A weather delay of nearly two hours was the only thing that could slow down these high-powered offenses as the teams combined for 52 points in the first 24 minutes of action before the torrid scoring pace slowed to a crawl in the second half.
Chaminade-Madonna made a statement early with a 99-yard touchdown drive on its first possession. Bailey connected with junior wide receiver
Kyle Washington for a 28-yard touchdown down the right sideline approximately seven minutes into the anticipated contest.
The Rockets quickly responded with an eight-play, 74-yard drive that culminated with a 12-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back
Jayden Ford to tie things at 7-all with 5:24 remaining in the first quarter.
Chaminade-Madonna quarterback Cedrick Bailey completed 22-of-32 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns in the first half of the Lions' 31-28 win over Miami Central on Friday. (Photo: Patrick Tewey)
Five-star Ohio State commit
Jeremiah Smith was heavily featured in the next Lions' drive that ended in an 11-yard touchdown from Bailey to Smith to give Chaminade-Madonna a 14-7 lead with 2:19 remaining in the opening period.
Miami Central again knifed right through the Lions' defense to even things up at 14 with 1:08 to go in the first period. Senior quarterback
J.C. Evans ran it up the middle for an eight-yard touchdown to finish off the drive that went for 75 yards and lasted just over one minute.
Sparked by an impressive one-handed catch by five-star Miami pledge
Joshisa Trader to extend the drive on a fourth-and-9 in opponent territory, Chaminade-Madonna took a 17-14 advantage on a 39-yard field goal from senior
Andrew Abu-Akel with 11:05 left in the half.
Miami Central took its first lead on a 30-yard strike from senior quarterback
Antonio Smith to four-star wide receiver
LaWayne McCoy with 9:40 remaining in the first half.
Jeremiah Smith hauled in his second touchdown of the first half on an incredible one-handed grab for 18 yards down the left sideline with six minutes left in the half to put Chaminade-Madonna back ahead 24-21.
Bailey threw his fourth touchdown pass of the first half with 1:53 remaining before the half as he connected with sophomore wide receiver
Denairius Gray over the middle for a 16-yard score to stretch the Chaminade-Madonna lead to 31-21. Along with his four scores, Bailey completed 22-of-32 passes for 266 yards in the first half.
Junior running back
King Davis punched in a two-yard touchdown run to cap an 80-yard drive for the Rockets out of the halftime intermission, cutting the deficit to 31-28 with just over seven minutes remaining in the third period.
Despite having an opportunity to tie the game at 31 with 7:25 remaining in the contest, the Rockets were unable to connect on a 26-yard field goal that hit the bottom of the post.
Miami Central drove the ball past midfield with under two minutes remaining in the contest before an interception by senior Florida Atlantic commit
Curtis Janiver sealed the victory with 1:13 remaining. The interception was his second of the game.
Chaminade-Madonna moves to 5-0 on the season with all of its victories coming against teams ranked in MaxPreps expanded top 100, including a 28-16 victory over No. 21 American Heritage (Plantation) last week. The toughest part of their regular season schedule appears to be behind them as they travel to Coconut Creek on Sept. 29.
Coming off a dream 2022 season that included an unbeaten record, state championship and No. 2 final national ranking, Miami Central falls to 1-2 on the season with a pair of losses to teams ranked in the top five nationally. The Rockets look to get back on track next week when they host North Miami Beach on Sept. 29.
