WEST PALM BEACH – Cardinal Newman is having a season to remember after its 42-19 victory over Glades Day.
The Crusaders have flown under the radar for some time. But this year has been different in more ways than one.
Cardinal Newman (7-1) has only one blemish on its record, and it came against a very good Pahokee team on the road. Since their road loss, they’ve gone on a four-game winning streak.
The offense has been a cog in Cardinal Newman’s recent success. Newman has scored 40 points or more on opponents in seven of its eight games this season.
Friday night would be much of the same.
Newman’s defense got things started early, as they forced a fumble on the first play from scrimmage that was recovered by defensive lineman John Carmichael.
On the ensuing offensive drive, quarterback Ethan DiBerardino called his own number and put Newman up 7-0 on a quarterback sneak with 10:21 left in the first quarter.
Defensive end Jayson Martin would combine with fellow defensive lineman Chris Kaczwara to block a Glades Day punt that Martin would recover for Newman.
Martin lined up at running back and scored on a short run to give Newman a 14-0 lead with 9:01 left in the first.
Glades Day would come alive with 7:02 left in the first quarter after scoring on a pass from AJ McPhee to wideout Alex Acosta, which cut Newman’s lead to 14-6.
DiBerardino would score his second touchdown of the night as he connected with Scholar Athlete of the Week and wideout Tommy St. Julien to make it 21-6 with 5:05 left in the first quarter.
After a fumble recovery by Martin, the Crusaders offense would get rolling again. The speedy Chris D’Or found his way to the end zone right before the end of the first quarter to make it 28-6.
The beginning of the second quarter didn’t hold much action as Glades defense began to settle in. But Martin would break the seal midway through the second on a short run and extend Newman’s lead to 35-6.
D’or would get in on the action once more late in the second quarter on a 50-plus-yard scamper where he broke several tackles to score and make it 42-6 to end the first half.
The running clock rule would be in effect during the second half of the game and most of Newman’s starters would be on the bench.
It would be all Glades in the third and fourth quarters as they were able to score twice.
McPhee would hook up with wideout Lane Collin with 3:33 left in the third quarter. McPhee threw his third and final touchdown of the night to wideout Jacob Camacho with 7:32 left in fourth quarter.
Cardinal Newman Head Coach would comment on the team’s victory and recent success.
“Our coaches are doing a great job on both sides of the ball,” Molina said. “The offense is getting credit for putting up points, but our defense is doing a great job by getting the ball to us quick.”
Molina would expand on what the county should expect from the Crusaders moving forward.
“We just want to keep pushing,” Molina said. “We’re getting better every single day, one step at a time. Our goal is the playoffs, and we’re putting ourselves in that position right now, one step at a time.”
Cardinal Newman will be on the road next week to take on Glades Central in Week 10. Its final game of the regular season will be at home against West Boca Raton in Week 11.
