Chaminade-Madonna Lions come up short in championship run

By Lynn Ramsey - Florida Catholic

Photography: LYNN RAMSEY | FC

ORLANDO | After five first-round losses, one could expect the Chaminade-Madonna Lions to have stage fright entering Saturday's Class 3A state final against three-time defending champion Jacksonville Trinity Christian.

Shaun Shivers slammed that notion the first play of the game with an 80-yard touchdown run. However, Trinity Christian rode Rasheed Martin and D.J. Matthews to a 24-13 victory over the Lions (10-4), who were attempting to notch their first state championship since winning the 2005 Class 2A crown.

Shivers managed only 60 more yards the rest of the game, totaling 140 yards on 20 carries. The junior finished the season with 1,569 yards and 20 touchdowns.

“They were pinching a lot (on defense), so we took advantage of that,” Shivers said after the Dec. 10 game. “Some plays we had assigned to go to the left, we took them to the right. I saw a lot of cutback lanes.”

Trinity Christian coach Verlon Dorminey said of Shivers: “We knew he was quick. We knew he was a 10.5 100-meter guy, so we had to do a great job tackling.”

Martin and Matthews saw the same in the Lions’ defense. Martin ran for 156 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries. Matthews kept the Lions guessing, running for 101 yards and throwing for 58 yards and a touchdown.

Chaminade-Madonna forced two first-quarter turnovers but could not get a touchdown. Davoan Hawkins recovered a Matthews fumble, but Trinity forced a three-and-out. Jordan Williams picked off Matthews on the next series, and the Lions managed a 23-yard field goal that put the Lions up 10-7.

“We tried to do some quick stuff,” Chaminade-Madonna coach Dameon Jones said. “We moved the ball on several occasions, kept getting penalties and got in the red zone but didn’t score. You can’t get in the red zone and not score. You can’t have turnovers.”

Trinity put some distance between itself and Chaminade-Madonna with touchdowns on consecutive drives. Martin had two 17 yards runs on a drive that he capped with a 13-yard touchdown run that put the Conquerors up 14-10. Matthews turned a Shaun Wade interception on the next series into a 21-yard touchdown and a 21-10 halftime lead.

The Lions made adjustments and kept Trinity Christian without a second-half touchdown.

“We came out with a game plan,” Watson said. “It looked good on the board, but on the second half we had to make changes. We went back to our 4-3 defense and just played ball fast and physical.”

What could have been

A couple calls could have helped Chaminade. In the third quarter, Trinity attempted a fake field goal. The holder made an errant pitch that was corralled by Williams and returned for a potential touchdown. Officials ruled that the holder’s knee was down, marking the ball down. Chaminade drove to the Trinity 3-yard line, but Trinity defensive lineman Andrew Brown sacked quarterback Henry Colombi for a 10-yard loss on fourth-and-goal.

Early in the fourth quarter, Chaminade had forced a punt. Trinity’s punter dropped the snap but got it off. A Chaminade player ran into the kicker, forcing a penalty that moved the Conquerors five yards closer. Trinity switched to giving Frankie Onate a chance to equal a season-best with a 52-yard field-goal try. He made it easily, putting Trinity up 24-13.

Chaminade never threatened after that.

Ask Chaminade-Madonna players when they realized the state finals were a possibility, and you’ll get several different answers.

Williams said his team’s turning point came midway through the regular season. After a loss to Miami’s Msgr. Edward Pace that was turned into a forfeit win, the Lions rebounded with four consecutive wins.

“It’s a whole different program. Everyone became closer, the play-calling became more functional,” Williams said. “We became one unit. Once we became one unit, we were unstoppable.”

Watson called Chaminade-Madonna’s 43-0 loss to independent power IMG Academy just before the playoffs as the key. He said defensive changes came after that game.

“The IMG game was a wakeup game,” Watson said. “We rallied together. We went back to our 21 personnel and went back to our basic defense.”

Shivers said the playoffs gave the Lions a new sense of brotherhood. He also said the Lions simplified their offense, switching from a spread offense to a more run-oriented attack.

Chaminade Madonna’s road to the state final went through several tough teams. The Lions beat The Associated Press’ top-ranked Class 3A team in their district, West Palm Beach Oxbridge, 30-13 in the Region 4-3A final Nov. 18. Henri Colombi threw for 143 yards and one touchdown for the Lions in that game. Shivers also ran for 161 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown. Chaminade-Madonna’s defense also held James Meeks to 15 yards rushing and picked off Oxbridge quarterback Charles Richardson twice.

Watson is among several Lions who will likely play college ball. He said he had just decommitted from Fresno State and is looking at Colorado, Akron and Southern Missouri.

Quarterback Colombi, who completed 8 of 16 passes for 81 yards in the championship game, finished with 1,601 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season.

But the Lions return several core players for another run next year. Williams said they’ll enter next year with a chip on their shoulders.

“I’m blessed to have them,” Jones said of his seniors. “A lot of guys going on to other schools and do wonders. We have to improve on everything, but the core comes back. I love my Chaminade family. We’ll be back.”