Cardinal Newman Falls 28-14 to Carrollwood Day as Its Open Division Bid Takes a Hit

Cardinal Newman likely needed a statement win in its regular-season finale to stay in the Open Division conversation, and it did not get one. The Palm Beach Post, in reporting read in full this cycle, said the Crusaders lost 28-14 to unbeaten Carrollwood Day on Friday, Oct. 30, sputtering on offense and struggling to get off the field on defense. Cardinal Newman entered the night ranked No. 9, with the state's top eight teams qualifying for the Open Division, and the defending Class 1A state champions, now 6-3, will learn their fate on Nov. 6 after the upcoming dead week; even without an Open Division berth, they can still play for a Class 2A championship, according to the Post.

A muffed-punt ruling cost Newman a touchdown, the Post reported. Down 14-7 and punting, Newman recovered a ball that bounced off a Carrollwood Day player, and junior linebacker Hunter Mekoliavitch ran it into the end zone, but Florida high school rules state that the kicking team cannot advance a muffed punt, so officials placed the ball at the Carrollwood Day 20 instead. A later fumble by Pedro Martinez, recovered by the Patriots, ended that threat.

Third downs undid Newman's defense, according to the Post, which reported that Carrollwood Day converted two third-and-13s, a third-and-9 and a third-and-7 early in the second half, all on scoring drives. 'We've got to do better on third down, that's 100 percent for sure,' Cardinal Newman coach Jack Daniels said, as published by the Post. Daniels also said the passing game needed work, citing wrong routes and trouble getting off press coverage, as published by the Post.