Football Game Preview: Melbourne Central Catholic Hustlers vs. Cardinal Newman Crusaders + Official Tickets

Melbourne Central Catholic is 0-3 against Cardinal Newman since September of 2019 but things could change on Friday. The Hustlers will welcome the Crusaders at 7:00 p.m.

On Friday, Melbourne Central Catholic and Titusville were almost perfectly matched up, but Melbourne Central Catholic suffered a 21-20 loss.

Despite their defeat, Melbourne Central Catholic saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Noah Flores, who rushed for 35 yards and one touchdown, and also picked up 43 receiving yards, was perhaps the best of all. Another passer making a difference was Sebastian Troyan, who threw for 228 yards and one TD while completing 72% of his passes.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Newman made easy work of Goleman on Thursday and carried off a 28-7 win. The Crusaders' offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.

Cardinal Newman had a senior duo take command as Jyron Hughley rushed for 90 yards and one score on only nine carries and Phoenix Donghia rushed for 103 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 13 carries.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Cardinal Newman was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 234 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 176 rushing yards in 12 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Cardinal Newman is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 12.0 points on average over those games. As for Melbourne Central Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 1-4.

Melbourne Central Catholic was taken down by Cardinal Newman 43-10 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Hustlers, Jaylin ?Jbo? Brown (who rushed for 156 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 9.8 yards per carry, and also picked up 37 receiving yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.