Cardinal Mooney football muscles past Lemon Bay

By the end of Cardinal Mooney football's game against Lemon Bay, the school's uniforms, normally cherry red, were a shade away from maroon. 

Caked with mud and swamped in rainwater, the Cougars battled the Manta Rays after close to a two-hour lightning delay, and rode senior running back Bryce Williams to a 22-7 victory.

Williams, a University of Minnesota verbal commit, ran for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the win. His first score, a 36-yard run that saw Williams take the ball up the right side of the field before cutting across it and finishing near the left pylon, came in the first quarter and knotted the game at 7-7. 

The Cougars were up 14-7 when Lemon Bay had a bad snap near their own goal line and fell on it in the end zone, resulting in a safety. Cardinal Mooney's defense was stingy all night, holding the Manta Rays to 184 total offensive yards. 

Senior quarterback Jack Koscho was 9-13 through the air for 113 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Koscho said it is a blessing to play with a back like Williams, calling him a top-flight player. 

Koscho also said the team did not alter its offensive game plan after the rain. Once he got used to the field, it was not so bad, he said.