High school football: No. 7 Chaminade-Madonna blows past No. 19 Bergen Catholic 61-21, Ohio State commit Jeremiah Smith hauls in 17 passes for 321 yards

No. 7 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) made a statement to the rest of the nation Friday night, defeating No. 19 Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 61-21 in a dominant wire-to-wire victory. Leading the way was Ohio State commit Jeremiah Smith, who hauled in 17 receptions for 321 yards and three touchdowns.

 

Chaminade-Madonna opened the scoring with a 40-yard touchdown strike from North Carolina State commit Cedrick Bailey to Smith – a 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior regarded as the No. 2 prospect in the country by 247Sports – with 10:01 remaining in the opening period. Bailey connected on all six pass attempts on the opening possession for the Lions.

Bailey escaped the pocket and scrambled for a 23-yard touchdown run to extend the advantage to 13-0 with 6:56 to go in the first period after the Chaminade-Madonna defense forced a Bergen Catholic turnover on downs. The first-quarter onslaught continued as senior Pittsburgh-bound defensive end Zach Crothers picked off junior signal caller Dominic Campanile and returned the interception for a 20-yard touchdown to put the Lions up 20-0 with 6:40 left in the opening frame.

The Sunshine State powerhouse extended the gap toward the end of the quarter as Bailey connected with Smith for a 73-yard touchdown and a 27-0 lead. Smith hauled in nine receptions for 249 yards receiving and three scores in the first half.

Although Bergen Catholic got on the board with a 12-yard touchdown from Campanile to junior wide receiver Quincy Porter four minutes into the second quarter, Chaminade-Madonna quickly responded with a 13-yard touchdown from Bailey to sophomore wideout Denairius Gray.

Chaminade-Madonna took a 40-7 lead into halftime after Bailey connected with Smith for a 14-yard touchdown in the closing seconds of the first half.

Bailey completed 26-of-35 pass attempts for 402 yards and five first half touchdowns before sitting out the fourth quarter of the lopsided victory.

Chaminade-Madonna (3-0) looks to build on a strong early-season resume with a showdown against No. 16 American Heritage (Plantation) on Sept, 15.

Bergen Catholic (2-1) hopes to bounce back from its first loss when the Crusaders travel to Seton Hall Prep (West Orange) Prep on Sept. 16.