Cardinal Newman Locks Down Second Straight District Title

Bigtime players step up in big moments. With the stakes higher than normal, there is no greater story in sports than when a player delivers a heartfelt performance for the ages.

On Thursday night, Cardinal Newman senior Max Gonzalez cemented his legacy with a dominant pitching performance that earned his team the District 2A-13 championship. Gonzalez went the full seven innings on the mound, striking out 12 batters and allowing just two hits for a 5-1 victory over The King’s Academy Lions.

The Crusaders (23-3-1) earned their eighth district trophy, and their second straight. The team also won the crown in the 2022 season.

“Max Gonzalez was outstanding tonight. He stepped up in a big moment and delivered exactly what we needed,” Crusaders Manager Joe Russo said. “We’re very proud to come out on top in such a competitive district. It’s always tough this time of year, and we feel very fortunate to get the win tonight.”

Three runs in the bottom of the third made up the difference to put Newman in control. Gianluca Luciano drove in Gabriel Acevedo with an RBI single that got the scoring started, and James Elliott followed with an RBI double that plated Carl Calixte, and Luciano scored thanks to an RBI single from Malachi Rivas.

Calixte drove in Finn Duran in the fourth, and Elliott scored on an error in the fifth to supply some extra insurance.

“Credit to Kings Academy, they played a great game and pushed us all the way,” Russo said. “We’re excited to move on to regionals, and we know that Region 4 is going to be a battle every single round. We will take it one week at a time and give it everything we’ve got.”

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