Aquinas’ defense was ‘shook,’ but it regrouped to make one state title-winning stand
Derek Wingo and the St. Thomas Aquinas defense wanted the Raiders to punt. St. Thomas Aquinas was clinging to a five-point lead as it stood at its own 29-yard line, facing a fourth-and-1 with the clock ticking down toward the final two minutes and the Raiders’ defense, the strength of the team all season long, wanted to get on the field one last time.
St. Thomas Aquinas punted away and the defense got its chance. It bent a little bit, but never broke and, on the final play of the game with Orlando Edgewater at the Raiders’ 23-yard line, St. Thomas Aquinas grabbed an interception to clinch a 28-23 win in the Class 7A championship, and a seven-game sweep for Miami-Dade and Broward counties in Classes 2A-8A.
“We kind of wanted to go back,” Wingo said. “We wanted another rep, we wanted to be able to be on that field one last time for our high school careers.”
Edgewater got the ball at its own 16-yard line with 2:03 left. The Eagles converted on third-and-long and moved toward midfield on a personal foul. After another long completion to star wide receiver Tommy Hill on the right sideline, Edgewater set up for one final play from the Raiders’ 23-yard line with 4.1 seconds left.
St. Thomas Aquinas (14-0) inserted star wide receiver Marcus Rosemy to man the back end and back up the Raiders’ vaunted defense. Eagles quarterback Canaan Mobley floated a prayer to the back of the end zone and Rosemy sailed in to win the game with an interception and give St. Thomas Aquinas its 11th state title, tying Jacksonville Bolles for the most in Florida High School Athletic Association history.
It was the final play of the star wide receiver’s high school career and the first time he ever played defense.
“I just did what I do. I just go up and got it,” said Rosemy, who is orally committed to the Georgia Bulldogs. “I’m thinking, The ball’s in the air, I’ve got to get this ball. It’s my ball or nobody’s ball.”
Before they could hang on, the Raiders needed to rally.
They were on the ropes early. Wingo said they were “shook.” Rosemy said it was a “relief” when Edgewater’s stunning upset bid finally failed on his interception.
The Eagles’ first drive of the game started at their own 1-yard line after a punt went out of bounds just short of the goal line and it ended in the end zone after a 54-yard jet sweep to star wide receiver Christian Leary. Their fourth drive began at their own 2 after St. Thomas Aquinas committed a turnover on downs and it ended in the end zone after Leary took a direct snap 75 yards up the middle for a touchdown.
Leary finished with six carries for 141 yards and two touchdowns, plus five more catches for 54 yards. Star running back Isaiah Connelly added another 132 yards on 28 carries. Wingo said Leary in particular gave him flashbacks to the 7A championship last year when Lakeland, led by star running back Demarckus Bowman, ran all over the Raiders to deny St. Thomas Aquinas a state title. Before Saturday, it was the last time the Raiders trailed at halftime.
“He got open and almost threw some flashbacks to Demarckus Bowman last year,” said Wingo, who plans to sign a National Letter of Intent with the Florida Gators on Wednesday. “Early on, they got us and we were a little shook.”
Down 14-7 at halftime, Wingo and the rest of the senior leaders reminded their teammates about what happened a year earlier. They told everyone they weren’t going to leave Daytona Beach like they left Orlando last year.
St. Thomas Aquinas simplified its plan. It leaned on Anthony Hankerson, which opened up running lanes for Zion Turner. The two sophomores combined to run for 262 yards on 38 carries at Daytona Stadium.
Hankerson was the one bright spot for the Raiders on offense in the first half. His 63-yard touchdown run in the second quarter accounted for more than a third of St. Thomas Aquinas’ yards and kept the Raiders within one score at halftime. He finished with 190 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries.
An interception by star safety Blaine Anderson gave the Raiders life with 5:19 left in the third quarter. St. Thomas Aquinas began at its own 47-yard line and started to lean on Hankerson. The running back carried the ball six times on the drive — including on five straight pays at one point — and it opened the lane for Turner to run, too. The quarterback capped the drive with a 13-yard scramble into the end zone to tie the game 14-14 with 2:42 left.
The Raiders’ next drive went the same way. Hankerson started it with three straight runs and Turner finished it with three straight, including another 13-yard score just before the third quarter ended to give St. Thomas Aquinas a 21-14 lead.
“I complement him. He complements me. We bring this offense together,” Turner said. “Two sophomores is not a thing you see every night.”
He finished with 72 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, and went 13 of 20 for 112 yards and a touchdown, which wound up as the game-winner.
A third straight scoring drive spanned from the 9:31 mark of the fourth quarter to the 6:04 mark. Six of the nine plays were runs by Turner and Hankerson. The other three were completions by Turner, including an 11-yard touchdown to Rosemy on a fade.
Edgewater (13-2) answered with a touchdown drive lasting just 1:41, which gave the Eagles one more chance after they forced the Raiders into a three-and-out.
The season came down to one final stop by their defense, which posted six shutouts this season, including back-to-back heading into Saturday. It was all Wingo wanted.
“All year, we’ve had confidence in our entire defense and offense, as well,” Wingo said. “The trust was there in us, and we had to do our part and keep them out of the end zone on that last drive. They knew our leaders would step up.
This story was originally published December 14, 2019 at 9:47 PM.
