Cardinal Newman gets ready to open up a new era of football under first-year head coach Jared Shaw.
Changes are underway for the Cardinal Newman Cardinals in 2025. Following a 2-9 record and a first round playoff exit last season, former head coach Cory Helms moved on to coach the Pelion Panthers.
Jared Shaw was brought in to lead Cardinal Newman.
“Spring practice was good,” Shaw said. “It was a chance for me to see how special Cardinal Newman is. We had rising eighth to 12th graders working together. Older guys were helping the younger guys. The younger guys weren’t afraid to go against the older guys in drills. The older guys knew how to take care of the younger guys through those periods and lead by example.”
While Shaw has only been with the Cardinals a few months, he’s already seen some players emerge. On offense, quarterback Liam Shuping has bought into Shaw’s program. Shaw said his signal caller loves to train and has become a more vocal leader.
Jash Gonzalez moved to running back after seeing the majority of his playing time in 2024 at outside linebacker. Gonzalez fits the mold of what Shaw is looking for in a running back. He’s picked up the offense quickly and has also become a vocal leader.
Wide receivers R.J. Hughes and Alan Rodriguez have the ability to stretch the field.
Up front, Cooper Stegall has impressed coaches this offseason by putting on some additional weight, standing at 6’-2,” 250 lbs. He will be joined by Daniel Simpson, who will play left tackle and defensive end, and Ken Clark, who will play right guard and nose tackle.
Shaw believes the skill players and the offensive line will be team strengths, along with the bond his team has formed.
He wants to see his team continue to work on its attention to detail as preseason practice continues.
The Cardinals’ new coach likes the flow of the schedule, though there are some changes from last year. Cannon and Dreher are no longer on the schedule. Cardinal Newman will begin the season hosting St. Joseph’s. After a week off, the Cardinals will travel to Christ School in North Carolina. Ben Lippen kicks off SCISA 4A play. The Cardinals then host Heathwood Hall and Augusta Christian. Trips to Northwood, Porter-Gaud, and Hammond close out the season, along with a visit from Laurence Manning.
“Our principal’s (Charles Assey) word for the year is pride,” Shaw said. “Our expectation is to play with pride. We don’t have a certain number of wins, but we have some things we want to accomplish each game to give ourselves a chance to win. The biggest thing is going to be pride. We want to do things like fly around to the ball no matter what the score is. Eliminating unsportsmanlike penalties is a big thing we want to fix this year. The way we present ourselves before and after games is a big thing. The way we talk to the referees. As a home group, the way we take care of our equipment shed, the locker room, and the weight room. We want to build those habits and take pride in our football program. The way we speak around the school about Cardinal Newman football, the way we talk around the community about Cardinal Newman football, it’s about showing pride in our football team.”
Loading Comments