Top-billed battle of undefeated Atlantic and Cardinal Newman stained by 'embarrassing' brawl

WEST PALM BEACH — A rare public-vs-private battle between Atlantic and Cardinal Newman was the game Palm Beach County had been waiting for since the 2023 football season began.

The long-awaited duel, won by the Crusaders 13-7 in overtime, saw Newman (4-0) leave with its perfect regular-season record while Atlantic (4-1) fell short, taking its first loss in a game that included a third-quarter brawl.

Atlantic coach Jamelle Murray looked at his players in the end zone where the Crusaders denied his team in overtime: "You guys have got to ... finish."

However, disappointment on the faces of Atlantic players suggested some might have questioned several eyebrow-raising decisions made by the coaches. Those included not using senior Jayden Parrish, a Florida State commit, to run for a stagnant offense; placing a viable and needed sophomore receiver at quarterback in place of its three-year starter for an entire quarter; and not taking opportunities for field goals when they came up — namely on fourth-and-goal during Atlantic's first OT possession after Newman put pressure up front and forced two fumbled snaps.

Despite walking away untainted, Newman coach Jack Daniels called the meeting "embarrassing."

"We've got a lot of kids with heart and we've got a lot of kids that play selfish. We need to get the kids with the heart on the football field," Daniels said.

MVPs Ta'Narie Locust and Jaylin Brown spell victory for Crusaders

The passion in Newman running back Jaylin Brown couldn't be denied as the junior carried in the first game-winning touchdown of his career. That was a far prettier sight than how the Crusaders started.

"My line did their thing. Xanai Scott did his thing and I scored — I was surprised myself," Brown said.

A near-fumbled snap marked Newman's first play of the game. Before the end of the first quarter, senior QB1 Luke Warnock was off to the ER with a dislocated shoulder, signaling a long night ahead.

With the Newman offense in the hands of sophomore Jyron Hughley, the two teams remained scoreless until the third quarter, when Ta'Narie Locust grabbed an interception on a screen pass and took it 18 yards to the house to put the Crusaders on the board.

"I just love being around the kid. He's never negative. He does his job. He's just a phenomenal kid and somebody's going to get a steal," Daniels said. When asked what it was like to watch Locust score first, a visibly disgruntled Daniels' face softened into a wide smile.

"I asked him in class today, 'What are you going to get?' He goes, 'I need four sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown,' " Daniels said. "Thank God he got it."

"I'm very proud of myself for living up to the expectations I set for myself," Locust said, calling the touchdown feeling "unbelievable."

Soon after Newman's first scoring drive, a pick by Crusader senior Kevin Levy, a Rutgers commit, gave his crew possession once again. Yet, Atlantic freshman Jamir Johnson recovered a fumble just a couple of plays later, seeing the high-tension environment result in an on-field brawl.

Fueled by adversity after the teams were pulled off each other and guided back to the sidelines, junior quarterback Lincoln Graf swung out left on third-and-goal for a 3-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 7 with 4:12 left in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Crusaders found themselves with a handful of scoring opportunities to end the game in regulation. They failed to capitalize with a lost fumble at the Eagles' 36 and a penalty knocking the Class 1M region finalists out of field goal range.

Newman misfires, hard to come by, and the stout Atlantic defense gave the Eagles more than one chance to take the win in the fourth quarter.

Graf converted on fourth-and-1 at the Crusaders' 46 and made a run on third down to the Crusaders' 31 for another conversion. But Atlantic chains would halt at the hands of Newman's Devon Byrd after the senior transfer sacked his former teammate, Graf, to force the Eagles to punt.

Who's out for Newman next week?

Atlantic was a measuring stick to gauge how Newman could show up and show out for its Week 6 meeting versus Miami-Northwestern.

As athletic as he is on the run, the 6-foot-3 Hughley is going to have to step up in the passing game if Newman expects to win this week. Transferring from Glades Day in the offseason, he is the fastest player on the roster, which could be a lethal combination should Hughley prove to be the dual threat he's hyped to be.

"He's a 4.4 kid that can really throw the ball. He didn't have a good night throwing tonight, but we're excited for him," Daniels said.

If not, Warnock's arm will be missed again. However, as he recovers from the dislocated shoulder that's nagged him before, the senior's presence on the sidelines and in practice will be crucial to coaching up a less-experienced Hughley.

Daniels said Warnock, who's already spent time this season calling plays for Newman's JV team, would "100 percent" be taking a bigger leadership role in crafting Hughley. Daniels anticipates his starter will be back on the field in "probably a month."

Ball until you brawl

Warnock may not be the only Crusader out as Newman looks to stay undefeated. Senior Ricky Knight III, a Florida State commit, was ejected in the third quarter following the brawl.

Sideline-to-sideline spats between Atlantic and Newman coaches encouraged the players to follow.

"That was immature adults talking to each other. It wasn't the kids and that's not going to be on this staff and they're going to be looking for another job," Daniels said, not naming the soon-to-be unemployed staffer.

Overhearing heckles during the live play that would create Atlantic's lone scoring drive, Knight walked over to a wall of Eagles on the sideline that soon saw him vastly outnumbered. Newman players walked across to pull Knight away, only to start flopping to avoid penalties as the action escalated and shoving between both teams commenced.

“We don’t take this stuff lightly,” said Newman Athletic Director Reilly Campbell. “We want our guys to play with heart and passion, but in a way that represents what we believe in at Cardinal Newman High School.”

Personal foul penalties for both teams were offset, but Knight was the only player to be ejected. Injured amid the scuffle, Atlantic senior linebacker Karl Luccin also left the game.

Unless Newman files an appeal to the FHSAA, Knight will be out for at least one game, starting with Miami-Northwestern. Fortunately for the Crusader secondary, there's no shortage of Power Five talent — Hughley, Levy, Scott, Jermaine Council, Josh Philostin and Max Redmon.

Atlantic's unexpected star continues to shine

Parrish-versus-Brown was teased to be one of the state's top faceoffs in Week 5. However, a different, underrated star shined for the Eagles.

Senior edge Marlon Huff didn't get the nods for the game-changing, receiving touchdowns he was seen to be capable of against North Miami Beach. However, his presence was alive and well on defense, bringing down Brown from quarter to quarter.

Brown said Newman did "not really" expect Huff to come out and have the game he did, scheming heavily for Parrish.

"The way we practiced, our game plan was on him. We had to stop his run," Brown said of Parrish.

Huff, back for one last lap on varsity with hometown team Atlantic after spending time at Dillard, unofficially had three sacks and seven tackles. He'll take the field again when Atlantic returns from its upcoming bye week for an Oct. 6 meeting with Pahokee, which executed a 27-14 upset in the Muck last fall.

Emilee Smarr is a 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: Newman's Ta'Narie Locust and Jaylin Brown shine to outlast Atlantic in overtime