The Lakewood Spartans will square off against the Cardinal Mooney Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Lakewood comes in on seven and Cardinal Mooney on four.
Lakewood barely beat Boca Ciega the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Spartans blew past the Pirates 50-14 on Friday. Fans of the Spartans have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Ayden Wallace
| 10/03/25 @ Boca Ciega | 312 |
| 09/26/25 @ Tarpon Springs | 219 |
| 09/18/25 @ St. Petersburg | 288 |
| 09/12/25 vs Pinellas Park | 249 |
| 09/05/25 vs Clearwater | 242 |
| + 8 more games |
Lakewood's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ayden Wallace, who threw for 312 yards and two TDs. That's the most passing yards Wallace has posted since back in October of 2024. A healthy portion of Wallace's aerial production (166 yards to be exact) went to Dmari Roberts, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Lakewood proved: they limited Boca Ciega to a paltry 3.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Jamari Donaldson for the heroic effort on defense: he. Lakewood didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged nine.
Lakewood didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Kendrick Handy, Logan Houck, and Michael Webb picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Mooney hadn't done well against Clearwater Central Catholic recently (they were 1-6 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Cougars were the clear victors by a 49-28 margin over the Marauders. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35-14.
Lakewood better focus on containing Connail Jackson and Davin Davidson as the pair were huge in Cardinal Mooney's win. Jackson rushed for 134 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 7.4 yards per carry, while Davidson 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. Another player making a difference was Kymistrii Young, who picked up 80 receiving yards and one TD.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Cardinal Mooney's defense and their eight sacks. It was truly a group effort as Elijah Golden, Kj Brown, and Tra'Vion Lester picked up two apiece. With that strong performance, Lester is now averaging an impressive 5.5 total tackles per game. Cardinal Mooney got some further help from Vantrez Yarn: he made nine total tackles and defended three passes in addition to snagging an interception.
Lakewood's record is now 7-0. As for Cardinal Mooney, their record now sits at 5-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Lakewood has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 209.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Cardinal Mooney struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 230.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Lakewood suffered a grim 40-16 defeat to Cardinal Mooney in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Can the Spartans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
