SARASOTA — Cardinal Newman football nearly watched a comfortable lead disappear Friday night before making one final stand.
The Crusaders blocked a potential game-tying extra point in the closing seconds
to escape with a dramatic 47-46 victory over Cardinal Mooney, improving to 2-0 on the season.
"We got up, I think 20 or 21 points, and with about six minutes left we had a nice drive going deep in their territory and fumbled it," Cardinals Newman coach Jack Daniels said. "They scooped and scored, and it really changed the momentum."
The Cougars seized that momentum late.
After Travion Lester returned a fumble 74 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 47-40 with 3:19 remaining, Cardinal Newman was forced to punt following a series of offensive miscues and a defensive stand by Cardinal Mooney.
The Cougars then drove down the field, aided by three pass interference penalties. With 25 seconds remaining, Florida commit Davin Davidson connected with Seneca Hawthorne for a touchdown. Hawthorne had battled drops throughout the game before hauling in the biggest catch of the night, trimming the deficit to one point.
FINAL CARDINAL NEWMAN 47, CARDINAL MOONEY 46
— Nick Wilson (@NickWilsonUSAT) August 29, 2026
Cougars drive down and score on a 7yd TD pass. 3 Newman PIs keep the drive alive.
Mooney’s 2pt try is good, but CALLED BACK for a hold
Game-tying PAT is BLOCKED by the Crusaders
What a game here in Sarasota pic.twitter.com/LuTjlzcvOL
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Rather than attempt the game-tying kick, Cardinal Mooney elected to go for two and the lead.
Running back Connell Jackson appeared to put the Cougars ahead when he bounced outside on a speed-option play and reached the end zone, but a holding penalty brought the play back.
"They tackled our corner, and it was a holding penalty," Daniels said. "So they brought the PAT unit on."
That proved costly for Cardinal Mooney. After struggling with snaps and extra points throughout the game, the Cougars were forced to settle for a point-after attempt, which Cardinal Newman blocked to preserve the victory.
"Then we blocked it, so we were able to get out there with a win," Daniels said.
The finish came after an emotional second half for the Crusaders, who lost standout Khalil Gabaud to an injury that required him to be carted off the field.
"There were definitely times of doubt," Daniels said. "We lost one player, Khalil Gabaud, for all of the third quarter, and that really took the energy out of our team. He had to get carted off."
Cardinal Newman regrouped and found a way to finish.
"They won it for him," Daniels said. "We have a really good team, tough kids. We just don't have a lot of depth right now."
The Crusaders recovered the ensuing kickoff and took a knee to seal one of Palm Beach County's most dramatic victories of the young season.
It's the second consecutive season Cardinal Newman has blocked an extra point attempt in a dramatic finish. Last season, Cardinal Newman blocked a potential game-winning extra point attempt against West Boca Raton to force overtime, where the Crusaders prevailed 26-20.
Cardinal Newman returns to West Palm Beach to face John Carroll Catholic (2-0) on Sept. 4 at 6:30 p.m.
The Palm Beach Post's Alex Peterman contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Cardinal Newman football blocks last-minute PAT to top Cardinal Mooney
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