Marcelo Rodriguez knows what state championship football teams are made of. And he's starting to see those same ingredients forming again at Hollywood Chaminade.
"When I look at our team, I don't see any players the caliber of a Jon Beason or a Glenn Cook yet. But I definitely see something special coming together," said Rodriguez, who won state titles with the Lions as a defensive coordinator in 2003 and 2005 and is back in that role.
"We've definitely come a long way in a short period of time. But that's a tribute to the kids. They've been working hard since January, putting in the time as a team, as a family, working on all the little details we needed them to get them to this point.
Coach Tim Tyrell has turned Chaminade-Madonna into a 10-win team just a year after the Lions went 2-8.
"Now, it's a matter of can they take it to the next level?"
The Lions (10-0) have been on fast forward since they finished off a 2-8 season 12 months ago. Friday night, they'll attempt to hit overdrive when they host three-time defending state champion Pahokee (6-4) at Hollywood McArthur High in the opening round of the FHSAA Class 2B playoffs.
The Blue Devils and Lions kicked off their run of small-school dominance at the same time in 2003.
Pahokee won its first of five Class 2B crowns that season under the leadership of current Denver Broncos rookie cornerback Alphonso Smith. Chaminade won its first of two Class 2A crowns over the next three seasons with Beason, now a Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl linebacker, roaming its defense.
The difference was while Pahokee kept winning, Chaminade slipped off the radar. In 2007, when coach Mark Guandolo left for Weston Cypress Bay, the Lions began a decent toward rock bottom.
Then 34-year-old Tim Tyrell arrived from Ohio last season.
"I had heard about Chaminade growing up, how they were a good football team, but then I didn't hear much about them for awhile," said Lions senior cornerback Demitri Beal, who will sign with Big East power Cincinnati in February.
"When I got here last year, Coach Tyrell started turning things around. Since he's been here, it's been a lot better. Last year was hard. We were young and inexperienced last year and we kept giving up in the second half. It's been a fun ride to see it all come together."
The ride back to the top didn't take very long. That's because Tyrell, who played for current Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and won three national championships as a tight end at Youngstown State, had a plan.
Chaminade's Jerrard Randall is a dual threat with more than 2,200 yards from scrimmage and 28 TDs.
"The first thing I did was try to reach out to alumni, coaches and let them know I was trying to uphold the same traditions Coach Guandolo set," Tyrell said. "People needed to see that I run the same type of no nonsense show.
"It started with Coach Rodriguez, who we were lucky to get back. And with the kids, I told them from Day 1 if they were out for themselves or worrying about things other than this team, their studies, they needed to go somewhere else. The kids we have let in have bought into that. But we're nowhere near the level want to get this program back to. Not yet."
A win against the uber-talented Blue Devils would definitely bring the Lions closer. But regardless of the outcome Friday, Chaminade can still relish what it accomplished this season. Among the many highlights:
*-In winning the District 8-2B crown, the Lions knocked off 2008 Class 3A state semifinalist Monsignor Pace and Class 2A runner-up Gulliver Prep and produced an 83-0 non-district romp over Pompano Beach.
*-In a season full of defensive dominance, the Lions produced five shutouts and only six points were scored against them in the fourth quarter (Coral Shores accomplished that against Chaminade's reserves at the end of a 55-6 blowout).
*-The Lions' special teams unit had two punt returns taken back by junior Curtric Evans (6-1, 180) and two kickoffs run back by Beal (6-0, 180). But it was the nine blocked punts -- three each by linebacker Ruben Narcisse (6-1, 210) and safety Johnathan Aiken (5-11, 190) – that Tyrell was most proud of.
Curtric Evans is a threat to score as both a receiver and a punt returner for the Lions.
*-Led by senior running back Charles Takeh (5-10, 190), junior quarterback Jerrard Randall (6-3, 190) and Evans at receiver, Chaminade's offense averaged nearly 310 yards and produced 402 points in 10 games. Takeh ran for eight scores and 726 yards on 88 carries, and Evans produced 701 yards receiving on 30 catches to go with 11 touchdowns. But it was Randall, who completed 75 of 114 attempts for 1,567 yards, 16 TDs, 4 INTs and ran for 680 yards and 12 TDs, who led the way.
Including senior defensive end Hans Louis (6-1, 220), who led the team with 12 sacks, Tyrell said he expects seven of players to land at Division I schools next fall. His junior class, led by high-end prospects Aiken, Randall and Evans, could potentially be even better.
In other words, the Lions appear back to where they were not too long ago.
"The only thing he's really changed are the uniforms," Rodriguez said. "Coach is a Youngstown guy, and he wanted that red jersey. I can live with it as long as we keep winning in them."
Most believe the winning will come to an end -- at least this year -- on Friday against the Blue Devils, who entered the playoffs as the district runner-up after having to forfeit two district games because they used an ineligible player.
Pahokee still boasts one of the most talented teams in the country. Leading receivers Chris Dunkley and De'Joshua Johnson (Florida State) are the premier stars. Running back Fred Pickett (5-11, 170) is a 1,000-yard back headed to West Virginia. Linebacker Zach Allen (6-1, 210) is bound for Wake Forest along with lineman Antonio Ford (6-3, 265) and defensive back Merrill Noel. Lineman Doral Willis (6-1, 300) is going to Minnesota, and safety Raheam Buxton (6-1, 180) is expected to go to Miami.
"We know what's coming," Tyrell said. "We're not stupid. We know how good Pahokee is. They're fast.
"We have the upmost respect for Coach (Blaze) Thompson and his team. But it's also my job to get my team ready to beat them. We're going in with the mindset we can play with them, and if we play our best we can beat them. And we also know if we bring our B game, it could get ugly."
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