St. Thomas Aquinas weathers storm, washes out Treasure Coast in rout

After the second lightning delay on Friday night at St. Thomas Aquinas, the stadium sound system blared AC/DC’s rock hit “Thunderstruck.”

It was a fitting reminder of how the Raiders washed away the Treasure Coast Titans.

On paper, a competitive matchup was expected between Class 3M power St. Thomas and a talented Treasure Coast team in Class 4S.

From the outset the game was a mismatch, as St. Thomas built a 17-point lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 42-6 romp in a game that opened the second half with a running clock.

“We’re not out here to keep our starters in and blow teams out,” Raiders coach Roger Harriott after his team improved to 4-1. “We’re going to make sure that all the guys, who throughout the course of the week, they’re working hard, they should play, too. Whether it’s the second string, third or fourth string guy, we want to make sure that we get everybody on the field. The only way to do that is to get off to a great start, take care of business early.”

With control of the game early, St. Thomas was able to get everybody into the game.

Nicholas Romero, who booted two field goals in the first half, opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal. A fumble recovery by linebacker Kedrick Burley set up the Raiders’ next score.

Quarterback Derrick Baker hooked up with James Madison II for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 4:28 left in the opening quarter.

Steady rain began to fall midway through the first quarter, and St. Thomas scored again on Justin Montgomery’s 21-yard TD run, and the Raiders carried a 17-point lead into the second quarter.

“The main thing is to get our brothers in who don’t play,” Montgomery said. “You see that on the scoreboard that we got everybody in, that’s the goal right there.”

Romero’s second field goal made it 20-0, and at 8:08 before halftime, the first lightning delay was called.

When play resumed, quarterback Andrew Indorf hooked up with Chance Robinson on a 30-yard touchdown pass play, making it 27-0.

St. Thomas stayed on the attack and Indorf connected with Madison on a 24-yard pass to the Titans’ 1. As the Raiders were lining up, the alarm went off, signaling the second lightning delay.

Two lengthy delays didn’t stall the Raiders’ momentum.

Stacey Gauge scored on a 1-yard TD run, and Montgomery scored the 2-point conversion, and St. Thomas was firmly in control with 2:20 left in the second quarter.

After forcing a punt, Dawson Quarterman’s 20-yard TD catch put the Raiders up, 42-0 at halftime.

Due to the two weather delays, there was no halftime, as play continued with a running clock.

Treasure Coast (4-1) scored in the closing seconds on Demari Scott’s 7-yard run.

The late Titans TD didn’t diminish St. Thomas’ dominance.

“We want to make sure that we’re balanced in all three phases,” Harriott said. “Our fourth phase is our actual sideline. We want to focus on the personality with regards to brotherhood, and taking care of each other, and establishing a real camaraderie, so everyone has an opportunity to play.”