In what was considered possibly the biggest Broward County matchup of the year, Chaminade-Madonna and their flurry of Miami targets dominated in all facets of the game.
The Lions started out slow, going down 14-0 early in the first. Miami target running back Christopher Johnson kicked things off with a 80-yard touchdown reception on the first play from scrimmage.
After throwing an interception and allowing 2024 five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith to get Chaminade down in the red zone, Dillard's Tre'vaughn Martinez grabbed a 93-yard pick-six to make it a two-touchdown differential. Smith had a few catches for about 80 yards.
Mid-first quarter, Chaminade clicked it on. The Lions scored 35 unanswered points by the beginning of the third quarter. 2024 four-star running back Davion Gause scored three touchdowns, bouncing back from a lackluster week one performance. As Chaminade gained a bigger and bigger lead, Gause got better and better, helping drain the clock in what was a four hour game thanks to upward of 300 yards in penalties and several injury timeouts.
The overall MVP of the game was 2023 athlete Edwin Joseph. This was a big boy moment for the two-way star. On offense, he had nine receptions for over 100 yards and two touchdowns while matching up with Dillard's #1 target, Oregon State commit Tastean Reddicks, throughout the entire night.
"We worked hard all week and I go against the best everyday, so we just have been prepared and we constantly get better," said Joseph on going against the likes of Smith, Joshisa Trader, Zaquan Patterson, Chris Ewald and more in practice on both sides of the ball. "It's great. I'm going against the best every single practice. It translates on the game day and it just makes game day that much easier."
Trader had a few catches for minimal yardage.
Joseph said Penn State is his current leader but he is looking for the opportunity to hear more from Miami. Another school he is hearing from is Utah.
Some other top performers for Chaminade were Miami target S Zaquan Patterson, 2023 defensive tackle Wayne Peart, 2025 star cornerback Chris Ewald and surprising early season performer safety Curtis Janvier.
Patterson once again blocked a punt his second in two weeks and his eleventh blocked kick or punt since the start of last season. He helped keep Johnson in check after the early 80-yard touchdown & was sold in underneath coverage throughout the night.
He said right now he has a few schools he likes, including Georgia, Alabama plus Miami. When talking about Miami, Patterson said it is cut and dry who shows the most love on the staff:
"Coach [DeMarcus] Van Dyke. He coached me when I was younger so it's not like it's a college coach, it's just somebody who I been knew since been growing up. That relationship is important. As long as a kid feels like they're at home and he has somebody that he can lean against at that school, he's gonna play good and be successful."
Peart had a ridiculous five sacks and added a few tackles for loss to his total. The 6'4 290-pound interior pass rusher had a solid junior year as the replacement for current Miami defensive tackle Allan Haye. A former tight end, the athleticism is easy to see for the three-star. He holds double digit offers and said he does not have a current leader but mentioned Indiana, Toledo and Georgia Tech.
Ewald has been an elite cover corner and after a freshman season where he snagged three interceptions rotating with Ohio State signee Ryan Turner and Kansas signee Brian Dilworth. Through two weeks playing top wide receivers like Maryland commit Sean Williams and Reddicks, he has not allowed anything in coverage.
The young cornerback mirrored Patterson with his praise of Miami and Van Dyke, going as far as to call the Hurricanes his very early leader. "Miami and Coach Van Dyke are showing me the most love right now. After that, you have Michigan and Penn State has been talking to me a little bit," said Ewald. If he asked if he could see himself in the Miami green and orange, the sophomore smiled and said "of course".
Another Miami Gardens Ravens product, Janvier has been a revelation through two weeks as the starting safety in Chaminade's one-high scheme. Through two weeks, the junior ball-hawk has two interceptions in two prime time games against nationally ranked opponents. He has yet to earn his first offer but with his early season production and growth to 5'11 170-pounds should earn him some recruiting interest by mid-season.
The Chaminade quarterback was pressured all night by Dillard's vaunted front but he still managed to account for three touchdowns, throwing for two and running in one at the end of the game to close out the scoring. Besides the one interception, he made good decisions throughout and escaped sacks on occasion, and turned it into positive gains.
