Three-time defending state champion Chaminade shuts down upstart Edison in region final

Chaminade-Madonna has been unassailable in Class 3A for nearly all of Dameon Jones’ time in Hollywood. He took over as the Lions’ coach in 2016, won his first state title in 2017 and Chaminade-Madonna has won every year since. No one — not in South Florida or anywhere else in Florida — has been able to dethrone the Lions.

In the last few weeks, Edison had emerged as one of Chaminade-Madonna’s greatest threats yet. The Red Raiders averaged more than 40 points per game and scored 95 in their first two playoff games, and they got to host the Lions on Friday in Miami.

Chaminade-Madonna is still the gold standard. The Lions shut out Edison, 28-0, to win the Region 4-3A championship.

“We tried to take away the stuff that they like to do,” Jones said, “and we did.”

The Red Raiders, who entered the week averaging 40.4 points per game, managed just 231 total yards. They committed three turnovers and Chaminade-Madonna (7-1) returned one of them for a touchdown.

Edison (4-2) was back in the region finals for the first time since 2016 as one of the Miami metropolitan area’s most improved teams with a senior quarterback, a star running back and a group of wide receivers with long list of scholarship offers. The Lions kept those weapons bottled up.

Chaminade-Madonna opened the game with a drive spanning 5:51 and star quarterback Jaylon Tolbert, who is orally committed to the FCS Howard Bison, capped it with a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Edwin Joseph.

The Red Raiders’ first drive lasted just six plays before quarterback Keith Moore lost a fumble on a strip sack. Their second was a three-and-out. Their next two both ended with punts from inside their own 25-yard line. In the first half, Edison’s running backs combined for just 39 rushing yards on 10 carries.

“We did a good job slowing down the run game and making sure there was no pass,” said Lions defensive tackle Allan Haye, who’s committed to the Miami Hurricanes.

Just before halftime, Davion Gause sent Chaminade-Madonna into the break with a 14-0 lead after a 9-yard touchdown run out of a wildcat formation.

The freshman got the starting nod for the Lions at Traz Powell Stadium. With Miami commit Thad Franklin limited by a hamstring injury, the Lions only had him play one snap and instead leaned on a pair of underclassman tailbacks with Gause leading the way.

Gause started slow and had just 19 yards on his first nine carries before he scored the second-quarter touchdown. Whenever he went to the sideline, he had Franklin to lean on for advice. The senior saw all the marking of a hesitant freshman. Franklin kept imploring him to hit the holes harder. There’s a reason Gause’s teammates call him “Bullet.”

After halftime, Gause ripped off a 23-yard run on his first touch to bring Chaminade-Madonna down to the 5-yard line. The Lions turned to their wildcat offense again and Gause ran three straight times before he scored on a 1-yard run to stretch the lead to 21-0.

In his first career playoff start, Gause finished with 65 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.

“They needed me,” Gause said. “They called my name and every time I got the ball I tried to make a good play.”

In the fourth quarter, cornerback Torrie Cox Jr., who’s committed to the Ohio Bobcats, sealed the win with an 80-yard interception return touchdown. Considering the upstart opponent, it was as complete a victory as Chaminade-Madonna has had all season, even with Franklin limited to one touch.

Now just two wins away from claiming a fourth straight state title, the Lions have crossed their toughest hurdle yet. Next Friday, they’ll travel across the state to face Tampa Berkeley Prep in the 3A semifinals.

Franklin has never lost a playoff game in his career. His teammates made sure to keep his record intact even without him.

“Two wins away,” Jones said. “One game at a time.”