FHSAA Football Class 1S State Championship Preview: Cardinal Mooney vs. Trinity Catholic

Cardinal Mooney (11-2) vs Trinity Catholic (6-7); Insight on the 1S championship game and staff picks

It seems unprecedented that a team could be waltzing into the state championship game below the .500 mark. 

Meet the Trinity Catholic Celtics of Ocala. 

The Celtics will play on Friday morning bright and early at 10 a.m. against Cardinal Mooney for the Class 1S state championship. Thing is, Trinity Catholic will have a record of 6-7 heading into the title game. 

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Now we know what you're thinking. How the heck can that be?

Welp, let's do a quick dive into Trinity Catholic's losses during the regular season. 

Sep. 1: Clearwater Central Catholic, 35-10 loss (CCC is in 1M state title game)

Sep. 15: Carrollwood Day, 28-21 loss (Carrollwood Day was a region finalist in 1M)

Sep. 22: Raines, 27-26 loss (Raines was a region semifinalist in 2M)

Sep. 29: FSU High, 31-28 loss (FSU High was a region finalist in 2S)

Oct. 6: Clearwater Calvary Christian, 31-3 loss (Calvary Christian was a region finalist in 2M)

Oct. 20: St. Xavier (Ohio), 21-8 loss (St. Xavier is perennially one of the best teams in Ohio)

Nov. 3: Buchholz, 42-20 loss (Buchholz was a state semifinalist in 4S)

So you get the picture, the Celtics' schedule was pretty tough. Trinity Catholic head coach John Brantley designed it that way in order for his team to be well prepared for a deep run in the Class 1S playoffs en route to making a state title run. 

Looking to bounce back from last year's 21-3 state championship loss to First Baptist Academy, a team the Celtics beat in the state semifinals, it's safe to say so far, the tough scheduling tactic has paid off. 

Trinity Catholic junior quarterback Preston Wright has been a difference maker all throughout the playoffs after leading the team last season into the 1S state championship. Wright has completed 131-of-230 passes for 1,883 yards and 19 touchdowns. 

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No running back has more than 700 yards rushing as the Celtics go by a committee of runners. Brantley has four capable tailbacks lining up next to Wright in Austin Holder, (407 yards, six touchdowns), Jamarkus Starkes (324 yards, six touchdowns), Antwon Blanchard (288 yards) and James Pullings (244 yards). 

What most people remember after playing Trinity Catholic is the Celtics' play on the defensive side of the ball. Leading the way in the front seven is junior defensive lineman Zach Johnson (25 tackles for loss) and sophomore Amani Armstrong (13 tackles for loss, 14 sacks). 

The secondary has plenty of talent to challenge Cardinal Mooney's passing attack, with Jeremiah Rhem (52 tackles), Courtney Patterson (three interceptions) and Javier Alverio (21 tackles, three interceptions) all anchoring a talented back end. 

Flipping over to the Cardinal Mooney side of the spectrum and it's been an underrated offense. The Cougars employ a quarterback platoon system, with Michael Valentino (792 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Devin Mignery (1,164 yards, 11 touchdowns) taking turns operating the offense. 

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Mignery has shown dual-threat abilities at quarterback, rushing for 896 yards and 10 touchdowns. Next to whomever is at quarterback is the always dangerous Carson Beach at running back, with the senior back rushing for 1,549 yards and scoring a team-high 26 touchdowns. 

The top two receiving threats are Florida commitment Teddy Foster (21 catches, 328 yards) and Zymarion Lang (36 catches, 558 yards), who transferred in from Palmetto during the off-season. 

Taking a look at the defense and there's plenty to like about the unit. The tone setter in the front seven is senior middle linebacker George Leibold, who has tallied 103 tackles, 19 for loss and five sacks. He is joined by fellow front seven members Jacob Brown (80 tackles, 12 for a loss) and Bryce Fulda (40 tackles, 10 for a loss). 

In the secondary, it's not Foster (44 tackles) who leads the team in interceptions since not many want to throw his way. It's fellow defensive back Chris McCorkle, who has intercepted seven passes this fall. 

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SBLive Sports Florida staff picks

Andy Villamarzo: Cardinal Mooney, 28-21

Gary Adornato: Trinity Catholic, 21-14 

Joe Frisaro: Trinity Catholic, 31-29

Adam Fisher: Trinity Catholic, 33-27

Reed Green: Trinity Catholic, 42-38 

Alejandro Tamayo: Trinity Catholic, 45-42 

Jeff Gardenour: Cardinal Mooney 49, Trinity Catholic 14 

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FHSAA 2023 CHAMPIONSHIPS BRACKETS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 4M STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 4S STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 3M STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 3S STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 2M STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 2S STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 1M STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 1S STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 1R STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

(Photo courtesy of Billy D. Photography)

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl