GREENACRES – It has been a week to remember for Jadiel Cruz, to say the least.
The John I. Leonard senior starting quarterback went from hero to zero to hero in last Thursday’s (Aug. 22) thrilling come-from-behind 35-31 road win over Spanish River. Though he performed most of his magic in the first half, it was John I. Leonard’s last offensive drive late in the fourth that elevated him to win MVP of Week 1 honors.
Trailing by three points with just over a minute remaining in the game, Cruz knew he had to make a play. With the Lancers defense forcing a punt, Cruz dropped back and looked off the safety and threw to the right side of the field – as head coach Keith Chattin has taught him to do – and delivered a beautiful pass to Brandon McCrary, who worked his way into the end zone to put the Lancers up 35-31.
“I just used everything Coach Chattin taught me, look off the safety, come back to the backside, and it’s open,” Cruz said after the buzzer sounded on Aug. 22. “I saw [McCrary] had two or three steps, and he caught it and made a play.”
Cruz finished the game with 16-27 passing for 327 yards. He added 17 rushes for 121 yards.
The Lancers team leader had four touchdown passes and added another score on the ground. He finished with 448 total yards and five total touchdowns in the Week 1 thriller.
Cruz is now the state’s No. 5 overall passer in yardage for his efforts in Week 1, as per MaxPreps.com.
“I am very blessed to be named Week 1 MVP,” the 5-8, 180-pound quarterback said.
“But that only means that I have to play at a high standard week in and week out,” he continued. “Being a senior, I needed this type of recognition early in the year, which I am truly thankful for. I could not do this alone though. My line blocked very well, the wide receivers caught passes and ran great routes, and my running backs bailed me out sometimes. My coaches had a great game plan. They believed in me fully, even when at one point of the game I didn’t believe in myself.”
COACHING EVALUATION OF CRUZ
Chattin was effusive in his take on Cruz’s Week 1 performance.
“He’s worked extremely hard to learn what I’ve given him and he leads by example,” Chattin said. “It’s a great team honor, but he also deserves the individual attention because he has improved so much in our 18 months together. He was a player playing quarterback when I arrived. But now he has grown into a quarterback playing quarterback. I love this kid.”
CLOSE WIN FOR CRUZ
In our fan voting poll for Week 1 MVP honors, Cruz edged out Palm Beach Lakes 2021 quarterback Tre’Von Taylor by one percentage point (41-40 percent of the vote). This is noteworthy because Taylor had a memorable performance in his own right.
In his first start at Palm Beach Lakes, the junior signal caller went 11-of-17 passing for 163 yards and 3 touchdowns. He added nine carries for 50 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Taylor finished with 213 total yards and four total touchdowns for Palm Beach Lakes in a 41-15 win over Wellington.
He spoke briefly on his runner-up finish.
“Its alright,” Taylor said. “This just motivates me to do better throughout the season.”
Cruz proved to be quite gracious in his victory over Taylor.
“The man is an absolute baller,” Cruz said of the 6-0, 155-pound quarterback. “He’s younger yet taller than me, but I still feel his athletic talent and IQ can take him a long way. With more experience and grind, he’ll be ready for a huge senior year.”
WEEK 2 EXPECTATIONS
Even though Cruz had Palm Beach County’s best overall performance in Week 1, it pales in comparison to his team’s Week 2 opponent and the level of significance it brings.
If Cruz has at least a respectable performance against Palm Beach Gardens (1-0; No. 5 in latest New Era Prep team rankings), it will elevate him even more as a quarterback.
In some respects, a player is best evaluated by what he does against good teams. Palm Beach Gardens is definitely one of them.
Week 2 will be the season’s home opener for John I. Leonard (1-0).
“Tough opponent,” Cruz said of Palm Beach Gardens. “But we’ll work hard and stick together. I foresee a tight game, but victory for us. We’ll let the haters and negative people talk all they want.”
The date and kickoff time for this John I. Leonard-Palm Beach Gardens tilt is set for Friday, Aug. 30 at 6:30 p.m.
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde and Jeffrey Wimbrow
