Reporter: Diego Falero
The Cardinals are up to a 2-1 record, matching last season’s team record, in just 3 games. The team has been playing far better than what they were expected to. The team shows versatility and the ability to dominate the game offensively, with a good balance of a run game, a passing game, and a QB who can run, pass well, and find something out of nothing in his plays. The team’s offense is soaring and looks better and smoother each game. Besides the first game, where they only scored 15 points, the next 2 games saw the team score 30-plus points.
The engine of the offense is Johnye Booker, a player who transferred from playing majority wide receiver last season to quarterback this season. For the eye test, Booker looks phenomenal, showing poise, leadership, and control over his team, in a year when Hayes was looking to bounce back after finishing at the bottom of the division with a very shaky offense. Last year, the Cardinals only had one game where they scored 30 or more points, and that was against Mt. St. Michael Academy, which felt like a win that was given to the Cardinals for charity. Now, with Booker in charge of the offense, the team has already scored 30 or more points in 2 straight games, where they needed all they could get to win.
Booker is leading the team without needing to play hero ball, throwing the ball in the air and hoping his teammates catch it, or forcing himself to run. He is leading a balanced attack where he feeds the ball to everyone, using his running backs like #28 Kymoni Valentine, who looks like a man amongst boys, and his receivers well too, like #6 Maison Martin. Leading a very balanced attack is very important for this team, since you must guard all options. The play-action pass is great, and the run game in that last win against Kellenberg Memorial stood out for me.
With Booker leading the team, I see the Cardinals leading the division and potentially heading to a deep run later in the season. Of course, there have been 3 non-league games so far, but teams need to build great habits as early as possible so they can set the tone for the rest of the season. I am excited to keep seeing how Booker can keep leading the offense now that the season is heating up, and hopefully he gets rewarded for it, because he looks special.
