No trick, just treat: Buchholz puts up defensive masterclass in Halloween upset of Cardinal Newman

GAINESVILLE – Buchholz knew what to expect on fourth down.

Cardinal Newman QB Jyron Hughley relied on the same formula all night, scramble and hope his speed causes fits for the Bobcat defense.

With the game on the line, Hughley scrambled out of the pocket.

He forgot about Nic Clayton.

The Wisconsin commit lived up to the adage of “big time players make big time plays” with the fourth down sack inside the Crusader red zone that won it for Buchholz.

The ‘Cats sent a frightened Cardinal Newman squad back to West Palm Beach with a 14-7 Halloween night win at Citizens Field.

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“To cap off the regular season with a win like this, it’s special especially for the seniors,” Coach Mark Whittemore said. “It gives us some nice momentum heading into the postseason.”

The win is a marquee one for the season. The Crusaders ranked No. 4 in Florida in the latest FHSAA rankings.

The surprise of this game occurred on defense. The Bobcat defense, usually the engine that drives the team, struggled in recent weeks.

A shutout first half quickly proved Buchholz had an October surprise in them.

With the showing defensively, you’d expect BHS to operate in the perfect gear given the combined 153 points it scored in the last three games.

The first two drives? That was the case.

Buchholz drove 76 yards in five plays, capped off 58 yards rushing from Justin Williams.

Saying Williams, a receiver by nature, has adjusted well to the backfield is like saying the candy industry relies on Halloween.

It is a massive understatement.

Williams scored seven touchdowns vs Tocoi Creek on October 14, and then ran for almost 300 yards last week vs. Bartram Trail.

“I don’t know what category you’d put him in as an athlete, but he’s got a body that’s very durable,” Whittemore said.

He was on his way to a second touchdown the next drive, but miscommunication between QB Trace Johnson and Jasiah Powell put the ball on the ground.

That began a slump for the Bobcat offense it failed to get out of.

Buchholz missed a field goal on its next drive.

Whittemore isn’t too worried about the offensive struggles.

“When you are playing a top 20 opponent, it’s tough,” Whittemore said.

The offense passed the test in the second half with a five-minute, 80-yard touchdown drive, concluding with Williams’ second touchdown of the game.

Defensively, the speed of Hughley and Louisville commit Jaylin Brown began to catch up with the Crusaders, which scored their first touchdown midway through the third.

When it mattered most, Cardinal Newman went punt and that turnover on downs in the fourth quarter.

Whittemore called the defensive game plan in the front seven “impeccable.”

“We did a great job of negating what we did not negate last week,” Whittemore said. “We played pretty flawless up front, which allowed us to be handy at linebacker and make some the plays that we didn’t make last week.”

The Bobcats now rest up next week and await their playoff fate. At the last FHSAA rankings, BHS placed No. 3 in 6A-Region 1, 15 spots behind No. 2 Pace.

Buchholz hopes this win, combined with Pace facing 0-9 Milton, is enough to pass the Patriots.

If not, the ‘Cats are ready to embrace the road warrior mantra.

“We’ve been to Georgia, we’ve been to Vero Beach, so these kids are used to that,” Whittemore said.

Justin Williams summed up the team’s sentiment.

“I like going to other people’s places, and we’re going to beat any team we face,” Williams said.

Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: FHSAA Florida High School Football: Buchholz football beats Cardinal Newman