Chaminade-Madonna’s Dameon Jones is Broward County Football Coach of the Year for 2M-1M
Dameon Jones and Chaminade-Madonna hit on the perfect alchemy this year for their best season ever.
Their senior class was filled with star offensive linemen to serve as a foundation, their junior class is loaded with bluechip offensive weapons and even their sophomore class features a handful of the best defensive players in the entire country.
It was no surprise, then, to see the Lions roll to a Class 1M championship and contend for a national title, and it’s why Jones is the Miami Herald’s Broward County Football Coach of the Year for Classes 2M-1M.
Chaminade-Madonna got top-25 wins against Washington’s St. John’s and Plantation American Heritage, claimed a seventh state championship — tied for the second most in Broward County history — and went undefeated all the way up until it faced No. 4 Bishop Gorman on the road in Las Vegas in the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series last month.
The Lions finished the season at No. 10 in MaxPreps’ national rankings after finishing the season with an average margin of victory of 34.5 points per game.
“Every year’s a different goal,” Jones said. “At the beginning of it, it was certain wins and then state titles, and then get considered to be one of the top in the national rankings was the next goal, just trying to figure out different motivational stuff to keep guys going and I guess some of the national stuff was one of the other goals.”
All the way up until they lost to the Gaels’ in their season finale, Chaminade-Madonna had a case to make as the best team in the country. The Lions beat Dillard, Northwestern, Gulliver Prep, Treasure Coast, Cardinal Newman and Clearwater Central Catholic
in the 1M title game all by 21-plus points, and had only one game all year with fewer than 28.
Jones, of course, did have the benefit of coaching one of the best rosters in all of Florida, but he also managed it well enough to keep all
his stars satisfied. Star running back Davion Gause, who was the Herald’s Broward County Offensive Player of the Year for Classes 5A-Independent in 2021, ran for more than 1,100 yards and Chaminade-Madonna still managed to have
four other players go for at least 600 receiving yards thanks in large part due to a breakout season from star quarterback Cedrick Bailey, who had more than 3,300 passing yards and 45 touchdowns.
Jones’ ability to get players to buy in was most obvious with star athlete Edwin Joseph, who saw a glut at wide receiver and volunteered to also play defensive back, a move he parlayed into eventually signing a national letter of intent with Florida State.
Joseph still topped 600 receiving yards, even as he was the Broward County Defensive Player of the Year for Classes 2M-1M.
Don’t expect the Lions to fade any time soon, either. Bailey, Gause and elite wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Joshisa Trader are all coming back for their senior seasons next year.
After a close call in 2022, Chaminade-Madonna will have an eye on a national championship in 2023.
“They all played little league together and they were special then, so them coming into high school and trying to carry over the same thing, and doing the same thing,” Jones said. “It’s a special bunch.”