MIAMI – There was no shortage of action on Wednesday night (Dec. 10) at Pitbull Stadium.
Cardinal Mooney – this year’s odds-on favorite to win the Class 2A state title – came through in a big way as it employed a balanced attack on offense to upend Bolles (Jacksonville) in a 52-28 win. It is the Sarasota-based program’s third overall state title and its first since 2023 (Class 1S state champion).
The Cougars finished their season with an impressive 14-1 record, with the only blemish coming in Week 2 against Cherry Creek (Colo.) – a 24-21 home loss to the No. 1-ranked team in Colorado and eventual CHSAA Class 5A state champion.
This was an all-out effort on the offensive side of the ball for Mooney, which gained 481 total yards (255 rushing yards, 226 passing yards) and 25 first downs in the season finale. The execution was nearly flawless in the air, as Mooney completed all but three passes in this one.
Junior quarterback Davin Davidson completed 14 of 16 passes for 180 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions. With great protection by an offensive line that allowed no sacks at all, Davidson opened up the scoring with a perfectly thrown 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bo Odaniel (7 catches, 107 yards, 3 touchdowns) at the 8:20 mark of the first quarter.
Davidson’s touchdown pass – and subsequent extra point – gave Cardinal Mooney a 7-0 lead over Bolles (13-2 final record).
Mooney never trailed in the game. But it was tied for a brief moment, thanks to a 41-yard touchdown pass from Bolles quarterback Jaden Weatherly to wide receiver Naeem Burroughs. An extra point made it even at 7-7 with 5:56 left in the first quarter.
From that point on, it was all Mooney through halftime.
Two touchdowns on the ground by running back Connail Jackson – a 3-yarder to the end zone at the 3:08 mark of the first quarter and an 8-yarder to the end zone with 18 seconds left in the second quarter – helped pave the way for Mooney’s 27-7 at the end of the first half.
To be clear, the rest of this game was a relatively back-and-forth affair with Mooney’s double-digit lead being preserved for the entire second half.
Three scores came in the third quarter, with two of them coming from Bolles. One of them came by way of a 15-yard touchdown pass from Weatherly to Burroughs – Mooney’s lead was cut to 27-14 at the 8:18 mark. The other one was produced by a 71-yard touchdown run from Simeon Caldwell, who helped cut the Mooney lead to 34-21 with 1:35 left in the third frame.
In the fourth quarter, Mooney created further separation from Bolles.
Two of the three final touchdowns from Mooney came in a span of exactly one minute:
•11:55 left in the fourth quarter – Davidson found Odaniel for a 24-yard touchdown pass
•10:55 left in the fourth quarter – Jackson scored his third rushing touchdown off a 5-yard run
The final score of the game was marked by a blistering 54-yard touchdown run from quarterback Devin Mignery (5 carries, 80 yards, 1 touchdown; 4-of-5 passing for 46 yards and 1 touchdown). Mignery’s score came at the 3:16 mark of the fourth quarter.
On the defensive side of the ball, Mooney registered 5 sacks and caught an interception to represent success on that front.
All in all, this was a masterful capstone to Cardinal Mooney’s amazing year.
We salute both Mooney and Bolles on having much success in this season.
PHOTO CREDITS: Kenly Napoleon / PMO Sports
VIDEO CREDITS: Kenly Napoleon / PMO Sports. and Lazaro Diaz / Shot by Laz
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