VERO BEACH – For someone who didn’t join the Vero Beach High football team until late in the summer, Jayden Lockhart certainly made a great first impression.
A transfer from West Boca Raton High, Lockhart scored the first two touchdowns of the game, sparking Vero Beach to a 28-7 victory over Cardinal Newman in the FHSAA Preseason Classic on Friday evening Aug. 14 at Billy Livings Field at the Citrus Bowl.
“It felt great, a blessing,” Lockhart said.
Vero Beach won the coin toss and elected to take the ball. It drove 80 yards in nine plays with Lockhart going over from 3 yards out.
After Kaden Huggins recovered a fumble on Cardinal Newman’s first play, Lockhart carried 18 yards to paydirt on the third play of Vero Beach’s second drive.
“I got here about three weeks ago and jelled with the team perfectly,” Lockhart said.
Despite not being at Vero Beach, Lockhart worked hard during the offseason for a big workload. Friday he carried 17 times for 99 yards.
“I think we can win a state championship,” said Lockhart after Vero Beach finished runner-up in Class 7A a year ago. “I think I can get a thousand yards, but a state championship is the most important thing.”
“A, it speaks for his character. He’s a great kid,” Vero Beach coach Lenny Jankowski said. “Obviously, getting to know him, he’s fit in well. In the world of social media, you go to a team where you don’t know anybody, but you kinda do know everybody. One thing we found out is he has a lot in common with a lot of our players.”
Cardinal Newman takeaways
1. Coming off a Class 1A state title, the Crusaders (12-3 last year) got on the board after falling behind 14-0. Junior quarterback Pedro Martinez hooked up with senior wide receiver Logan Stepp for a 16-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. But that was the only impression Cardinal Newman made on the scoreboard. Martinez went 6-for-7 for 88 yards in the first half before finishing 13-for-23 for 158 yards. “Not a damn thing,” Crusaders coach Jack Daniels said when asked what he liked. “We got our ass kicked. We ran around blocks. We were not physical. We missed tackles.”
2. Cardinal Newman lost offensive lineman Colt Hauser, the son of “Yellowstone” star Cole Hauser, with an injury early in the contest. When asked what the Crusaders need to work on, Daniels said, “Tackling, getting tough, playing as a team. So many things. This is exactly what our guys needed. Starting Monday everybody showing up on time, dressed the way they are supposed to be dressed, on the field on time. We’ve got to clean a lot of things up. We’ve got to have physical practices. We’re not playing as a team right now. That’s it.”
3. Cardinal Newman welcomes Community School of Naples on Aug. 21 to open the regular season. On Aug. 28, the Crusaders travel across the state to play defending Class 2A State Champion Cardinal Mooney Catholic High.
Vero Beach takeaways
1. Quarterback Wonderful “Champ” Monds IV hit his first five passes and was 11-for-17 for 172 yards in the first half. He had an interception in the end zone that halted a drive late in the second quarter. Monds finished 13-for-25 for 213 yards. He also ran twice for 11 yards and was sacked twice. Monds had a 21-yard touchdown called back because of a holding call in the third quarter and ran into the fence on the visiting sideline after attempting a pass. “Champ is Champ,” Jankowski said. “He’s going to want to use this game to get better. He’s going to want this play back or that play back. But if you look at what he does and how he leads and how he carries himself and the plays he makes in the critical downs and distance, he’s special.”
2. Vero Beach’s defense limited Cardinal Newman to 116 total yards in the first half and 169 for the game. Tristan Davis, Alan Carter and Deion Jackson recorded sacks. Jamarion Hillsman, Dontallis Render, Carter and Jake Tell had tackles for a loss. “I liked effort more than anything,” Jankowski said. “Against a great players and a well-coached team with speed, we gave great effort. We got some breaks with a turnover on the second possession. We’ve got some things to clean up for sure. But we had a lot of opportunities for guys to play. The thing about this game, win, lose or draw, it doesn’t mean a whole lot. We have to improve and keep working and hopefully use this for next week.”
3. Vero Beach, which finished 14-1 last season, will open the regular season Aug. 21 with the first of three straight home games against Jensen Beach High. Delray Beach Atlantic will be the opponent on Aug. 28 followed by national ranked St. Frances Academy of Baltimore on Sept. 4.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Jayden Lockhart sparks Vero Beach vs. Cardinal Newman in preseason