St. Thomas Aquinas overcomes miscues to secure season-opening win in showcase event
The ESPN cameras and the eyes of high school football fans around the country were fixed this weekend on South Florida.
The highlight of the three-day, seven-game Broward County Showcase came Saturday with two games broadcast on the ESPN networks.
It was only fitting that St. Thomas Aquinas, the school with the most experience playing in the national spotlight, led off the event with a tightly-contested victory on its home turf.
The Raiders, who entered the game ranked No. 5 nationally by MaxPreps, didn’t make it easy on themselves but still managed to pull out a 48-37 victory over Pennsylvania’s St. Joseph’s Prep in the first game of the tripleheader at Brian Piccolo Stadium.
Plantation American Heritage and Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna - each ranked in the top 20 nationally as well - were to play in the following two games on Saturday night.
Aquinas (1-0) committed three turnovers that led to 17 points for the visiting Hawks (0-1).
But thanks to a potent ground attack, which amassed over 250 yards rushing, the Raiders rallied for the win.
The Raiders improved to 8-2 in their past 10 games against out-of-state opponents and won their sixth in a row in such games.
Jordan Lyle ran for 138 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries while Gemari Sands also ran for a score.
Aquinas quarterback and first-year starter Hezekiah Harris, a transfer from Miami Edison, completed 14 of 19 passes for 240 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
“We have some things we clearly need to improve on and clean up, most notably the turnovers and the penalties,” Aquinas coach Roger Harriott said. “We were definitely sloppy out there today but we also did a nice job of not losing our poise after falling behind and finding a way to come out on top.”
Lyle’s big game nearly had one very costly hiccup as he fumbled in Aquinas territory with 7:23 left in the third quarter. The Hawks would take a 31-28 lead two plays later when Samaj Jones found receiver Brandon Rehmann wide open in the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown after Raiders cornerback Kimari Robinson fell down on the play.
Aquinas responded on the ensuing drive as James Madison hauled in an 11-yard score on a pass from Harris to put the Raiders on top for good with 24 seconds left in the third quarter. The play was set up by a key fourth-and-9 conversion when Harris found Jaylen Bonelli open for a first down completion.
“It was a simple read and I had a feeling he was going to be open and I had to be patient in the pocket and let it rip,” Harris said. “I trusted him, he caught, got a few extra yards and then we were in the end zone on the next play. That was a big moment in the game. I knew once we got the lead back that we would be alright.”
After St. Joseph’s Prep trimmed their advantage to 42-37 with 2:29 remaining in the game, Aquinas recovered the onside kick. The Hawks would have one last chance after forcing a punt, but an attempted hook and lateral play ended in disaster. A St. Joseph’s receiver fumbled and junior linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez recovered and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown as time expired.
“When we first came out, we came out motivated and ready to dominate and that’s what we did with a fast start,” Lyle said. “I think we might’ve then gotten a little complacent and that’s something we’re going to have to work on. Learn to keep our foot on the gas all four quarters.”
Aquinas took a quick 21-7 lead in the first quarter with Harris throwing his first two touchdown passes to Sands and tight end TeKai Kirby, a Virginia commit. Kirby, the son of former Miami Dolphins’ fullback Terry Kirby, got open over the middle, made the catch and scampered 64 yards for the score.
The Raiders appeared to be handling the near 100-degree heat and humidity much better than the visitors from Philadelphia.
But after Aquinas missed a field goal that would have made it a three-score game, the Hawks answered with 10 points and put themselves back in the game by halftime.
Raiders defenders put constant pressure on Jones from the outset. Jason Howard, Zakaih Saez, Devin Pein and Keyshawn Johnson each recorded sacks.
“I felt like it was built into this team having to overcome the adversity of losing a lead and having to come back the way we did,” Harris said. “We emphasize everyday not to get down. Stay up and have the confidence that we will make the plays when we need to to come out on top.”
This story was originally published August 27, 2022 at 5:16 PM.
