Cardinal Mooney is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. They will look to defend their home field against the Lakewood Spartans at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
If Cardinal Mooney beats Lakewood with 49 points on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. Everything went the Cougars' way against Clearwater Central Catholic on Friday as they made off with a 49-28 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Cougars, who have now won four contests in a row.
Connail Jackson
| 10/03/25 @ Clearwater Central Catholic | 134 |
| 09/26/25 @ Bishop Verot | 118 |
| 09/12/25 @ Berkeley Prep | 125 |
| 09/05/25 vs Rockledge | 150 |
| 08/29/25 vs Cherry Creek | 101 |
Cardinal Mooney's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Connail Jackson, who rushed for 134 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 7.4 yards per carry, and Davin Davidson, who threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns on only 19 passes. Jackson's rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 101 rushing yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Kymistrii Young, who picked up 80 receiving yards and one score.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Cardinal Mooney was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 313 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 156 rushing yards in five consecutive games.
Cardinal Mooney didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Vantrez Yarn and Jayden Burnett. Tra'Vion Lester was another major factor on D, picking up two sacks, forcing one fumble, and making ten total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Lakewood was not the first on the board on Friday, but they got there more often. They really took it to Boca Ciega for the full four quarters, racking up a 50-14 win. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 47th, while the Pirates are ranked 331st) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lakewood's win came from a few key players Cardinal Mooney will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ayden Wallace, who threw for 312 yards and a pair of TDs. That's the most passing yards he has posted since back in October of 2024. Lakewood's leading receiver Dmari Roberts was Wallace's top target yet again, picking up 166 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Lakewood's victory bumped their record up to 7-0. As for Cardinal Mooney, their win bumped their record up to 5-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Cardinal Mooney has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 230.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Lakewood struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 209.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Cardinal Mooney took their victory against Lakewood in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 by a conclusive 40-16 score. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Wallace, who rushed for 70 yards and one score on only five carries, and also threw for 82 yards and one TD. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Cougars still be able to contain Wallace? There's only one way to find out.
