Cardinal Mooney football has become a perennial championship program
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Anything less than a state championship would have been a letdown for the most talented Cardinal Mooney football team in program history.
When the Cougars made it to the Class 2A state final, they left nothing to chance.
Cardinal Mooney scored touchdowns on all eight of its possessions as it overwhelmed Jacksonville Bolles, 52-28, to bring home the team’s third state championship.
For anyone who paid attention to Cardinal Mooney’s 2025 season, the final result shouldn’t have been a surprise.
“You have to stop our run game and stop our passing game, and if you can’t do that, you’re not going to beat us,” senior receiver Bo O’Daniel said following the state championship.
The Cougars (14-1) averaged 45.3 points per game and could have scored much more if not for running-clock blowouts. That was especially the case during their playoff run.
Cardinal Mooney averaged 25 points in the first half of its five playoff games. By halftime of the 2A state final, it was leading Bolles 27-7 with the game nearly in hand.
Several stars made scoring points easy.
Unstoppable offense
Junior quarterback Davin Davidson completed 62.9% of his passes this season, averaging 156.6 passing yards per game with 21 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
His top targets were senior UNC commit Kymistrii Young (936 yards, 8 TDs), senior Mason Jordan (608 yards, 5 TDs), senior Bo O’Daniel (502 yards, 7 TDs), and senior LaRon Foye (257 yards, 4 TDs).
It was O’Daniel who shined down the stretch. The 6-foot, 172-pound receiver caught two touchdowns in Mooney’s state semifinal win over Cocoa and then bested that effort with three touchdown receptions in the state final.
That passing game was balanced with a rushing attack powered by junior Connail Jackson, who was nearly unstoppable. Jackson, nicknamed ‘Fat,’ needed just 190 carries to accumulate 2,253 yards (11.9 yards per carry) and 35 touchdowns.
None of those players could have stoof out without the offensive line. Ethan Salata, Max Polivchak, Nash Hudgens, Trevor Dutting-Morrell and Jackson Snelling paved the way for Cardinal Mooney’s offense, and came up big when it mattered most.
“The fact that our offensive line dominated this game, I think is the story of the game,” Clark said after the state championship.
Lockdown defense
The Cougars didn’t need to score as much as they did with the defense they had, and that defense made life easier on the offense.
Cardinal Mooney held its opponents to 14 or fewer points in 11 of 15 games.
That defensive effort started up front with what was almost certainly the best defensive line in program history, and one of the best in the state in 2025.
“Mooney has never had a D-line like this,” Cardinal Mooney defensive coordinator Jon Haskins said. “It’s crazy because Elijah Golden is going to Notre Dame, and he’s awesome, and the guy right next to him, if you watch his tape, Amani Armstrong is picking up a lot. There’s not one clear guy, and they’re all positively competitive with each other. Bryce Fulda is excellent. Zack Samuel we knew was excellent, and we got him there this year from a health standpoint. And then there’s Brody Wyman and Jayden Samuel. It’s pretty crazy to have that at this level.”
That group included Golden (34 tackles for loss, 14.0 sacks), Western Kentucky commit Fulda (32 tackles for loss, 13.0 sacks), sophomore Tra’vion Lester (29 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks), Armstrong (26 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks) and Zackery Samuel Jr. (26 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks).
The defensive line was backed up by a linebacking corps that was led by middle linebacker KJ Brown (31 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks).
The secondary was more than the last line of defense. Several players were game-changing playmakers, including Vantrez Yarn (7 INTs, 21 PBUs), Jayden Burnett (4 INTs, 24 PBUs), Foye (3 INTs, 31 PBUs), Rymen Mosley (2 INTs, 32 PBUs), Amarian McRae (2 INTs, 18 PBUs) and Macaiden Brown (1 INT, 12 PBUs).
What’s next
Cardinal Mooney has entered a new era.
After waiting 51 years between its first and second state championships, the Cougars had to wait just two years for a third.
It won’t be easy to win a fourth, but that’s what the Cougars will be chasing next season.
