Martinez, Barrera Fuel Cardinal Newman's 28-7 Win Over Former Team Atlantic

Former Atlantic standouts Pedro Martinez and Justin Barrera teamed up for two touchdowns as Cardinal Newman beat the Eagles 28-7 in Delray Beach.

Quarterback Pedro Martinez and receiver Justin Barrera returned to Delray Beach on Friday night and powered Cardinal Newman to a 28-7 victory over Atlantic, the program the two cousins left after last season. Playing at Hilltopper Stadium on Oct. 2, the Crusaders used a pair of touchdown connections between the former Eagles to take control of the Week 7 contest.

Their partnership goes back to childhood. Head coach Jack Daniels noted the two have shared a field for nearly their whole lives and know instinctively where each other will be and which openings will develop. The first payoff came in the second quarter, when Martinez hit Barrera in the end zone and began to swing the game decisively toward the visitors.

The cousins saved their most dramatic work for the fourth quarter. Facing fourth-and-goal at the 5, Martinez dropped back and threw toward the rear of the end zone, where Barrera secured the ball with his left hand and got both feet down in bounds for a spectacular score. Barrera said he has made that grab routinely in practice and welcomed the chance to deliver one in a real game, while Martinez admitted he anticipated an ordinary completion before the one-handed finish sent him into a celebration he had to settle down from.

Tempers ran hot for much of the night. Officials flagged a stream of personal fouls, four of them on a single play, and Atlantic head coach Jamelle Murray was tossed after two sideline conduct penalties capped a miserable evening for the hosts.

Atlantic's quarterback situation compounded the trouble. Max Griner, the team's projected starter, reportedly walked away from the squad during a Sept. 10 win over Pahokee, and a member of the school's staff said coaches have heard nothing from him since, even though he remains on the roster and his brother still attends the school. Nicholas Pouncey, Javarri Bradley and Terry Gammage each took snaps Friday with uneven results, while Martinez continued to guide the state's sixth-ranked team.

There was no bitterness from the transfers toward their old program after the final whistle. Barrera said he still cares deeply for Atlantic, which brought him in during his early high school years and helped him develop as a player. Martinez added that pregame gestures from the opposing sideline fired up his teammates, who he said always defend him.

The result left the two programs heading in opposite directions in the standings. Cardinal Newman improved to 5-1, while Atlantic fell to 3-2.

Both sides return to district action on Oct. 9. Cardinal Newman hosts Chaminade-Madonna (4-2) in a significant matchup in West Palm Beach, and Atlantic welcomes Northeast (0-5) the same night.

Around Palm Beach County on Friday, Santaluces outlasted Jupiter 34-31 in four overtimes, while Royal Palm Beach, West Boca Raton, King's Academy and American Heritage-Delray all posted shutout wins. Three Thursday contests — Palm Beach Christian Prep at Forest Hill, Suncoast at John I. Leonard, and Olympic Heights at Seminole Ridge — were postponed.