MIAMI — Jyron Hughley didn’t want to leave the field at Pitbull Stadium on the campus of FIU.
Even after playing every snap in the game on offense, defense and special teams, he gleefully walked around, soaking it all in. And why not?
The West Virginia-bound senior quarterback was instrumental in Cardinal Newman stunning four-time defending state champion and nation’s No. 21-ranked team Chaminade-Madonna 17-14 on Thursday afternoon for the 1A state championship, the first football title in school history.
“I wanted to do this,” said Hughley, who started as a quarterback at Glades Day as an eighth grader before transferring to Cardinal Newman. “I wanted to take my talent to the next level, and everybody believe in me. I had the support of everyone.”
Hughley was 5 for 10 for 69 yards and one TD, a 35-yarder to Ethan Holland, and carried a game-high 20 times for 133 yards, including a 69-yard jaunt down the sideline for the first touchdown of the afternoon to give the Crusaders (12-3) a 7-0 lead. He also had four tackles at safety and added three punts for good measure.
“It felt great not leaving the field,” said Hughley, who was on Cardinal Newman two years ago when Chaminade-Madonna knocked Cardinal Newman out in the state semifinals 40-0. “I did whatever my team needed for me to help them win and dominated. This was the first game I played every single play and I was happy. I wanted to get them back. We won a state title, and it is a dream come true.”
After Hughley’s scoring run, Derrek Cooper, who scored both Chaminade-Madonna TDs on 1-yard runs, made it 7-7 with 8:25 left to cap a 66-yard drive.
Cardinal Newman then took the lead for good with 2:03 left in the third on the Hughley scoring pass. The Crusaders extended the lead to 17-7 on a 37-yard field goal Nathaniel Parks midway through the fourth.
Chaminade-Madonna (11-3) cut it to 17-14 on Cooper’s second TD with 1:08 remaining, and they tried an onside kick that was recovered by Knox Fletcher, and the Crusaders ran out the clock.
Auburn-bound Adam Balogoun-Ali said Chaminade-Madonna wasn’t the same team they were in 2023 when they ran the table at 14-0.
“I told people it was just a jersey,” Balogoun-Ali said. “Jyron has been leading the way the whole season and the coaches had a great game plan of putting the linebackers on the edge and we were bluffing whether we were going and that messed them up.”
Chaminade-Madonna coach Dameon Jones, who has taken the Lions to a state-record 10 consecutive state finals appearances, said he never lost hope even as Cardinal Newman had the ball with three minutes to go. The Lions missed one field goal wide and had another blocked by Kahlil Gabaud. They also had two fumbles.
“I never think like that, until the clock hits zero,” Jones said. “We never quit and I am proud of them. They fought all the way to the end. We just waited too late to get started. You start over in January to get ready for next year. Our seniors gave it all they had and somebody has to win, and somebody has to lose.”
Chaminade-Madonna’s Jasen Lopez, who was held to three catches for 41 yards, said the offense couldn’t get going.
“When you go two quarters without scoring, it’s hard to win a football game,” the FSU signee said. “We had a little spark at the end. I have to give props to our defense for keeping us in the game, but there was only so much they could do.
“This is super tough,” Lopez added. “We aren’t used to losing. We are used to coming out and beating a team by 35. “That’s the outcome, and it is what it is.”
Jack Daniels becomes the second coach from Palm Beach County to win three state championships. He also won in 2009 and 2013 while he was at Dwyer. Willie Bueno was the first, winning with Glades Central (2000) and then at American Heritage-Delray in 2007 and 2009.
“This is incredible,” Daniels said. “The kids are resilient and we run the ball well with Jyron (Hughley) and Phoenix (Donghia). We play good defense and our O-line does a great job. We have a lot of young kids on this team, so we are excited for the future too. This is something they are going to remember the rest of their lives.”
Daniels said the goal was to take away the Lions’ running game and they succeeded except for a 54-yard run by Lee Prince Jr. which set up the first score.
“We wanted to make them one-dimensional and we did,” Daniels said. “They have a couple of good backs and the O-line is pretty physical. They gashed us a couple of times, but we wanted them to throw the ball.”
Donghia had turf toe and was questionable to play, but Daniels said “he grinded it out and got the tough yards when they needed them.” He finished with 46 yards on 15 carries.
