Two dominant backs in Connail Jackson and Macrae Thompson are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Cardinal Mooney Cougars will host the Bishop Verot Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Cardinal Mooney's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last nine games.
Cardinal Mooney is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They beat North Broward Prep by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 55-7. Considering the Cougars have won ten matchups by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Cardinal Mooney's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kymistrii Young, who picked up 139 receiving yards and one TD. Young was no stranger to the big play, cutting upfield on a catch that went for 65 yards. Braylen Brown was another key back, rushing for 67 yards and one score on only eight carries.
Cardinal Mooney's run defense was locked in: North Broward Prep could only muster 2.3 yards per carry. While three picked up at least six total tackles, Jayden Burnett stood above the rest. He made six total tackles (1.0 for loss) and defended one pass in addition to snagging an interception which he returned one-yard for a touchdown. Cardinal Mooney didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 10.2.
Hayden Pettit
| 11/14/25 vs North Broward Prep | 1 |
| 10/24/25 @ Tarpon Springs | 1 |
| 10/17/25 vs Monsignor Pace | 2 |
Cardinal Mooney didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Burnett and Hayden Pettit. Pettit has been hot recently, having also posted at least one defended passe the last three times he's played. Burnett got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Bishop Verot was able to grind out a solid win over Calvary Christian Academy on Friday, taking the game 22-14. The Vikings pushed the score to 22-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Eagles cut but never quite recovered from.
Bishop Verot's win came from a few key players Cardinal Mooney will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Deshon Jenkins Jr, who rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown on only 13 carries. He has become a key player for Bishop Verot: the team is undefeated when he posts at least 80 rushing yards, but 2-6 otherwise.
Cardinal Mooney pushed their record up to 10-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 7.0 points on average over those games. As for Bishop Verot, their victory bumped their record up to 5-6.
Everything came up roses for Cardinal Mooney against Bishop Verot in their previous meeting back in September, as the team secured a 49-14 win. In that contest, the Cougars amassed a halftime lead of 35-7, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
