Cardinal Mooney Cougars Are Here To Stay

In the days following their convincing 50-28 state championship victory over Jacksonville Bolles to bring home their second title in three years, Sarasota Cardinal Mooney started to become a household name.   For veteran head coach and alumnus Jared Clark, the 2A state title answered several questions – one important question was who are the Cougars and where were they from?   This has not been a football program that was among the elite in the state over the decades – even when Clark was the quarterback before going to Notre Dame – so when they lost to nationally rated power St. Thomas Aquinas in the kickoff classic by a touchdown, without several players who ended up winning the title, they started to gain some of that “street cred” in Florida.   Other than losing to Colorado power Cherry Creek (24-21) in the second game of the season, this team averaged over 40 points a game and had one of the largest scoring margins in Florida.   Finishing 14-1, it extended this three-year run that 38-4, that is easily the best three-year total in school history.   As they are now in the off-season, the focus is directly on 2026. Moving up in classification, where powers such as Miami Central, Sarasota Booker and defending state champion Jacksonville Raines, there is plenty to be optimistic about.   TALENT IS COMING BACK – AND OF COURSE – COMING IN   In this day and age of high school sports, there is nothing certain about what players who will be playing where from month to month.   With open enrollment and home schooling, nothing is ever definitive, and Cardinal Mooney is no exception. Even with a solid core coming back, you can almost guarantee that there will be new faces via transfer and incoming freshmen.   Here is a look at the prospects expected back – starting with the talented 2027 class of current juniors – which include elite [player_tooltip player_id='1909446' first='Davin' last='Davidson'] (QB, 6'6, 212), [player_tooltip player_id='828284' first='Brock' last='Morgan'] (WR, 6'1, 190), Austin Butler (LB/DE, 6'2, 210), star running back Connail Jackson (5'11, 180), [player_tooltip player_id='283759' first='Jesse' last='Rico'] (LB, 5'11, 205), Brody Redmon (OT, 6'4, 245), Connell Jackson (DB, 5'10, 168), Lewis Harding (DE, 6'2, 210), Luke Buttle (OC, 5'9, 180), [player_tooltip player_id='1705499' first='Jack' last='Naylon'] (OT), and linebacker Trip McEachern.   Current sophomores (2028) will also have some elite returnees like Tra'vion Lester (DE, 6'1, 225), Seneca Hawthorne (WR, 6'0, 168), Devin Raines (Athlete, 6'2, 178), Charlie Mahon (CB, 5'8, 155), Matthew Vanderzee (DB, 5'11, 155), James Roveto (WR, 6'1, 140), Braylen Brown (RB/DB, 6'1, 187), Joseph Boone (LB/DL, 5'10, 178), Cash Wineka (LB, 5'10, 188), Jax Saganowich (DT/OG, 5'11, 220) and Jackson Snelling (OT, 6'5).   Freshmen (2029) who made an impact this past season will also return with [player_tooltip player_id='1636124' first='Christian' last='Taylor'] (DT, 6'1, 240), Marvon Harris (SS/RB, 5'11, 165), Walker Beach (QB, 5'11, 160), Luke Lewicki (DB, 5'11, 170), Dominic Graziano (WR, 5'10, 165) and gifted Amarian McRae (DB/WR, 6'1, 160).     2026 PREP REDZONE FLORIDA STOCK UP EVENT.<a href="https://events.prepredzone.com/e/2137/register/stock-up-showcase-florida"> https://events.prepredzone.com/e/2137/register/stock-up-showcase-florida </a>   Statewide Coverage Daily. <a href="https://prepredzone.com/florida/">https://prepredzone.com/florida/</a>   You Can Contact Larry Blustein with prospect or team information at: Floridakids1@aol.com.   COACHES, PLAYERS: Do You Have A Subscription? Contact us for a savings code so you can see what everyone has been talking about! <a href="mailto:Floridakids1@aol.com">Floridakids1@aol.com</a>.

In the days following their convincing 50-28 state championship victory over Jacksonville Bolles to bring home their second title in three years, Sarasota Cardinal Mooney started to become a household name.