Chaminade’s Trader shows why he’s top-rated recruit

Joshisa Trader did not wait long to give Chaminade-Madonna a real taste of why he’s the No. 1 athlete in the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of 2024.

In a preseason tune-up before his first season with the Lions officially begins next week, the five-star athlete made two eyepopping plays in a row — one as a cornerback and one at wide receiver — to help Chaminade-Madonna assert itself in a three-team jamboree in Fort Lauderdale.

“He’s a game-changer,” Lions coach Dameon Jones said.

First, Trader nabbed a leaping interception near midfield to squash a Palmetto drive on third down. On the next play, the 6foot-2, 170-pound junior skied between a pair of defenders and grabbed a touchdown to give the

Lions one of their two touchdowns at Dr. Bud Tight Field.

After playing host Cardinal Gibbons to a scoreless draw for a half, Chaminade-Madonna got a pair of touchdowns from five-star receivers to beat the Panthers in their second half of action.

Jeremiah Smith, the No. 3 wide receiver in the 2024 recruiting class, also hauled in a touchdown on the goal and caught the two-point conversion after Trader’s score. Both of the touchdown passes came from the arm of quarterback Cedrick Bailey, another blue-chip prospect in the 2024 class, and the Lions mostly looked the part of a team ranked No. 13 in the nation by MaxPreps.

Derrick Bohler, a threestar wide receiver in the Class of 2023, scored Palmetto’s lone touchdown in its half against ChaminadeMadonna, but the Panthers broke out for two more in their second half against the Chiefs, who also begin the season ranked in the top 100 nationally.

Palmetto used four different quarterbacks in its preseason tune-up and sophomore Lucas Goenaga got into a rhythm against Cardinal Gibbons, throwing touchdowns to wide receivers Jacory Barney and Robby Washington.

The first went to Barney, who was left all alone in the end zone after Goenaga scrambled to buy time and made a throw on the run as he got close to the line of scrimmage. The second went to Washington, who orally committed to the Miami Hurricanes back in March and showcased his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands.

His touchdown catch came off a quick slant, then he banged off a defender, broke a tackle and raced 60 yards to the end zone. The four-star athlete also had an 80-yard kick return in the Panthers’ half against the Lions.

“We just came out a little slow at the beginning of the game because we was too full of ourselves at the beginning,” Washington said. “We came out with a little bit of intensity, thinking that we was just going to come out here, roll the ball and win, but I gave them a little speech, like, Let’s get on the ball, and we came out here on all cylinders.”

Palmetto shut out the Chiefs in its second half and got two sacks from Willis McGahee IV, who’s a three-star edge rusher in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Three-star linebacker Bobby Washington, who’s also committed to Miami along with his twin brother, made one of the best plays of the day in his first half, when he ran from the slot on one side of the field to the opposite sideline to tackle Chaminade-Madonna athlete Duane Thomas Jr. just shy of the end zone.

The twins are “100 percent” locked in with the Hurricanes, the other Washington said.

They were originally planning to officially visit the Louisville Cardinals at some point before the end of the year.

Miramar 7, Edison 0: All Miramar and Edison could do after a turnoverplagued, penalty-filled preseason showdown was grimace — maybe laugh a little self-deprecating laugh — and try to figure out how to get better once the regular

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