WEST PALM BEACH — It so often requires a near-perfect performance to beat Florida high school football juggernaut Chaminade Madonna.
Cardinal Newman achieved that in last year's Class 1A state championship game. It did not Friday night.
The Crusaders' highly anticipated rematch with the Lions ended in a 20-7 loss, one that likely carries consequences far beyond a single result.
With the inaugural Open Division set to feature Florida's top eight ranked programs, Friday's rematch was effectively seen as an elimination game. Chaminade-Madonna entered the game ranked No. 5 in MaxPreps' Florida rankings, but with two losses. Cardinal Newman sat No. 8 with its only defeat coming against West Boca Raton.
Now with two losses and a looming slide out of the
projected field, Newman's Open Division chances have taken a big hit, though head coach Jack Daniels isn't ruling them out of Florida's most exclusive postseason bracket.
Given the unpredictability of the MaxPreps rankings algorithm, anything remains possible.
"Obviously, you want to get in the Open Division," Daniels said. "You know, we've hurt ourselves losing to West Boca and Chaminade tonight. We've got to regroup with West Broward and St. Andrew's and Carrollwood Day, and maybe we can climb back up because our strength of schedule is really good."
Even if Cardinal Newman can't climb back into the Open Division picture, all is not lost.
While no coach or player would ever describe a defeat as a blessing in disguise, Friday's setback may have opened a more realistic path to a championship.
For a Newman team replacing many of the playmakers who fueled last year's championship run, there is no shame in losing to Chaminade Madonna or being just outside Florida's most elite tier.
Some may argue this season should have been Open Division or bust, that anything short of competing alongside the state's best diminishes the significance of the FHSAA's traditional classification state titles.
But we didn't make that argument before the creation of the Open Division. Cardinal Newman did not have to defeat St. Thomas Aquinas or American Heritage-Plantation en route to the Class 1A state title last year, yet the championship was rightly celebrated for the historic achievement that it was.
Should Cardinal Newman land in the Class 2A state playoffs, they'll do so as a top contender. Only one other Class 2A program, The First Academy, currently appears to be in realistic contention for an Open Division berth. Miami Carol City, one of the classification's top teams, is ineligible for the postseason after receiving an FHSAA ban stemming from last year's playoff brawl.
A Class 2A state championship still represents one of the most difficult accomplishments in Florida high school football. The classification may not include every national powerhouse, but winning a title in Florida remains an elite achievement regardless of bracket size or label.
Daniels feels the same way.
"It'd be great," Daniels said. "I'd love it. You're talking probably the best football in the country in this state. We're right outside. We're in the top eight tonight and it's probably getting knocked down now, but to win a state title in the state of Florida means everything. That's what the kids play for."
Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Cardinal Newman's Open Division hopes fade, state title dream lives on
