Football Recap: Bishop Verot Takes a Loss

After flying high against Homestead last Friday, Bishop Verot came back down to earth. The Vikings were dealt a 49-14 defeat at the hands of the Cardinal Mooney Cougars on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Vikings can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 49th, while the Cougars are ranked tenth).

Ayden Gonzalez

Receiving Yards

08/29/25 vs True North Classical Academy	166
09/19/25 vs Homestead	107
09/05/25 @ Venice	96
09/26/25 vs Cardinal Mooney	82
08/22/25 @ Jesuit	69

Despite the loss, Bishop Verot had strong showings from Deshon Jenkins Jr, who rushed for 73 yards and two TDs, and Macrae Thompson, who rushed for 78 yards. The Vikings also got help from Ayden Gonzalez, who showed off his sure hands for 82 receiving yards.

Cardinal Mooney's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Connail Jackson, who rushed for 118 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 11 carries. Jackson's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 101 rushing yards. Davin Davidson was another key player, throwing for 251 yards and two TDs while completing 72.7% of his passes.

Bishop Verot's defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-3. As for Cardinal Mooney, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 4-1.

Looking ahead, Bishop Verot will be playing at home against Oasis at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Vikings will be up against the Sharks' rather soft defense (which has allowed 38 points per contest), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Cardinal Mooney, they will head out on the road to face off against Clearwater Central Catholic at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few points on average (the Cougars 13, the Marauders 9.4) so any points scored will be well earned.