Cardinal Hayes High School of South Bronx secured a historic victory, clinching their first New York State Catholic High School Football Championship.
On Saturday, December 2nd, the Cardinals triumphed over St. Francis High School with a score of 40-22, marking a significant accomplishment as the first inner-city school to clinch the AAA division state championship, a highly regarded accolade in Northeast high school sports.
This achievement is particularly noteworthy as the team faced considerable challenges, including a neglected home field and limited resources.
Cardinal Hayes Coach C.J. O’Neill stated, “We teach resilience here – that’s our biggest thing. Obviously, the tougher the road, the greater the achievement. We just kept moving forward and chopping away, and I’m so proud of these kids,”
The coach added, “The vast majority of our kids are from single-parent homes. We’re just looking to break the poverty cycle and help kids get opportunities, get to college, and advance their families.”
The Cardinals faced the disadvantage of not having a home field as their usual venue, Macombs Dam Park’s football field, was in disrepair due to the city’s failure to maintain it.
Consequently, the Cardinal football team played most of their “home” games at Columbia University and other locations.
The team’s journey to victory was laden with many other challenges. In addition to their home field being in disrepair, their regular practice field was riddled with divots and tears, making it unsafe. The park’s lighting system was also partially out of order. The school repeatedly requested the city Parks Department to replace the turf at Macombs. However, their requests were not met.
Coach O’Neill said, “It’s been devastating for our kids. We don’t have a fancy stadium like a lot of the other schools we play, but playing across the street from Yankee Stadium was a great source of pride for them.”
The Cardinals rebounded from a 2-8 record last season, showcasing a remarkable turnaround.
Cardinal Football Team Captain Roy Boyd Jr. remarked, “You can’t take what other people have and make excuses for yourself. I think you just gotta put your head down and work, and that’s what we’ve been doing, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
Cardinal Hayes faced additional hurdles, such as a fire in the coach’s office that destroyed some of their valuable equipment and a broken-down weight room forcing students to exercise in the school parking lot.
LittleAfrica News is proud of the hardworking students at Cardinal Hayes and congratulates them on this achievement.
