Aquinas’ Mallory is the Broward 7A-5A Football Offensive Player of the Year
Sometimes, transferring to a program with the heft of national powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas can be intimidating - especially for a quarterback.
That was the challenge facing Mason Mallory last summer after he left one reigning state champion in West Boca Raton to join another in Fort Lauderdale.
But it didn’t take long for Mallory to fit right in with the Raiders.
“I think I had a great group of guys with me,” Mallory said. “I put (college) recruiting visits on the back burner because I wanted to get familiar with my receivers. These guys believed in me as soon as I got here, even when I made mistakes. They were just like, ‘We believe in you and we believe you can take us where we need to get to.’”
Mallory got more and more comfortable as the season progressed and by the end of it had become the leader of one of the most potent offenses in the country.
The result was Mallory helping Aquinas hoist its seventh consecutive state title and 17th overall, extending both state records.
Mallory is the Miami Herald’s Broward County Football Offensive Player of the Year for Classes 7A-5A.
Mallory (6-0, 165 pounds) was one of the most dangerous dual threat quarterbacks in the state,
completing 184 of 276 passes for 2,322 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 760 yards and another nine touchdowns.
He also showed he was clutch.
Mallory, who has a 4.4 GPA, ramped up his performance during the regional playoffs, throwing for four touchdowns in each of the first three games of the postseason.
Against Lakeland in the state final, Mallory completed 21 of 32 passes for 265 yards and ran for 106 yards, which included a 67-yard run, and a touchdown.
“I came into the season with pretty big expectations,” Malory said. “I didn’t know what to expect, but this year gave me everything and more. I got better on the field and off the field with my relationship with Christ and that’s all I could ask for.”
Mallory, whose cousin Javian played at West Boca and is a University of Miami signee, recently committed to Middle Tennessee.
But before he heads off to make an impact for the Blue Raiders, Mallory is once again going from one state champion to another. Mallory plays point guard for Aquinas’ boys’ basketball, which is looking to also repeat as a state champion.
“We’re just as good,” Mallory said. “The athletic programs at St. Thomas all get the same memo, and that’s to bring home a state championship.”
