WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — After claiming their first state title last season, the Cardinal Newman Crusaders football team is chasing that same feeling.
"It'll mean a lot," rising senior Janarro Sumpter said. "You know, we got a different group, a couple of people coming in from different schools, and I feel like we've got the team to do it. You know, we got the players and the people, the support, all that to go back to back."
WATCH BELOW: Cardinal Newman eyes back-to-back state titles
For head coach Jack Daniels, he knows he will have to reload and rebuild, but feels he's got a great group of players for the repeat.
"We have good players that have big-time experience, and they know what it's like to be battle tested," Daniels said. "We do have a bunch of returning starters, so we're ready to roll and ready to go."
As the season nears, these players know there will be lots of teams looking to knock them off the mountain top. But the players say they're ready.
"We definitely have a target on our back," said rising senior Colt Hauser. "We're gonna make sure we shoot first basically, so they can't shoot us, so that's gonna happen."
Daniels and the Crusaders are hoping they can make their way back to Miami for a chance to go back-to-back, but it’s a long road and it all starts right here in the spring as the summer is just around the corner.
