FHSAA Football Class 1M State Championship Preview: Chaminade-Madonna vs. Clearwater Central Catholic

Chaminade-Madonna (13-0) vs Clearwater Central Catholic (13-0); Insight on the 1M championship game and staff picks

Author:
Andy Villamarzo
Updated:
Dec 5, 2023 3:24 PM EST
Original:
Dec 3, 2023

Just like last year, Chaminade-Madonna (13-0) and Clearwater Central Catholic (13-0) will be the two teams to kickoff the FHSAA's football state championship games in Tallahassee on Thursday morning at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.

The only difference is the two squads will go head-to-head at a different venue, with the two squads meeting at Bragg Memorial Stadium instead of Gene Cox Stadium.

To say these teams are not familiar with one another is an understatement as the Lions and Marauders have met in 2017, 2017, 2019 and 2022. The Lions were the winners of each contest and the same two head coaches, Dameon Jones (Chaminade-Madonna) and Chris Harvey (CCC), heading into this 1M state championship final.

Jones is in his eighth season as Chaminade-Madonna's head coach and he's built the Lions into a national power. What has really received much of the headlines in the last two seasons has been the play of the Lions' offense.

It's been a historical run with the kind of talent Chaminade-Madonna withholds as Ohio State commitment Jeremiah Smith has been a load to handle for opposing offenses. Teamed up with Miami (FL) commit Joshisa Trader, it might be the best 1-2 punch at wide receiver of all time.

Smith leads the wide receiving corps with 77 catches for 1,206 yards and 18 touchdowns and Trader comes in second with 45 receptions for 696 yards and 12 scores. Junior Kyle Washington is another talented wideout to keep an eye on, with the pass catcher hauling in 37 passes for 513 yards.

Navigating the offense is NC State commitment Cedrick Bailey, who has completed 196-of-275 passes for 2,772 yards and 43 touchdowns. Joining Bailey in the backfield are running back mates Davion 'Bullet' Gause (934 yards, 13 touchdowns) and freshman tailback Arwin Jackson (670 yards, nine touchdowns).

If you think the college-level talent is exclusive to just the offensive side of the ball for the Lions, you would be wrong. Chaminade-Madonna's defense features Miami (FL) commit Zaquan Patterson (47 tackles, four interceptions) at safety and Pittsburgh commit Zachary Crothers (18.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks) at defensive end. Senior linebacker Denzel Johnson leads the Lions with 109 tackles this season.

Some may say CCC hasn't played an overall tough schedule, but this Marauders team has faced two teams that will also be playing in state championship teams and defeated. The Marauders beat Berkeley Prep, Class 2M finalist, in Week 1 21-14 and the following week cruised by Trinity Catholic (1S finalist) 35-10.

Engineering the offense through this undefeated run is junior signal caller Jershaun Newton. The quarterback has completed 119-of-180 passes for 1,926 yards and 14 touchdowns. On the ground, Newton has run for 1,020 yards on 120 attempts, scoring 13 touchdowns.

Right behind him in the rushing department is running back Justin Stephens, who has totaled over 900 yards and scored six touchdowns. The unit that may be much improved from a year ago is CCC's wide receiving corps.

The wide receiver group comprises of Shamar Rigby, Caleb Goodloe and Artrevian McClellan. Goodloe transferred to the Marauders from Calvary Christian and has led CCC in receiving with 39 catches for 682 yards and seven touchdowns. Rigby, a Lakewood transfer, comes in second in receptions for the Marauders with 34 catches for 578 yards.

CCC's defense has been a bend-don't-break unit, allowing 73 points in the last two games against Carrollwood Day and Trinity Christian Academy.

The strength of the Marauders' defense has been the play of bookends Tyrique Harris and Keo Jenkins, with two combining for 30.5 tackles for loss and 26.5 sacks this season. Junior linebacker Matt Mills has helped anchor the front seven with 82 tackles and recovered two fumbles.

Another impact player on defense for CCC is Ole Miss commitment Andy Jaffe at strong safety, with the senior defensive back tallying 83 tackles this season. Newton has begun seeing time on defense as well, notching four sacks.

This game will kickoff the festivities in Tallahassee and with plenty of familiarity between the two teams, it should be a good start to the festivities in the 850.