The Cardinal Newman Crusaders are back in the win column!
Facing the Saint Andrew’s Scots, Cardinal Newman cruised to a 49-0 victory on Thursday night. The offense, powered by Janarro Sumpter, jumped out to an early lead that the Scots could never overcome. Defensively, the Crusaders notched three interceptions and never let Saint Andrew’s gain any momentum on offense.
Saint Andrew’s, with the loss, drops to 4-4 on the season. Cardinal Newman, with the win, moves to 6-2 ahead of a massive clash with Carrollwood Day next week.
Janarro Sumpter Dominates for the Crusaders
In a state filled with star players, Cardinal Newman’s Janarro Sumpter showed why he deserves that distinction on Thursday night.
The Crusaders ran the offense through the running back in the first half, and he delivered in a major way to essentially seal the game before one could blink. Sumpter had four touchdowns, one of which came from 50 yards out.
The 2027 prospect, who also made some tackles on defense against Saint Andrew’s, showed an impressive all-around skill set as a runner. Sumpter had impressive contact balance, rarely going down against the first defender and constantly finding hidden yardage. He consistently found the correct lanes and, if necessary, made quick cuts to the open field to pick up chunk gains. Sumpter ran with patience and power, but also had great burst and explosiveness too.
Between his overall production and the running style/skillset that he showed, Sumpter put together one of the better individual performances of the 2026 season, and one of the best I have seen in person this year. Like Carrollwood Day’s Kameron Battle, Sumpter notched four touchdowns and would have had a chance at a school record if allowed to play deeper in the second half.
When I asked Sumpter about what the performance meant to him, he revealed an even bigger meaning behind his success on Thursday night.
“It just felt great to be out here. It’s a great moment. I lost one of my brothers a couple of weeks back. I felt like he was here with me and put a pace in me to go stupid tonight. I had four touchdowns, like you said, being physical and all of that. I think he was a big part of this today.”
Sumpter, at his best, has been the engine of a dynamic and talented Cardinal Newman offense. As the team heads into a matchup with Carrollwood Day and toward the postseason, the running back will be vital to the Crusaders’ success. And if Thursday was any indication, Sumpter is more than ready for any opponent in his way.
Cardinal Newman’s Defense Steps Up
As important as the offense was for the Crusaders, the defense’s efforts were crucial in the team’s win over Saint Andrew’s.
Cardinal Newman got key contributions from every level of the defense, but the most impressive overall group was the secondary. Cruz Caldwell was a major standout for the Crusaders in multiple areas; not only did he consistently make big tackles and provide great coverage, but he also had a huge interception that led to his team going up by two scores. He also notched a key pass breakup later in the game.
Prince Curry, along with making tackles in space, notched a major interception of his own. Tyrece Campbell-Rollins secured an interception of his own as well, running down an overthrown pass from Saint Andrew’s early in the game. Kamden Giles flew around making plays as well, notching multiple tackles and a pass breakup against the Scots.
Cooper Clark was massive for the Crusaders at linebacker throughout the game. He had a sack, multiple big hits, and consistently made tackles in key spots for the defense. As he has done all year long, Clark was in the right places at the right times, and he was massive in shutting down the Saint Andrew’s offense.
Sean Fleming made himself comfortable in the backfield on a consistent basis, stuffing the run and putting plenty of pressure on passing downs. He single-handedly ended the first drive of the game for the Scots, notching a pass breakup at the line of scrimmage and a pressure on 3rd down. Michael Louidort was consistently in the backfield as well for the Crusaders. Angelo Caringni and James Krawiec notched critical tackles-for-loss for the defense as well.
In the vast majority of the games they have played this season, the Cardinal Newman defense has shown they are capable of shutting teams down consistently, putting the team in a position to win. They have the ability to force turnovers, but also the talent to force punts and end drives at a high rate.
Heading toward the postseason, the Crusaders’ defense needs to keep up this level of play. If they do, it will be a very successful playoff run for Cardinal Newman once again.
Other Notes
- Wesley Winn was arguably the best player on the field for Saint Andrew’s. He was dynamic on offense and created massive plays on special teams, giving the Scots great field position on a consistent basis. It was not a great night for his team, but I was impressed with what Winn showed.
- Justin Barerra and Logan Stepp were impressive at wideout for Cardinal Newman. Both players utilized their route-running and athleticism to create chunk plays and keep drives rolling for the Crusaders. Michael Newby had a massive play early in the game for Cardinal Newman as well, showing off his speed and separation ability deep down the field.
- In the 2nd half, Cayleb Jones had an impressive touchdown run to extend the Cardinal Newman lead to 49-0. On the play, he showed great contact balance and burst, along with the ability to run through tackles.
- Cardinal Newman quarterback Pedro Martinez showed nice running ability and hit some big throws over the course of the game. His deep throw to Michael Newby on the trick play was perfect, and he also showed the touch and accuracy to hit multiple throws across the field.
- Charles Messier, on his limited touches, showed some nice burst and strength after the catch for Saint Andrew’s. At running back, Garrick James displayed great contact balance and burst throughout the game. Both players should be key pieces on offense for the Scots going forward.
