shivers said he was seeing the field lit for the first time. Players had seen the light poles up for months.

“It’s going to be great for the atmosphere,” Chaminade coach Dameon Jones said. “It puts us in the same parameter of the rest of the local high schools. Having 7 o’clock games, that’s what everybody is accustomed to, that’s the norm.”

The lights are expected to be fully installed soon and ready for games next season. Jones did note he enjoyed some of the early starts with the heat playing a factor and may miss them.

“I kind of got used to the 4 o’clock games,” he said. “I liked it a little bit. It was hot.”

While regular-season games were commonly played during the day at Chaminade, home-playoff game scheduling during runs to the past two Class 3A title games would become problematic. While the FHSAA would allow firstround regional semifinal games to be played during the day, Chaminade had to host a regional final off campus in the two ensuing regional finals – last year at Calvary Christian and two seasons ago at Cooper City.