Carrollwood Day is heading into the final rankings with plenty of momentum, and Friday night only sharpened the picture.
The Patriots went on the road and handled Cardinal Newman 28-14, finishing the regular season unbeaten at 10-0 and putting a real charge into their Open Division argument. Kameron Battle carried the late push, scoring twice on the ground in the second half, including a run of more than 50 yards in the fourth quarter. Carrollwood Day’s defense did its part too, coming up with the stops the Patriots needed when the game tightened.
The opening half belonged to Carrollwood Day. Myles McDonald fired two first-quarter touchdown passes to Derrell Hines Jr., and the Patriots were up 14-0 before Newman settled in. The Crusaders answered with a long Janarro Sumpter touchdown run of more than 40 yards, trimming the margin to 14-7, and that score held through halftime.
Battle extended the lead late in the third quarter with a short touchdown run at 3:03, making it 21-7 after the extra point. Newman had a response of its own, though, and it came on the final play of the quarter.
Pedro Martinez found Logan Stepp, with Carrollwood Day’s Luke Anderson contesting the catch, and the ball appeared to come loose. Officials still ruled it a touchdown, and after the extra point the Crusaders were back within one score at 21-14 entering the fourth.
The momentum kept swinging early in the final period. Newman stopped Carrollwood Day on fourth down and took over near midfield with 10:34 left, but that chance to pull even disappeared fast. The Patriots forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with 8:41 remaining.
Battle then finished the job. He broke free for a touchdown run of more than 50 yards with 7:01 left, pushing Carrollwood Day back ahead by two scores at 28-14 and putting the game out of reach.
Newman still had one more shot, and Martinez helped move the chains with his legs on the next drive. But the Crusaders could not turn that possession into points.
Alfonso Brown then intercepted a pass near the goal line and returned it the length of the field for what looked like a touchdown, but the return score was wiped out. The interception counted, and Carrollwood Day kept possession with 5:31 to go.
From there, the Patriots just had to finish it off. They did that by keeping the ball moving enough to burn clock, and Cort Collett picked up another first down with two minutes left to help seal the win.
The result matters beyond one night in the regular-season finale. Cardinal Newman entered the week inside the projected eight-team Open Division field, while Carrollwood Day was trying to force its way in. Friday’s road win gives the Patriots a victory over one of the teams they were chasing and leaves Newman in danger of slipping out.
It is not a direct swap by default. The Open Division will go to the eight highest-ranked eligible teams from Classes 1A-6A based on the final regular-season FHSAA playoff rankings, so other results and the updated ratings will decide exactly where both teams land. Still, Carrollwood Day strengthened its case with an unbeaten finish against a projected qualifier, while Newman’s spot is now in doubt.
If Carrollwood Day gets in, it would move out of the Class 1A championship bracket. If Newman falls outside the top eight, it could slide back into the Class 2A field.
Carrollwood Day will wait for the FHSAA’s playoff bracket reveal on Friday, Nov. 6, at 5 p.m. Cardinal Newman, now 6-3, is scheduled to host West Broward on Monday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m.
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