2023 season preview: Scheduling ban can't stop 'blessings' for Cardinal Newman football

WEST PALM BEACH — An approaching regular-season opener on Friday marks the start of a clean slate for Cardinal Newman football.

In March, Crusaders coach Jack Daniels sat behind a desk in the Newman weight room with a phone wedged between his neck and ear, shuffling through stacks upon stacks of papers. From top to bottom, each sheet was stuffed with the contact information for coaches from Palm Beach County to Pensacola.

"I've probably spent more time making phone calls around the state of Florida since I've done anything since Christmas break," Daniels said.

Over 20 years of coaching, two state championships, and countless connections, Daniels found himself struggling to complete a fall schedule. Now, Week 1 has arrived, and an open slot remains.

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"I've reached out to almost every school in the state. It's been like, 'No, we're not ready to play at that level,' or 'No, we're full.' I've heard everything," Daniels said.

"A lot of people say stuff to your face and when it's time to make a decision they don't call back or have an excuse. We were going to have it full if Palm Beach Central switched a game."

Daniels knew scheduling would be a battle when he was made aware that athletic departments and teams in the Palm Beach County School District were making plans to ax not just football but all Newman sports programs from competition.

The Post acquired an email on Jan. 12 from an athletic director at a district school sent to other coaches in the district. The correspondence reads: "Coaches — I would like us to join the other public schools in removing Cardinal Newman from our schedules this year due to their mass recruiting and poaching efforts of our public school students, which includes some of our own."

"We've had to rely on transfers because the numbers are so low here, but the way I want to do it is the way we just got this freshman class in. That's the way we need to build it," Daniels said.

"It hurts our kids because now, as an athletic department, we have to start looking at what we need to do to help all of our programs," Newman athletic director Reilly Campbell said. "We want our coaches to build programs people want to play for, and we want our kids to have opportunities that every other kid has. Now, unfortunately, we're about to tell our kids you have to sit on a bus for two hours instead of playing with the friends you grew up with 20 minutes down the street."

On Jan. 17, the district released a statement: "The District has not instructed any of its public high schools to withhold from scheduling any FHSAA member schools. Schools do have the individual ability to determine which opponents are the best fit for their program each year. School-based Athletic Directors for the District may bring their concerns to the District's Director of Athletics, Valerie Miyares, who will then share information for further discussion with the FHSAA as needed."

"We've reached out to the FHSAA, no comment. I've reached out to Valerie multiple times. I can't even get an email back," Campbell said in March.

In the months that followed, only three Palm Beach County public schools made the schedule for Newman football. Regular-season meetings against Atlantic in Week 5 and Palm Beach Central in Week 11 weren't finalized until late July. A Park Vista squad that went 2-8 last fall signed up for a Kickoff Classic at Sam Budnyk Field and nearly held Newman to a scoreless first half, although the Crusaders ultimately won 41-0.

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Clashing egos disrupt chemistry early

Before Newman's unsightly six-score performance last Friday, Daniels had a feeling that growing pains were going to rear their heads. Not the physical kind, either.

Fall camp, continuing into this week of practices, has been a "work in progress" for Newman, as staff struggles to deal with the "prima-donna" attitudes that come with a roster of "really highly rated players." Daniels cited poor conditioning but otherwise was pleased with his defense's pick-filled showing for a shutout. But the staff's postgame review of the offense was "horrible, horrible, horrible."

"It's just controlling the egos," Daniels said. "That wears you out."

Exhausted Newman junior Jaylin Brown vouched after hauling in two touchdowns for the Crusaders against Park Vista.

"In practice, we've got a lot of skill players coming in. We're trying to get used to a lot of things," Brown said. "We need to get the big head off our shoulders. We need to be humble. We need to actually communicate in practice and stop yelling at each other, and that's how we're supposed to do it."

Brown is one of Newman's nine returning starters, fully taking the reins after splitting carries with running back Henry Bennett last fall. Bennett graduated and is now at Kentucky.