Class 2A has been redistricted for the 2026-27 seasons, and there will be some powerhouse programs to contend with, including The First Academy, Chaminade-Madonna (No. 6 in FL) Bolles (No. 11), Cardinal Newman (No. 13), St. Pete Lakewood (No. 35), Bradford (No. 46), Cocoa (No. 47) and Clearwater Central Catholic (No. 54).
There will also be several key losses to navigate.
The offense will most of the line, backup quarterback Devin Mignery, and its four top receiving options. The defense will lose nearly the entire line, and several key players from the secondary, including Yarn, Foye, Burnett, Mosley and Brown.
However, several of its best players will return.
Davidson and Jackson are back on offense and Lester, linebackers Marvon Harris and Austin Butler, McRae and cornerback Connell Jackson are back on the defensive side.
Regardless of what next year’s team looks like and who stands in Cardinal Mooney’s way, the Cougars don’t plan on waiting too long for their next championship.
“I think the kind of success we’ve had over the last three years doesn’t happen with one or two things,” Clark said. “We have the greatest administration, athletic department, and coaching staff. Everybody is in vertical alignment. And obviously, we have great players. I can’t say enough about these guys and how hard they’ve worked since January. We have a lot of young talent on this team, so we’re going to try to keep it going.”
2025 Cardinal Mooney Game-by-Game results
Final Record: 14-1
Aug. 22: Cardinal Mooney 41, True North Classical 14
Aug. 29: Cherry Creek (Colo.) 24, Cardinal Mooney 21
Sept. 5: Cardinal Mooney 39, Rockledge 3
Sept. 12: Cardinal Mooney 49, Berkeley Prep 10
Sept. 26: Cardinal Mooney 49, Bishop Verot 14
Oct. 3: Cardinal Mooney 49, Clearwater Central Catholic 28
Oct. 10: Cardinal Mooney 35, Lakewood 12
Oct. 17: Cardinal Mooney 47, Monsignor Pace 6
Oct. 24: Cardinal Mooney 48, Tarpon Springs 0
Oct. 31: Cardinal Mooney 55, Specially Fit Academy 7
Region 2A-3
Nov. 14: Cardinal Mooney 55, North Broward Prep 7
Nov. 21: Cardinal Mooney 51, Bishop Verot 14
Nov. 28: Cardinal Mooney 49, Lakewood 29
Class 2A Semifinal
Dec. 5: Cardinal Mooney 40, Cocoa 0
Class 2A Championshipat Pitbull Stadium, Miami
Dec. 10: Cardinal Mooney 52, Jacksonville Bolles 28
2025 Cardinal Mooney Football Roster
2025 Cardinal Mooney coaching staff
Head Coach: Jared Clark
Assistant Coaches: Tim Callahan, Jon Haskins, Dave Marino, Justin Clark, Mike Hawthorne, AJ Brown, Greg Walls, Cory Buttle, Mike Itlis, Marvin Harris, Aaron McRae, Aaron Brady, Sue Macedionio
2025 Cardinal Mooney statistical leaders
Passing: Davin Davidson, 124-197-6, 2,192 yards, 21 TD; Devin Mignery, 20-29-0, 348 yards, 4 TD
Rushing: Connail Jackson, 190 carries, 2,253 yards, 35 TD; Devin Mignery, 42 carries, 423 yards, 1 TD; Braylen Brown, 53 carries, 302 yards, 5 TD; Marvon Harris, 31 carries, 249 yards, 6 TD
Receiving: Kymistrii Young, 42 Rec, 936 yards, 8 TD; Mason Jordan, 37 Rec, 608 yards, 5 TD; Bo O’Daniel, 26 Rec, 502 yards, 7 TD; Laron Foye, 16 Rec, 257 yards, 4 TD
Total Tackles: KJ Brown 109, Jayden Burnett 102, Tra’vion Lester 86, Vantrez Yarn 80, Elijah Golden 67, Bryce Fulda 59
Sacks: Elijah Golden 14, Bryce Fulda 13, Tra’vion Lester 10, Amani Armstrong 8, Zackery Samuel Jr. 7
Interceptions: Vantrez Yarn 7, Jayden Burnett 4, Laron Foye 3, Rymen Mosley 2, Amarian McRae 2
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Cardinal Mooney now a Florida football state champion powerhouse
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