The 2024 Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) State Championships get underway this week at Pitbull Stadium, on the campus of Florida International University.
The first of seven state champions will be crowned on Wednesday night where the Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders (12-2) take on the Chaminade-Madonna Lions (12-2). Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
This will be the third consecutive meeting in the state championship game between the Marauders and Lions. The Lions have won the previous two meetings by a combined score of 104-14.
How did Clearwater Central Catholic get here? They defeated Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in the regional quarterfinals 64-14. They defeated Carrollwood Day 45-0 in the regional semifinals. They defeated Lakeland Christian 35-14 in the regional finals. They defeated Cardinal Newman 22-21 in overtime in last week’s state semifinals.
How did Chaminade-Madonna get here? They defeated St. John Paul II Academy 63-0 in the regional quarterfinals. They defeated Saint Andrew’s (Boca Raton) 70-0 in the regional semifinals. They defeated Miami Edison 49-6 in the regional finals. They defeated Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville) 35-6 in last week’s state semifinals.
The Marauders will be missing a key part of their offense as senior quarterback and Illinois commit Jershaun Newton will be unavailable as he left last Thursday’s overtime win over Cardinal Newman with an illness. With Newton being unavailable, the Marauders will turn to sophomore quarterback Khayse Barrett or expect senior running back Sean Cuono (Indiana commit) to get some reps at the quarterback position.
What’s At Stake for Clearwater Central Catholic? The Marauders are seeking their first state championship in school history, which would also be a first state title from any school in Pinellas County all-time.
The Lions will look to continue their dominant run in the postseason where they’ve outscored their opponents 217-12, despite some key injuries on their offense where they will turn to senior quarterback Bekkam Kritza (Penn State commit).
Kritza has had a strong receiving core where they have been led by senior Koby Howard (Penn State commit), senior Jaquari Lewis, and juniors Denairius Gray and Jasen Lopez. Another name to keep an eye on the Lions’ offense will be sophomore wide receiver James Klaiss Jr.
What’s At Stake for Chaminade-Madonna? The Lions are seeking their 9th state championship in school history (4th consecutive). The Lions have won state titles in 2003, 2005, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Who will win the 2024 FHSAA Class 1A Football State Championship? Chaminade-Madonna 35, Clearwater Central Catholic 14
