St. Thomas Aquinas goes for record 5-peat; Chaminade-Madonna tries for 3 in a row | high school football state final predictions

St. Thomas Aquinas and Chaminade-Madonna will look to keep their state championship win streaks going as they play football at Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee this week.

St. Thomas Aquinas will face Homestead in a rematch of last year’s 3M state title game on Saturday at 3 p.m. as they go for a record fifth consecutive title, but before that Chaminade-Madonna will tackle Clearwater Central Catholic for the second year in a row in the Class 1M championship on Thursday at 10 a.m.

The Lions are looking for a third consecutive state title in their eighth straight trip to the state championship game. A victory will equal the three titles in a row that they won 2017-19.

Both championship games will air on Bally Sports Florida and stream live on BallySports.com.

Miami Central won four straight state championships from 2019-22 and 2012-15 and are tied with St. Thomas for the most consecutive state titles.

I split games last week, going 2-2 as I picked wrong on Monarch’s defeat and the one-point loss by American Heritage. I’m 147-28 for the season,

3M

Homestead (12-1) at St. Thomas Aquinas (13-1) (Saturday 3 p.m.): The teams met in last year’s Class 3M state final, and the Raiders won 38-21 as St. Thomas outscored the Broncos 17-8 in the decisive fourth quarter. St. Thomas Aquinas, which leads the state with 14 state championships, also won three straight from 2014-16.

St. Thomas Aquinas has won 40 of its past 41 games. It began this season on a 27-game winning streak dating back to 2021 before a 20-7 loss to defending national champion St. John Bosco (California) in the season opener. The Raiders have won 13 straight since that loss.

The Raiders, ranked No. 10 in the country according to MaxPreps, have outscored their playoff opponents 181-20 and outscored their opponents 595-129 for the season.

St. Thomas junior quarterback Andrew Indorf has thrown for 2,036 yards and 25 scores. He’s protected the ball well with just three interceptions.

Senior Jordan Lyle, an Ohio State commit, leads the team with 1,259 yards on 113 carries and 20 TDs. He’s also caught 12 passes for 157 yards. Senior receivers James Madison II, (622 yards receiving, 10 TDs) and Chance Robinson (473 yards receiving, 11 TDs) have all contributed offensively. Madison and Robinson are committed to Missouri and the UM respectively. St. Thomas Aquinas has rushed for 2,599 yards (185.6 average) and thrown for 2,545 yards (181.8).

Defensively, St. Thomas Aquinas has 992 tackles, including 135.5 for losses, 96.5 sacks and 14 interceptions. Senior Nick Rodriguez, a Missouri commit, leads the team with 95 tackles, 15 tackles for losses and nine sacks. Senior Kendrick Burley has 57 tackles, 29 tackles for losses and 24 sacks.

Homestead, ranked 44th in the country, has won 11 in a row after a 13-12 loss to Miami Palmetto. Senior Joshua Townsend has thrown for 3,241 yards and 39 scores this season. He’s also rushed for 426 yards and three scores. Senior running back Isaac Brown, a Louisville commit, carried 88 times for 954 yards and added 220 yards receiving, while Junior Cortez Mills has hauled in 43 passes for 918 yards.

St. Thomas Aquinas 48, Homestead 17

1M

Clearwater Central Catholic (13-0) at Chaminade-Madonna (13-0) (Thursday 10 a.m.): Clearwater Central Catholic lost in the 3A championship game in 2013 and last year to the Lions 48-14. Both teams played Cardinal Gibbons as a common opponent this season. Clearwater Central Catholic beat Gibbons 34-14 and Chaminade-Madonna won 41-4.

The Marauders are a ball-control team, with junior Jershaun Newton running for 1,020 yards and 13 scores and passing for 1,926 yards 14 touchdowns. Senior Justin Stephens has run for 940 yards and six TDs, while senior Caleb Goodloe leads the receiving group with 682 yards receiving and seven TDs. The team has outscored its opposition this season 461-209.

Senior safety and Ole Miss commit Andy Jaffe (83 tackles) and sophomore Tyrique Harris (82 tackles, 12.5 sacks) and junior Keo Jenkins (71 tackles, 17 TFL, 14 sacks) spearhead the defense.

Chaminade-Madonna continues to roll along, getting a running clock for a seventh consecutive game in their semifinal win last week. The nation’s No. 2 ranked team has outscored opponents 631-137 and hadn’t allowed a score in 25 straight quarters before Archbishop Carroll broke the streak in its 47-7 loss last week in the state semifinal.

The Lions’ offense is led by a quartet of seniors — quarterback Cedrick Bailey (2,772 yards passing, 43 scores; NC State commit), receiver Jeremiah Smith (1,206 yards receiving, and his 19 TDs; Ohio State), receiver Joshisa Trader (696 yards receiving, 12 TDs; UM commit) and Davion Gause (934 yards rushing, 13 TDs; NC State).

Chaminade-Madonna is also no slouch on defense, led by seniors athlete Zaquan Patterson (47 tackles; UM commit), DE Zach Crothers (45 tackles, 18.5 TFL, 10 sacks; Pitt commit), LB Denzel Johnson (109 tackles, 11 TFL) and LB Kaleb Stewart (87 tackles, 13 TFL; UConn).

Chaminade-Madonna 41, Clearwater Central Catholic 10