"I feel like I'm more of a leader now. I feel like I've got to step up and be vocal with my line and take more responsibilities," Brown said.

New faces on Newman sidelines

After graduating 21 seniors from last fall's team, Daniels continues the hunt for a leader from options like Brown, second-year starting quarterback Luke Warnock, and more. For now, it looks like former star wideout Chris Presto is remotely serving as a team captain of sorts from his new football home at Southern Illinois University.

"He was a great leader last year and texts us in the group chat with inspirational quotes when we're down or just getting at each other. He gets us right," Brown said of Presto.

Benjamin transfer and four-star Florida State commit Ricky Knight III is another Crusader looking to step up for his team, but he knows, as a newcomer, he has a ways to go.

"I got some more work to do before I could truly call myself a leader. I feel like I'm trying to get into that room more," Knight said. For now, Knight's focus is on disproving the naysayers suggesting he'll be a bust once pads are on.

"A lot of people don't know that last year was my first year playing corner, so they think they know it all. Now I'm actually getting into the position a lot more, I feel like I can show that I'm elite to everybody and shut everybody up," Knight said. "For the most part, it's real new to me, like the defense. The offense is really new to everybody because we got a new offensive coordinator."

Enter another new face for the Crusaders this season: UMass turned Cardinal Newman offensive coordinator Ryan Partridge.

Daniels' offensive and defensive coordinator — his cousin and one of his best friends — have stood by his side for over two decades, since the Dwyer days. The two announced plans to move with family and Daniels went on a search for new hires, coming across the perfect opportunity for a new OC when Partridge stopped by Newman in the offseason to recruit the Crusaders.

"He was telling me he wanted to get out of college football. He didn't like the recruiting or how much time he didn't get with his kids, and I said, 'We can make this work,'" Daniels recalled, "excited" to see how Partridge approaches game plans. "It's been a blessing that came out of nowhere."

Offense high on Hughley

As the Newman offense searched for its new ebb and flow in last week's Kickoff Classic, Friday's "blessing that came out of nowhere" proved to be sophomore backup quarterback Jyron Hughley.

Warnock alternated in and out of the game against the Cobras as he struggled through sickness last week. The Palm Beach Post Offensive Player of the Year and Super 11 member still managed to throw a touchdown to junior Naeshaun Montgomery.

That left a potentially career-changing opportunity for Hughley to gain the respect of his teammates.

"When I heard my number get called I was like, 'It's go time. It's time to show the world who Jyron Hughley is,' " the Glades Day transfer said. Hughley was ready, saying, "People don't know me that well." College offers from 10 Division I programs and counting, including Central Florida, Marshall, Minnesota, Penn State and West Virginia, suggest the contrary.

"My second half was all gas, no brakes. I was ready to run the scoreboard up and give my other guys some shine," Hughley said.

Two touchdowns — highlighted by an athletic 40-yard carry — for Hughley were enough to make Brown give the youngster his flowers.

"Luke is a great quarterback. We put all our trust in him. He said he could play through it, but when he fell, Jyron picked it up very well," Brown said. "Jyron is a great leader. He's young, but he's a very big impact on our team now because we've got a quarterback that can sling, we've got a quarterback that can run, we've got a quarterback that can do everything really."

"He's going to be a top recruit in the country," Daniels said of Hughley. "He's a freak."

Who made the schedule in 2023

All games scheduled for 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

8/25 vs. Monsignor Pace

8/31 at Belen Jesuit

9/08

9/15 vs. Catholic Memorial (West Roxbury, Mass.)

9/22 vs. Atlantic

9/29 vs. Northwestern

10/6 at Clewiston, 7:30 p.m.

10/13 at St. John Paul II, 6:30 p.m.

10/20 vs. Benjamin

10/27

11/3 at Palm Beach Central, 6:30 p.m.

Emilee Smarr is the high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Scheduling ban can't stop 'blessings' for Newman football in 2023