- May 3, 2024
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There was no big on-field celebration after Cardinal Mooney High football, a Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1S program, won 41-6 over Lakewood Ranch High, an FHSAA Class 4S program, at home Sept. 1.
The Cougars simply took their helmets off and headed for the 50-yard line for handshakes, then jogged to the locker room. Only then, following a team prayer, did the Cougars let off some steam, blaring some hip-hop music and dancing along.
This is what happens when a program soundly beats a team it expects to beat, no matter the size of the schools involved.
The Cougars are 2-0 in 2023 and are primed for what they believe can be a special season, armed with the most talented team in program history — a statement no one seems to dispute. Cardinal Mooney has outscored its two opponents 95-6.
The Cougars actually started their scoring against Lakewood Ranch with a defensive touchdown. Senior linebacker Jacob Brown recovered a Lakewood Ranch fumble and returned it 50 yards for a score.
Then the offense took over. Mooney senior quarterback Michael Valentino, a transfer from Charlotte High, twice found junior receiver/defensive back Chris McCorkle for touchdowns, the longest one for 25 yards. Valentino also hit senior receiver Zy'marion Lang for a 40-yard score and ran for a goal-line touchdown in the third quarter.
Mooney brought in sophomore quarterback Devin Mignery in the fourth quarter. Mignery led one scoring drive capped by a goal-line touchdown run by sophomore Gus Wilson.
Even when not getting in the end zone, the Cougars' offense spent the game spreading the ball among their abundance of weapons. That includes McCorkle, who has NCAA Division I offers from schools like the University of Florida and Michigan State University; Lang, a University of South Carolina commit; senior defensive back/wide receiver Teddy Foster, a University of Florida commit; and senior running back Carson Beach, who holds offers from the University of Tennessee and the University of South Florida among other schools.
At the high school level, teams usually can spend a game feeding their one or two big stars and giving their college film a bump. At Mooney, with so many stars on the field, things are more spread out.
Against the Mustangs, for example, Foster and Lang tied for the team lead with three catches each. The exception is Beach, who has little competition for carries at running back. He had 25 carries for 145 yards against Lakewood Ranch — but no touchdowns, even though the team was often in the red zone.
On other teams, spreading touches like this might cause frustration. Not on the Cougars. Mooney Head Coach Jared Clark said there is no bickering between his team's elite athletes when it comes to who gets the ball: they all just want to win.
"They're great teammates," Clark said. "They support the other guys. They just want us to be successful. As long as we're moving the ball, they're fine. They understand.
"We're going to do what the defense gives us. We have guys at every position. So, if you do one thing (defensively), hopefully we can do another (offensively)."
As much attention as scoring 95 points in two games will get an offense, the Cardinal Mooney defense has been just as dominant.
Some players, like natural defensive backs Foster and McCorkle, are shared between the units, but others primarily stick to defense, like Brown, senior safety Emerson Warthling (eight tackles, two tackles for loss, and an interception in two games) and sophomore defensive end Blake Roulund (seven tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack in two games).
Against Lakewood Ranch, the Cougars defense was constantly in the Mustangs' backfield, either stopping runs for minimal yardage or causing Mustangs senior quarterback Sebastian Mejia to lose rhythm; Mejia finished 10-of-28 passing for 102 yards.
One player Clark raved about is senior linebacker George Leibold. Leibold had seven tackles (one tackle for loss) against Lakewood Ranch after not playing in the team's first game against Avon Park High.
"He's a captain of this team and he's an absolute stud," Clark said. "He's been a stud since his freshman year. The guy watches more film than anyone else. He's smart. He could run defense himself, I'm pretty sure. He's coachable. He's all over the field."
Clark said Leibold also will play some tight end for the Cougars this season, though he didn't against the Mustangs, and is the team's long snapper.
It is that kind of team-first attitude that Clark loves, he said. It's the type of thing that keeps the locker room in good spirits. They'll need to keep it up as the meat of the team's schedule approaches.
The Cougars' first real test will come at 7 p.m. Sept. 8, when Evangelical Christian (2-0) comes to town.
The Sentinels have outscored their opponents 56-6 through two games in 2023 and have a dual-threat quarterback in senior Tanner Helton (400 passing yards, 116 rushing yards), who holds offers from a handful of FCS schools.
Despite the Cougars' scoring margins in their two games, things aren't perfect. Clark said the team will be working this week to clean up its perimeter blocking, which was flagged several times against the Mustangs, bringing back big gains.
Still, the team was able to overcome those mistakes, and Clark believes this Cougars' squad is capable of even more.
Spread out the ball, rack up the wins.
