WEST PALM BEACH — Cardinal Newman celebrated homecoming and senior night with a fourth-quarter rally to capture the District 5-1M championship for the second consecutive season.
Sophomore quarterback Jyron Hughley connected with junior Max Redmon for a go-ahead 16-yard touchdown on fourth down with 6:43 left to lift the Crusaders past rival Benjamin 17-14 on Friday night.
Cardinal Newman (7-1) won its third straight meeting between the schools. Cardinal Newman had a 36-14 victory in the regular season and a 14-6 win in the playoffs last year.
Cardinal Newman jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first after sophomore Dylan Bennett had a 1-yard touchdown run and junior kicker Jack Beylo drilled a 28-yard field goal.
Benjamin trailed 10-7 at halftime after sophomore running back Phoenix Donghia rushed for a 4-yard touchdown with 58 seconds left in the first half.
Benjamin junior quarterback Jayden Vega fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to junior Amaree Williams with 2:54 left in the third quarter to give the Buccaneers the lead.
The Crusaders trailed 14-10 in the fourth before senior quarterback Luke Warnock marched the offense downfield to the Bucs 11-yard line. Warnock injured his knee on a sack by Williams for a 13-yard loss, and Hughley stepped in and immediately completed an 8-yard pass to junior wide receiver Naeshaun Montgomery. On fourth down, Hughley scrambled to his left and found Redmon as he turned upfield and powered his way into the end zone for a 16-yard score with 6:43 remaining.
“It feels great and it’s every kid’s dream to score a winning touchdown in a rivalry game,” Redmon said. “It’s very important to be a leader and step up for my team.”
Benjamin (6-2) went three-and-out on the next possession. Warnock returned to the game and the Crusaders offense ran out the clock for more than five minutes behind junior running back Jaylin Brown. Junior Xanai Scott sealed the victory with a first down on fourth-and-6 inside the Bucs 20 with less than 30 seconds left.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” Cardinal Newman coach Jack Daniels said. “The game could have gone either way. It was a really good football game. We are able to drive it down there and get a score to take the lead. I thought our defense played well and did a great job stopping the run. We had a five-minute drill and that is what every team wants to do when you have a lead. We were able to move the chains and run out the clock.”
Hughley stepped into a contest earlier in the season after Warnock suffered a shoulder injury during an overtime victory against Atlantic. He also started at quarterback against Miami Northwestern.
“I was not expecting it and my number was called and I came in and stepped up for my team,” Hughley said. “It felt great to make a big-time play and throw a game-winning touchdown.”
Warnock has returned from injury and helped lead the Crusaders to three straight wins.
“It feels great to beat a team rival again and I am just excited for our team,” Warnock said. “It’s senior night and a great feeling to play with my boys. Injuries are always tough. I try to stay locked in and go out there for my guys. I do the best I can to help the team win.”
Benjamin went three-and-out on the opening drive and Cardinal Newman capitalized with starting field position at the Bucs 36 after a 9-yard punt. The Crusaders had a four-play scoring drive as Hughley had a 24-yard catch-and-run down the left sideline toward the goal line. On the next play, Bennett rushed for a 1-yard score.
The Crusaders failed to convert on fourth-and-7 at the Bucs 27 in the second.
The Bucs responded as Vega fired a 32-yard pass to sophomore Adam Balogoun-Ali. On second-and-goal, Donghia had a 4-yard score.
Bennett rushed for a 54-yard gain down the right sideline on the opening drive of the second half. Benjamin senior Josh Luiz recorded an interception on the drive.
The Crusaders defense committed two offside penalties on fourth-and-5 to extend the drive for the Bucs later in the third. Vega fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to Williams to give the Bucs a 14-10 advantage.
“Amaree is a great player and he made a lot of plays on defense and made the big catch on offense,” Benjamin coach Eric Kresser said. “He is out there blocking too and he does a little bit of everything.”
Benjamin suffered a three-point loss to Palm Beach Central earlier in the season as well.
“When you play tough teams and make a schedule like ours, it’s hard to win them all,” Kresser said. “We lost a couple by three points. Hopefully, our turn is next to win by three points. We played a good game. They made one more play than we did. It’s about even as a game as you can get.”
