2025 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE ANALYSIS: Chaminade-Madonna seeks fifth straight state championship with tough schedule set

OVERVIEW

Coming off their four consecutive state championship and their seventh state championship in the last eight years, Chaminade-Madonna has high expectations of scheduling some tough opponents and it looks like 2025 will once again be no exception to that rule. Let’s look at the defending Class 1A State Champions and breakdown their 2025 schedule.

2025 SCHEDULE

Kickoff 7:00 pm unless noted

* – District

Week 1 – Sat. 8/23: vs. St. Frances Academy (MD) at St. Thomas Aquinas, 7:30

Week 2 – Fri. 8/29: at McArthur (Hollywood)

Week 3 – Fri. 9/5: at American Heritage (Plantation), 7:30

Week 4 – Fri. 9/12: vs. Miami Edison at TBD*

Week 5 – Fri. 9/19: BYE WEEK

Week 6 – Fri. 9/26: vs. Western (Davie)

Week 7 – Fri. 10/3: vs. Monarch (Coconut Creek)

Week 8 – Fri. 10/10: vs. Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach)

Week 9 – Fri. 10/17: vs. Avant Garde (Hollywood)*

Week 10 – Fri. 10/24: at Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale)

Week 11 – Fri. 10/31: at St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale)

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

While some would think a combined three-year SOS for Chaminade-Madonna would be high and above .700, that isn’t the case here, but it is close with our in-house SOS formula giving an SOS of .650 to the Lions to start off the 2025 season. That right there along makes it one of the toughest, if not the toughest schedules in Class 1A. The easiest opponent for the Lions is going to Avant Garde, a district foe they blew out 56-0 in the regular season last year. The toughest opponent? St. Thomas Aquinas, the defending Class 5A state champion is certainly going to be one at the end of the season but going up against another national power in St. Frances Academy to open the season… tough games are abounded across the schedule.

KEY GAMES & MUST-WATCH MATCHUPS

Given that the Lions have been nationally ranked consistently over the years, it is tough that the Lions even have a rivalry game as the schedule consistently changes yearly. With district play something that has come back about in recent years, Chaminade-Madonna has had the chance to secure some district titles and their toughest district game – which is really not that tough given the score last year – will come against Miami Edison in Week 4. And if you are looking for top non-district matchup? We can offer you a platter of games for that with St. Frances Academy, defending Class 4A state champion American Heritage, defending 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas just among the selection of top non-district games that the Lions will have in 2025.

HOME VS. AWAY BALANCE

While the Lions will start off the 2025 season in Broward County, their first home of game of the season will be at St. Thomas Aquinas as a neutral site game as part of the Broward County High School Football Showcase in Week 1. After that the Lions will travel five times with those trips coming in Weeks 2 through 4 and then another set of trips in Weeks 10 and 11. The longest road trip of the season will come in Week 10 when the Lions make the trek up I-95 to Fort Lauderdale to take on Cardinal Gibbons.

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN

Without counting the game against St. Frances Academy, the Lions will play 7 teams that qualified for the FHSAA playoffs last year. St. Frances Academy could be treated as the eighth team that was a playoff team in 2024 due to their national schedule and national ranking as they do not play in a traditional league like most programs do. This alone provides Chaminade-Madonna with a big advantage come playoff time because they are battle tested during the regular season. Along with St. Frances Academy, McArthur joins the schedule this year for Chaminade-Madonna, replacing St. John Bosco (CA) and Miami Norland from last year to complement a schedule that includes two state champions from 2024.

BYE WEEK PLACEMENT

Interesting enough, the Lions lucked out with this year’s bye week placement coming around the mid-point of the season at Week 5. While Week 6 would have been much more ideal, this placement allows the Lions to get some rest in the middle of the season to prepare for the later half of the season that will include some tough games like Western, Monarch, Cardinal Gibbons, and St. Thomas Aquinas.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS

Does Chaminade-Madonna really worry about the district games? We don’t think they really do consider just how weak the district is with just Miami Edison and Avant Garde in the fold. At this point it is the non-district games that will boost Chaminade-Madonna’s schedule and the schedule they have even if they were to go 9-1, 8-2 or 7-3 would give them top billing in Class 1A-Region 4. Anything less than the top overall seed would be perceived as an insult on the Lions unless something catastrophic happens during the season to cause the Lions to plunge in the rankings.

PREDICTED RECORD & FINAL THOUGHTS

Best-Case scenario for Chaminade-Madonna in 2025 is them running the table and finishing with a perfect 10-0 record which is by no means a stretch here. Worst-case scenario for the Lions? 7-3 and that comes with losing to St. Frances Academy, American Heritage and St. Thomas Aquinas. Honestly, we believe the Lions could go 8-2 with their losses likely coming against American Heritage and St. Thomas Aquinas.