CLASS 1M STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: Chaminade-Madonna looks to repeat as Clearwater Central Catholic looks for first state title

Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders (13-0) vs. Chaminade-Madonna Lions (Hollywood) (13-0)

WHEN: Thursday

WHERE: Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium, Tallahassee

KICKOFF: 10:00 a.m. ET

TICKETS: Ticketmaster.com ($17 prior to; $20 on game day)

TV/STREAM: Bally Sports Florida or Bally Sports Sun; Bally Sports+

COACHES: Clearwater Central Catholic – Chris Harvey (8th year at CCC, 79-19); Chaminade-Madonna – Dameon Jones, (8th year at Chaminade-Madonna, 91-14; 16th year overall, 143-49)

COACHES INTERVIEWS:

TOP PLAYERS: Clearwater Central Catholic – Jershaun Newton (QB, Jr.) 1,926 yards passing, 14 touchdowns, four interceptions, 1,020 yards rushing, 13 touchdowns; Justin Stephens (RB, Sr.) 940 yards rushing, six touchdowns; Caleb Goodloe (WR, Sr.) 36 receptions, 682 yards receiving, seven touchdowns; Andy Jaffe (Sr., SS) 83 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, four pass deflections; Keo Jenkins (DE, Jr.) 71 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, one forced fumble; Tyrique Harris (DE, So.) 82 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, one pass deflections, one fumble recovery, one forced fumble; Jsai Smith (CB/FS, So.) 34 tackles, two interceptions, three pass deflections; Shamar Rigby (WR, Sr.) 34 receptions, 578 yards receiving, one touchdown; Artrevian McClellan (WR/UTL, Sr.) 927 all-purpose yards, 7 touchdowns. Chaminade-Madonna – Cedrick Bailey (QB, Sr.) 2,722 yards passing, 43 touchdowns, six interceptions, 235 yards rushing, two touchdowns; Davion Gause (RB, Sr.) 934 yards rushing, 13 touchdowns; Arwin Jackson (RB, Fr.) 670 yards rushing, nine touchdowns; Jeremiah Smith (WR, Sr.), 77 receptions, 1,206 yards receiving, 18 touchdowns; Joshisa Trader (WR, Sr.) 45 receptions, 696 yards receiving, 12 touchdowns; Denarius Gray (WR, So.) 344 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns; Denzel Johnson (LB, Jr.) 109 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four-and-a-half sacks, one interception, one pass deflection, one fumble recovery, one forced fumble; Zach Crothers (DE, Sr.) 45 tackles, 10 sacks, 18.5 tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble; Zaquan Patterson (DB/ATH, Sr.) 47 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, four interceptions, nine pass deflections, one blocked field goal; Curtis Janvier (DB, Sr.) 34 tackles, one tackle for loss, four interceptions, five pass deflections

TEAM CAPTAINS: Clearwater Central Catholic: Andy Jaffe (No. 2), Caleb Goodloe (No. 4), Artrevian McClellan (No. 5), Shamar Rigby (No. 7); Chaminade-Madonna: Cedrick Bailey (No. 11), Davion Gause (No. 7).

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

WR Jeremiah Smith (Chaminade-Madonna) vs. SS Andy Jaffe (Clearwater Central Catholic) – Big 12 vs. SEC in this matchup as Andy Jaffe who is committed to Ole Miss is going up against the nation’s No. 1 prospect in Jeremiah Smith who is committed to Ohio State. This matchup should be interesting as no one has been really throwing in Jaffe’s direction the entire season. If Jaffe could limit Smith with the receptions he can make, that could force Cedrick Bailey to look the other way and to guys like Joshisa Trader and Denarius Gray to move the ball downfield.

QB Jershuan Newton (Clearwater Central Catholic) vs. DE Zach Crothers (Chaminade-Madonna) – Newton is a dual-threat quarterback, and he can blast you either way which makes this matchup even more interesting. If Crothers can break free and get into the backfield, it could make for a long morning for Newton.

OUTLOOK: A rematch of last year’s 2022 Class 1M State Championship game, some wonder if Clearwater Central Catholic would take a step back from last year’s squad. Instead, the Marauders have much improved under a very tough schedule that includes playing two teams that have reached state championship games in their respective classifications in Berkeley Prep (Tampa) (2M) and Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (2S). The Marauders will have Jershaun Newton on offense and Andy Jaffe on defense to help lead the way, two of the key athletes who remember what the running clock defeat felt like from a year ago when this game was contested at Gene Cox Stadium. Newton is going to be a threat to contain once again as Newton has accounted for almost 3,000 yards of the Marauders’ offense this season. Jaffe will be dangerous in his own right as he is a defender that no opposing offenses want to even throw nearby. Coming into the season, Chaminade-Madonna was pegged as the favorite to win the classification and still has a chance to accomplish the task. For the Lions, this is their eighth consecutive trip to a state championship game that goes back to the 2016 season, the first year under Coach Dameon Jones. The Lions will have key athletes like Cedrick Bailey, Jeremiah Smith, Davion Gause, Joshisa Trader, and Zach Crothers who have been here and have been key pieces to the Lions’ state championship success. Bailey will have quite a few weapons that will help him get the ball out and down the field quickly. Gause has missed some action this year due to injury, but when called upon Gause can cause damage when the passing game gets limited by an opposing defense.

PREDICTION: Chaminade-Madonna 35, Clearwater Central Catholic 17