- December 11, 2024
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For the first time all season, Cardinal Mooney High football appeared to be mortal. It's evident its opponent, the Cocoa High Tigers, was a different animal from the first time Cocoa’s offense took the field.
After forcing a Cardinal Mooney three-and-out to open the game, Cocoa found itself buried on a 3rd and 20 on its own 39-yard line.
The Cougars seemed primed to pounce, until Cocoa junior quarterback Brady Hart read the pass rush, stepped up in the pocket and delivered a strike to senior wide receiver Jayvan Boggs, who broke through Mooney defenders for a 61-yard touchdown.
Suddenly, Cardinal Mooney, which hadn’t lost a game since Oct. 20, 2023, found itself in trouble. That trouble continued until the final whistle, when Mooney lost to Cocoa 31-21 in the semifinals of the Class 2A FHSAA Football State Championship tournament.
What Cardinal Mooney displayed in the defeat, however, goes beyond the box score, said Head Coach Jared Clark. The Cougars were down by multiple touchdowns twice in the first half — Cardinal Mooney entered the second quarter down 14-0, before junior quarterback Devin Mignery ran in a 9-yard touchdown.
Down 21-7 with 8:39 left in the second quarter, Cardinal Mooney immediately answered with a 78-yard touchdown pass on the first play on its next drive.
"Our guys love each other and they weren’t going to stop fighting,” said Clark. “It was so good to see them get in a battle like this and just not quit. I couldn’t be more proud of the way they fought. They’re playing against an extremely talented team that’s run through everybody as well — we were in a dogfight and thought we responded really well, we just came up a couple of plays short.”
As devastating a loss as it is for Cardinal Mooney, it still is an encouraging sign of what’s coming for the program. The Cougars more than held their own against a Cocoa team that was by far the most talented Cardinal Mooney had played all year.
The Tigers’ roster is littered with high-end Division 1 talent. Cocoa’s four-star quarterback, Hart, committed to play at Texas A&M. Boggs, who had three touchdown receptions, is a four-star recruit by 247 Sports Composite and committed to Florida State University. Senior edge rusher Javion Hilson and senior safety Clifton Hester are both four-star recruits.
Cocoa did not outclass Cardinal Mooney, only beaten. The Cougars were clearly battered from a long season: Sophomore running back Connail Jackson returned after leaving the previous game with an injury and Mignery, though hobbled on the sideline, never showed it on the field. While the Cougars are losing several key seniors, they will return in 2025 with much of the roster that has made the team a powerhouse in the region. For Cardinal Mooney, that alone is a reason for hope.
Booker was here last year. On the doorstep of a state title game, a regional champion with everything to prove. Last year, however, Booker had nothing to lose.
The Tornadoes had snuck into the state championship tournament as a seven seed, surprising the world as regional champions. Losing to the eventual state champions, Cocoa, was a letdown, but not a disappointment.
This year, Booker had everything to lose. A two seed in the Class 3A state championship tournament, Booker had run roughshod over its opponents all season with a 10-3 record, thanks to a bevy of transfer talent on its star-studded roster. So when the Tornadoes lost to Jacksonville’s Raines High 28-23 in the state semifinal after leading 23-14 at the half, it felt different from the year before.
“I have to find a way for us to get back to the drawing board and say, ‘OK, this is what went wrong',” said Head Coach Scottie Littles, who was ejected from the game in the third quarter after a dispute with the officials. “We lost to a top-15 team in the state and we were leading for most of the game. What I’ve got to figure out as a coach is, how do we find a way to get our players to finish?”
That question will linger into the offseason as Littles and his staff look to build off Booker’s recent success, despite the departure of key seniors.
Some of the offense’s biggest stars, like quarterback Ryan Downes, running backs DJ Johnson and Rashawn Peterson, will graduate in 2025.
So too will some of Booker’s top defenders, including defensive lineman Jordan Radkey, who totaled 10 sacks on the year and outside linebacker Dajien Walton who trailed Radkey with nine sacks. Cornerback Abraham Brown III, who holds multiple Division 1 offers, will also graduate.
Littles is confident in Booker’s ability to bounce back, however. Still returning are many of the team’s top skill position players. Wide receiver Tyren Wortham, the team’s leading pass catcher, will be a senior in 2025, and wideout Tyree Mannings Jr., who had 11 touchdowns in the regular season, will be a sophomore next season.
Four-star two-way player Chauncey Kennon will return next season as will fellow two-way athlete Dylan Wester. Stepping into Downes’ role as starting quarterback will be Joel Morris, a 6-foot-3 junior who already holds multiple Division 1 offers, according to Littles and 247sports.com.
“As a staff, we’re excited to continue to build on what we have and see where it takes us,” said Littles. “One thing I know for sure is that the entire state of Florida knows about Booker now. Our goal will not change from year to year — it’s to win a state championship and that’s what we plan on doing.”
