High school football: Jack Daniels working to build winning culture at Cardinal Newman

Cardinal Newman rising senior running back/linebacker Dom Fusca is having fun this spring.

And it’s not just the fact that last year’s spring practices were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic — although that’s certainly a factor.

It’s also because this is the Crusaders' first spring under coach Jack Daniels.

“It’s good, it’s exciting,” Fusca said. “The coaches have the intensity up and the kids are buying in. It does feel different. It’s fun. (Daniels) is a great guy. He knows what he’s doing with the kids. You can tell he wants to benefit us and he’s putting us in the right places to succeed.”

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Daniels, who won 234 games and a pair of state titles at Dwyer, came out of a two-year coaching hiatus to take the Cardinal Newman job in January. He initially applied for the job after the 2019 season but didn’t feel the timing was right.

Daniels inherits a program that went 4-4 last season and has not won a playoff game since 2013.

“This spring, we’re just trying to change the culture to a winning culture,” Daniels said. “Getting these kids to be tough — tough overall kids. We have a good nucleus to work with, we just don’t have a lot of depth. That’s taking a little bit of getting used to, but I like where we’re headed.”

It’s been a while, but Daniels has worked with a smaller roster before. When he first got to Dwyer before the 1996 season, he had a lot of players going both ways out of necessity.

That will be the case again this season, but Daniels is encouraged by the core of this Crusaders team.

Fusca led Cardinal Newman in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in 2020 and is the team’s leading returning tackler. Rising junior defensive back/wide receiver Vinkeus Pierre was the only Crusader with more than 100 yards rushing and receiving last fall.

Daniels also is expecting players such as rising seniors Danny Kleisley and Amarion Duncan to provide leadership and playmaking ability while rising juniors Sebastian Scott and Thomas Sledge are poised for breakout seasons.

The spring is invaluable for teaching and that becomes even more of a priority with a new coaching staff. Daniels is hopeful he can get most, if not all, of the defensive playbook installed. The offense will be more of a work in progress.

“A successful spring would be to be competitive in our spring games,” Daniels said. “We’re going to have a lot of guys going both ways, but I just want to be competitive and let these kids have some success and remain injury free. That would be a success for me.”