WEST PALM BEACH – This game of football has a special meaning for Jyron Hughley.
For the Cardinal Newman ‘26 ATH, it represents a legendary bloodline that he comes from. After all, his uncle is Ja’Juan Seider, a Palm Beach County Football Hall of Famer and Glades Central legend who is currently the co-offensive coordinator for the Penn State Nittany Lions college football program.
Hughley raves about the level of impact that Seider has on his life to date.
“That’s my grandma’s son,” the 6-foot-2, 175-pound athlete said. “My relationship with him is right. I can talk to him about anything and he will always listen to everything I have to say. My uncle went to Glades Central High School and made a name for himself in high school. Then he went off to college at West Virginia. He played there for a good little minute, then transferred to Florida A&M. He got drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft and he also put on for his hometown of Belle Glade. My uncle is a dog.”
Also in Hughley’s bloodline is longtime Glades Day coach and high school legend Brian Seider, who is Ja’Juan’s brother.
“My uncle Brian is a great coach,” said Hughley, who played for Glades Day before transferring to Cardinal Newman this past offseason. “I got moved up to varsity my seventh grade year and I played safety. He taught me a lot. And then my eighth grade year came. I started at safety and wide receiver. I was balling. I had the second best stats on the team. He taught me everything on defense because I didn’t know what I was doing.”
Hughley spent his freshman season at Glades Day. But it would be the Muckstepper’s last one in Belle Glade, where he is from.
Since the offseason, Hughley’s move from Glades Day to Cardinal Newman has paid off in more ways than one.
Palm Beach County’s No. 7 overall player from the Class of 2026 helped his team win the District 5-1M title in Week 9, a 17-14 comeback win over Benjamin at home. His touchdown pass to 2025 ATH Max Redmon sealed the deal for Cardinal Newman (No. 1-ranked team in Palm Beach County; 8-1 overall record).
And then against Palm Beach Central, Hughley had his moment in the spotlight to help his team earn a 28-7 blowout win on the road in Week 11. He shared what his signature highlight was from this game.
“My best play was when we were on defense, I was at safety and they were lined up in trips to the right and one wide receiver backside,” Hughley said. “Me and Kevin Levy were in 2 zone and their quarterback was just throwing the ball up the whole game. The coaches were telling me to get to my landmark. I did it and I caught a pick.”
As a result of this moment, Hughley went on to be voted as our Breakout Player of Week 11.
“It feels good,” Hughley said. “To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting it. I just always stayed humble and listened to my coach.”
After the Palm Beach Central game, Cardinal Newman was rewarded with a bye last week for the Class 1M playoffs. And with two weeks to prepare for the rematch against District 5-1M runner-up Benjamin (8-2; No. 3-ranked team in Palm Beach County), Hughley has a level of expectation for his team on Friday (Nov. 17).
“You can expect a W,” Hughley said. “We gotta come out the gate hot, play like a team, have fun, and celebrate together.”
CLASS 1M-REGION 3 SEMIFINAL
No. 1/No. 2 seed Cardinal Newman (8-1) vs. No. 3/No. 3 seed Benjamin (8-2) – Friday (Nov. 17) at 7 p.m.
The winner of this playoff game will advance to the Class 1M-Region 3 final, which will be held on Friday, Nov. 24. As for the loser of this playoff game, the season will officially come to an end.
PHOTO CREDITS: Christian Proscia
