Cardinal Mooney’s shot at a perfect regular season ends with a lopsided loss
Cardinal Mooney High’s perfect season is over.
The Cougars lost 55-20 to Clearwater Central Catholic on Friday night, ending their chance at their first perfect regular season since 2006.
They played perhaps their worst all-around game of the year, scoring a season low in points and allowing the Marauders 387 yards.
“We knew going in we had to play a clean game,” said Cougars interim head coach Chris Conboy, who was filling in for head coach Paul Maechtle, who was out of state attending a wedding. “That’s the best team we’ve played by far.
“We made some mistakes in other games, but we had the talent to overcome it compared to our opponent. When you’re playing a team this good, you can’t overcome those mistakes. They don’t let you.”
The loss may deal the Cougars (8-1) —who have lost nine consecutive games against the highly regarded Marauders (10-0) — a double blow. The Cougars entered the game as the second-ranked team in the Class 3A-Region 3 playoffs, a spot that guarantees a first-round bye, but the loss could drop them in the rankings, meaning they’d lose a valuable week of rest.
The Cougars struggled on offense without starting quarterback Ryan Bolduc, who is out for the season after undergoing right knee surgery. Cougars quarterback Geno Giardina, who has filled in well despite a knee injury of his own, completed 14 of 27 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns but also had three interceptions returned for scores.
The Cougars also only rushed for 32 yards on 28 carries.
“(The running game) wasn’t good enough,” Conboy said. “We popped a couple of plays, but (CCC is) tough. They were playing pretty aggressive. They had the athleticism. When they intercept the ball, no matter where they were on the field, they took it back for a touchdown, all three of them. It’s not good.”
The Cougars close the regular season with a 7:30 p.m. home game next Friday against Booker, which has beaten the Cougars in two consecutive games. Conboy believes the Cougars will rebound after their dispiriting loss.
“Teams do it every week,” he said. “The (New Orleans) Saints lost the opening week to the (Tampa Bay) Bucs. They come back, and they’re one of the best teams in football. It’s a whole new week, it’s a different team, it’s different schemes. Just come out Monday and practice.
“I’ve found over the years the kids are a little more resilient than the coaches. They’re 17, and they don’t like it now. It hurts, but they’ll forget about it by Sunday hopefully and we’ll come back Monday and have a fresh start.”