Spring Ball
After witnessing their spring game and practices, it’s clear that Chaminade-Madonna is building on their championship success with an impressive roster of returning talent for the 2025-2026 season. The Lions, coming off their fourth straight state championship, are showing tremendous potential during spring.
Offense Returns
The Lions’ offense looks powerful with the return of several Sun Sentinel First Team All-Broward 4A-1A selections. Five-star running back Derrek Cooper, who had 905 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns last season, has been phenomenal during spring practices. Cooper’s powerful running, described by New Era Prep as “a train,” will likely play an even bigger role next season.
The receivers remain exceptional with juniors Denarius Gray, who has 38 offers, and Jasen (Jroc) Lopez, who has 30. Lopez impressed with 87 catches for 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. I spoke to Jasen during spring ball, asking what has been the biggest growth of this team, and he stated, “We’ve been doing a great job protecting our quarterback and opening holes for our running back,” Lopez shared. “But all around we’ve been doing good. We’ve been improving in every aspect throughout the spring.”
Offensive line
The offensive line, with returning juniors Tavano Baptiste Jr. with 4 offers and Ekeem Atehortua with 5, looks stronger than ever. Ekeem, is the offensive line captain who helped generate nearly 6,000 yards of offense last season. I spoke to Tavano about how spring ball has gone so far, and he said that “Going into spring was tough because we had defensive players playing offense but we improved so much due to new talent and I’m excited to see what fall brings”. I’m excited to see what the o-line has in store in the upcoming season.
Defense Hold
On the defensive side, 4 star Bryant Junius leads a dominant defense after an impressive junior season that included 86 tackles, 6 sacks, and multiple forced turnovers. RJ Alphonse also delivered an impressive season last year with 48 tackles and 10.5 sacks, ranking #91 in Florida for sacks. His outstanding performance earned him a spot on the Broward 4A-1A football defense second team
The Coach
Under the leadership of Coach Dameon Jones, who earned Co-Coach of the Year after leading the Lions to their ninth consecutive state finals appearance, the winning culture continues to thrive. With this core group of talented players returning, the new talent, and the impressive showing in spring practices, the Lions appear in good position to continue their championship run in the 2025-2026 season.
