Lions earn 6th straight championship game trip

HOLLYWOOD — The high school football world offers a lot of twists and turns, but for more than half a decade, there has been one constant: Chaminade-Madonna is going to play in the season’s final game.

The Lions rolled to a 38-3 victory over Tallahassee Florida State University High in Hollywood on Friday, clinching its sixth straight trip to the Class 3A state title game.

“We’re counting every game,” Chaminade-Madonna coach Dameon Jones said. “This is 3-0. [We’ll] try to make it 4-0.”

Chaminade’s defense dominated Florida High. The Seminoles, led by Auburn commit Tre Donaldson at quarterback, managed 155 offensive yards, many of which came on the game’s final drive when there was a running clock. Chaminade had six sacks, two of which were by defensive end and UCF commit Jamaal Johnson.

“They did a heckuva job,” Jones said. After a slow start on offense in the first quarter, the Lions clicked into gear in the second quarter. Sophomore running back Davion Gause got Chaminade on the board early in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run. Gause added a second short-yardage touchdown in the third quarter, and he finished the game with 97 rushing yards on 19 carries.

Chaminade also got the ball moving through the air. Sophomore quarterback Cedrick Bailey finished the game completing 11 of 17 passes for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also added 12 yards on the ground and scored a rushing touchdown.

Bailey’s two passing touchdowns both went to sophomore wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Bailey found a wide-open Smith for a 55-yard score to put the Lions up 14-0 early in the second quarter. On the next drive, Bailey tossed a 12-yard pass to Smith for another touchdown. Smith finished the victory with five catches for 123 yards.

“I was just like, ‘What are they running? Why am I wide open like this?’ ” Smith said of his first score. “That was just exciting just to get open and get to score a touchdown.”

Smith transferred to the Lions from Miami Monsignor Pace, so he wasn’t in the locker room for Chaminade’s last trip to Tallahassee. The Lions had their streak of three straight state titles snapped by Jacksonville Trinity Christian. Even though Smith wasn’t there, he knows his team will be hungry for to reclaim the title in Tallahassee next week.

“[Jones] keeps reminding us every day, every week: redemption, redemption, redemption,” Smith said. “Don’t forget that feeling.”

MICHAEL LAUGHLIN/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL Chaminade-Madonna receiver Jeremiah Smith catches one of many long passes against the FSU High defense during the second half of their game Friday.