CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: A battle of old vs. new with powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna taking on state finalist newcomer Berkeley Prep

NO. 2 BERKELEY PREP BUCCANEERS (12-0) VS. NO.1 CHAMINADE-MADONNA LIONS (10-1)

WHAT: FHSAA Class 3A State Championship

WHEN: Friday

WHERE: Gene Cox Stadium, Tallahassee

TICKET INFO: Go Fan ($14 per game advance purchase & $17 day of)

INTERNET STREAM: Spectrum Cable ($9.95 fee per game)

ABOUT BERKELEY PREP

COACH: Dom Ciao, 15th year (115-47 at Berkeley Prep; 226-101 overall as head coach at Berkeley Prep and Jesuit)

THE PATH HERE: d. Bishop Verot, 38-0 (Regional Semifinals); d. Clearwater Central Catholic, 36-22 (Regional Finals); d. Lakeland Christian, 42-14 (State Semifinals)

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: None

KEY PLAYERS: QB Troy Reader, Jr. (33-of-69, 766 yards passing, 12 TDs, 2 INTs); RB Xavier Townsend, Sr. (107 carries, 1,188 yards, 20 TDs; 18 rec., 417 yards, 7 TDs); RB Travis Bates, Sr. (158 carries, 1,803 yards rushing, 21 TDs); TE CJ Hawkins, Sr. (6 rec., 183 yards receiving, 4 TDs); MLB/DE Tre Reader, Sr. (113 total tackles, 18.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 4 QB hurries, 2 pass breakups, 2 FR, 1 FF); DB DJ Hooker (41 total tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INTs, 2 pass breakups); DE Keon Keeley, Jr. (61 total tackles, 34 TFL, 16.5 sacks, 19 QB hurries, 1 INT, 3 pass breakups, 2 FF); MLB Johnny Ferrelli, Jr., (61 total tackles, 6 TFL, 6 QB hurries, 1 INT, 1 pass breakup); LB TJ Bullard, Sr., (30 total tackles, 7 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 pass breakup)

THE SKINNY: Berkeley Prep, which has been a team talked about being in the state championship hunt over the last few years finally broke the glass ceiling that had been holding them back in the state semifinals last week against Lakeland Christian to reach their first state championship in school history. When it comes to the offense for the Buccaneers, it is a run-first offense which means it will be an attack of either Xavier Townsend, a three-star Iowa State commit, or Travis Bates, who does not hold any offers currently. Only when needed does quarterback Troy Reader drops back to throw the ball downfield which he has only done 69 times in 12 games, which is roughly six times a game he has dropped back to pass this season. In the name of Townsend and Bates, both have combined for nearly 3,000 yards of offense on the ground alone and a combined 41 touchdowns in 12 games. Defensively, the Buccaneers will be led by several talented player makers starting with five-star defensive Keon Keeley who is a Notre Dame commit, leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss this season. Linebacker Tre Reader is the leader in tackles and has put on his own impressive show so far this year. Three-star UCF commit TJ Bullard has only played in seven games this season due to an injury earlier in the season but has been mostly healthy since October.

ABOUT CHAMINADE-MADONNA

COACH: Dameon Jones, 6th year (64-13 at Chaminade-Madonna; 137-30 overall at Chaminade-Madonna and Hallandale)

THE PATH HERE: d. Miami Edison, 45-0 (Regional Semifinals); d. Cardinal Newman, 48-0 (Regional Finals); d. Florida High (State Semifinals), 38-3

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Chaminade-Madonna is 5-4 in state championship games with titles won in 2003, 2005, 2017, 2018, and 2019. They finished as runner-ups in 1974, 2002, 2016, and 2020.

KEY PLAYERS: QB Cedrick Bailey, So. (107-of-193 passing, 1,729 yards, 15 TDs, 6 INTs); RB Davion Gause, So. (208 carries, 1,454 yards rushing, 15 TDs); WR Duane Thomas Jr., Jr. (46 rec, 699 yards, 4 TDs); WR Edwin Joseph, Jr., (30 rec, 486 yards receiving, 4 TDs); Jeremiah Smith, So., (20 rec., 435 yards receiving, 6 TDs); OLB Denzel Johnson, So. (84 total tackles, 6 sacks); DE Jamaal Johnson, Sr. (65 total tackles, 3 TFL, 17 sacks); DE Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Sr. (65 total tackles, 4 TFL, 15 sacks); CB Ryan Turner, Sr., (31 tackles); CB Brian Dilworth, Sr. (42 tackles, 1 INT)

THE SKINNY: Chaminade-Madonna, who is in their sixth straight state championship game, has played one of the toughest schedules in the state this season that saw all eight teams the Lions played during the season reach the playoffs. One of the Lions’ seven wins in the regular season was knocking off national-rank Buford, Ga., while Columbus and Lakewood, two teams they defeated reached the state semifinals in their respective classification. Overall, despite playing only eight games in the regular season, that was not even a downside for the Lions as they have given up only three points so far in the playoffs. Offensively for Chaminade-Madonna, expect a balanced attack with the use of sophomore quarterback Cedrick Bailey, while sophomore Davion Gause will handle the ball-carrying duties. It is on defense where people need to keep an eye on as the Lions have had one of the best defensive units in the state and possibly in the nation this season. Three-star UCF defensive commit Jamaal Johnson leads the team in sacks with 17 while four-star Ohio State defensive end commit Kenyatta Jackson follows up with 15 sacks to form a 1-2 collation punch in the trenches for the Lions. Overall, Chaminade-Madonna has recorded a stunning 68 sacks in 11 games played in the 2021 season. Four-star Ohio State cornerback commit Ryan Turner and three-star cornerback Brian Dilworth lead a secondary that has been a lockdown this season where neither has been able to record many interceptions at all as most teams have avoided passing in their direction during the season.

PREVIEW

This is a game of the two best teams in Class 3A and should be an exciting one to watch. The big thing for Berkeley Prep is how can they create holes for Bates and Townsend to run through given how strong Chaminade-Madonna’s defensive line has been during the entire 2021 season. If the ground game for Berkeley Prep does not get going, they could be forced to turn to the air, something that has not happened much at all this season for the Buccaneers. For the Lions, the question will be if they counter a Berkeley Prep defense that has had a lot of success this season. Given that the schedule the Lions have played, it should not be too much of an issue, but we have seen interesting things happen in the biggest game of the season with all the hardware on the line.

PREDICTION: Chaminade-Madonna by 7 over Berkeley Prep