Well ladies and gentlemen, this was the one we’ve been waiting for.
Tonight, the Cardinal Newman Crusaders hosted the West Boca Raton Bulls in a clash of Palm Beach County’s top titans. This matchup’s been one circled on everyone’s calendar all season, and both teams left it all on the line.
When you look down both sidelines, you’d see a lot of similarities In these squads. Both Newman and West Boca feature elite depth inside the trenches, as each team boasted an incredible pass rush and a comforting offensive line for their QB.
The biggest similarity that many were looking forward to was in the backfield, as the Bulls and Crusaders feature the two top running backs in the 2026 class. Donning the gold and blue tonight was 3-Star James Madison commit Phoenix Donghia, and in black and white was 4-Star Miami commit Javian Mallory, who was activated earlier this morning.
Tonight, the running backs were just as good as advertised as West Boca’s Mallory broke off a 66 yard rushing TD and a last second receiving score, and Newman’s Donghia opened and closed the night with rushing touchdowns.
Ultimately, what set the Crusaders apart tonight came from the dynamic performances from LB Adam Balogoun-ali and QB Jyron Hughley. Adam, a 4-Star Auburn commit was flying across the field, recording 6 tackles, one pass breakup and a pick6.
As for Hughley, he commanded the offense with poise and precision tonight, working the deadly option with himself and Donghia to his advantage. Following West Boca’s 66 yard rushing score by Javian Mallory, Jyron silenced any chance of a comeback as on the very next series he broke off an 80 yard rushing touchdown.
Despite the doubt that most in the state presented about Newman’s ability to hold in vs the explosive West Boca Bulls, the Crusaders did just that. When most expected a blowout, Cardinal Newman put the city on shock.
The overwhelming consensus from the Cardinal Newman sideline following the game- preparedness and respect for their cross county opponent.
“There wasn’t any “we got this, we’re better than them” this week. We respect them a lot, they’re a great football team.” LB Adam Balogoun-Ali shared. “We knew on the defensive side, we had to hit our gaps and be precise or it would be a very long game.”
“When I was at Benjamin last year, we lost to them by one in Week 1. I’ve had this game circled on my calendar since the day I stepped foot on campus here at Newman.” Donghia stated. “They’ve been ahead of us on basically every ranking all season. That changed tonight.”
The Crusaders now prepare for a tricky back portion of their schedule, as they get ready to travel to Bishop Verot next week, and an encounter with Bucholtz on the horizon.
Cover Photo Credits: Theo Smail, NewEraPrep
