Cardinal Newman. Chaminade Madonna. Can the Crusaders do it again?
Long stuck on the short end of a Class 1A rivalry that always seemed to favor the Broward County powerhouse, Cardinal Newman finally broke through last season, defeating Chaminade-Madonna in the state championship game to capture the first FHSAA football title in program history.
Fast forward to Friday night, when the two programs, now competing in Class 2A, meet again at Cardinal Newman in a District 12-2A matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
While there is no trophy on the line this time, the game carries major implications for both the district race and the inaugural Open Division playoff field.
The winner, barring another loss, will strengthen its case for the inaugural
Open Division playoff field. Chaminade-Madonna (4-2) enters ranked No. 5 in the MaxPreps Florida rankings, while Cardinal Newman (5-1) sits at No. 8, effectively making Friday's showdown an elimination game in the Open Division race.
Last year's victory was a historic breakthrough for Newman, and coach Jack Daniels understands it may take another near-perfect performance to repeat the feat.
"I honestly thought we were lucky to win last year," Daniels said. "We just kind of played a perfect game. We haven't done that this year, so if we don't, we're going to have a lot of problems."
The Crusaders have built an impressive resume with a hard-fought victory over Cardinal Mooney and lopsided wins over John Carroll Catholic and Atlantic. However, a one-sided loss to West Boca Raton exposed areas that still need improvement.
Meanwhile, Chaminade-Madonna nearly knocked off St. Thomas Aquinas before surrendering a late lead, and victories over American Heritage-Plantation and True North Classical Academy have helped establish the Lions as one of the state's top programs. Nationally, Chaminade-Madonna ranks 63 spots ahead of Cardinal Newman.
The Crusaders cruised past Atlantic last week, but Daniels said the performance revealed several mistakes that could prove costly against a team of Chaminade-Madonna's caliber.
"You're talking about two of the top programs in South Florida football, so we've got to clean up our pre-snap penalties," Daniels said. "We had three offsides on defense. You give good teams like that opportunities, they're going to make you pay. We've got to play a great game to compete with those guys."
While Newman no longer has Division I standouts Adam Balogoun-Ali and Jyron Hughley, highly recruited players such as NC State-committed offensive lineman Colt Hauser and edge rusher Ty Kirkpatrick remain key pieces.
Athlete Janarro Sumpter may not yet receive the same attention as some of his teammates, but coaches have called him the heart of the team. He figures to be a major factor on both sides of the ball Friday.
Sumpter played primarily defense during last year's championship matchup, so he has turned to film study to prepare for what Chaminade-Madonna's defense may throw at him as a running back.
"I played middle linebacker that game, so I really wasn't familiar with their defense," Sumpter said. "But it's definitely going to be a great experience to go out there and play the same team twice and get the job done."
The Lions are led offensively by quarterback Brady Quinn, receiver Tromon Isaac Jr. and Purdue commit Amos Bradford. Defensively, Peter Pierre and Notre Dame commit John Gay headline a unit that should provide a stiff challenge for the Crusaders.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Cardinal Newman's rematch with Chaminade Madonna carries major stakes
