- March 13, 2025
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Cardinal Mooney's RJ Mosley catches a deep ball from Devin Mignery against Booker High. Mosley would score on the play.
Photo by Ryan KohnCardinal Mooney High's Kymistrii Young and RJ Mosley (1) celebrate after a Mosley touchdown against Booker High in a preseason contest. Both players had touchdowns against Sarasota High on Aug. 23.
Photo by Ryan KohnBooker High's Ryan Downes pitches the ball to Dylan Wester.
Photo by Ryan KohnBooker High junior quarterback Joel Morris launches a pass to junior Dylan Wester for a touchdown against Cardinal Mooney High in a preseason clash. Morris threw three touchdowns against Lely High on Aug. 23.
Photo by Ryan KohnCardinal Mooney High's Bo O'Daniel (7) celebrates as teammate Marcus Galloway jogs into the end zone for a touchdown.
Photo by Ryan KohnA Booker High pass intended for Chuck Kennon (0) falls incomplete.
Photo by Ryan KohnBooker High's Joel Morris (11) escapes the pocket for a big gain.
Photo by Ryan KohnCardinal Mooney's Kymistrii Young jukes out Booker's Abraham Brown III.
Photo by Ryan KohnCardinal Mooney High sophomore running back Connail Jackson showed off his physical running style against Booker High.
Photo by Ryan KohnBooker High's Ryan Downes launches a pass downfield against Cardinal Mooney High.
Photo by Ryan KohnBooker High's Rashawn Peterson gets tackled by Cardinal Mooney High's Bryce Fulda.
Photo by Ryan KohnBooker High's Rashawn Peterson runs into the open field against Cardinal Mooney High.
Photo by Ryan KohnBooker High junior receivers Dylan Wester and Tyren Wortham (2) chest bump after a Wester touchdown against Cardinal Mooney High.
Photo by Ryan KohnCardinal Mooney's Devin Mignery looks for a receiver downfield against Booker High.
Photo by Ryan KohnBooker High's Tyren Wortham was the Tornadoes top pass catcher in 2024.
Photo by Ryan KohnNCAA National Championship-winning coach Urban Meyer takes in the Cardinal Mooney High-Booker High preseason football game.
Photo by Ryan KohnIn a tune-up before regular season play begins next week, the Cardinal Mooney High and Booker High football teams showed plenty of firepower, and plenty to fix, when the programs played each other Friday night.
Ultimately, Mooney left the field with a 45-32 victory. But it being the preseason, the Cougars and Tornadoes both showed enough to make future opponents nervous. And they did it in front of a special guest: NCAA National Championship-winning coach Urban Meyer, who took in the game from Mooney's east end zone.
Mooney opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 35-yard passing touchdown from junior quarterback Devin Mignery to junior receiver Rymen Mosley. In the second quarter, the Cougars extended their lead with a pass from Mignery to senior Marcus Galloway. Booker would respond with a long pass from junior quarterback Joel Morris to junior receiver Dylan Wester.
The two teams would continue to trade blows from there. Though the offenses woke up in the game's second half, it was a special teams play that opened the most eyes, as Booker freshman Tyree Mannings Jr. took a Mooney kickoff 99 yards for a score.
Both teams will likely work on limiting snapping mistakes in practice next week; the Tornadoes and Cougars each had several poor snaps that either ended promising drives, gave the other team good field position or, in the case of one Booker snap that flew past the Tornadoes' punter, resulted in a safety.
Mooney will play at Sarasota High at 7:30 p.m. next Friday to begin its regular season, while Booker will host Lely High at 7:30 p.m.
