St. Thomas Aquinas seniors uphold ‘tradition’ — and make their own — with three-peat
St. Thomas Aquinas’ record 13th state championship was wrapped up by the midpoint of the fourth quarter Friday and the Raiders sent their starting offense out onto the field one last time.
Zion Turner lined up behind the center, as he has done for three years, with Anthony Hankerson next to him and Camden Brown, Jaylan Sanchez and Mason Taylor spread out around them, and then they turned back to their bench, lifted their hands into the air and walked off the field while their fans cheered them on.
It was a curtain call for those five seniors, all of whom have been instrumental at various points throughout St. Thomas Aquinas’ latest three-peat, and it was well earned. The Raiders already had the record for most Florida High School Athletic Association championships and still they’ve never been better. Their 42-14 rout of Tampa Bay Tech in the Class 7A championship in Fort Lauderdale was just further proof.
“I definitely shed a tear in that moment, man,” Turner said. “I came so far, so far and just all the hard work I put in, all the hard days, the long nights, the waking up in the middle of the night thinking, sitting up thinking about this day right here and we came up victorious.”
Turner finished 10 of 13 for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and ran seven times for 65 yards and a touchdown to become the first quarterback in St. Thomas Aquinas history to win three state titles as a starter. The Raiders have now won six championships in eight years and, a year after breaking a tie with Jacksonville Bolles by winning their 12th title, are now padding their lead.
St. Thomas Aquinas won three in a row from 2014-2016. Now the Raiders, ranked No. 11 in the nation by MaxPreps, have done it again.
“It’s great to be back-to-back-to-back champions,” Taylor said. “It’s a tradition here.”
Turner and Hankerson have been the foundation of the offense for three years, first as a read-option tandem to fit in perfectly with a loaded roster and eventually as the basis of an explosive, well-rounded attack.
Last year, St. Thomas Aquinas averaged 32.6 points per game. This year, the Raiders (14-1) jumped to 42.7 per game.
With a chance at more history on the line, they again led a steady, efficient explosion. Hankerson ran for 117 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries, scoring twice in the first quarter and again in the with 2:23 left in third to trigger the running clock at 42-7. Turner ran for a touchdown on St. Thomas Aquinas’ first possession, threw one to Brown in the second and tossed another to star wide receiver Isaiah Hardge in the third. The Raiders led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter on the three touchdown runs by Turner and Hankerson, and the Titans (14-1) never cut the lead to less than 14 in the final three quarters while a friendly crowd of 6,370 watched at DRV PNK Stadium.
“I already miss them,” coach Roger Harriott said. “I told them three months ago I already miss them. I’ve been doing this a long time and we send them off into the world to be extraordinary human beings and we’re thankful. We’re just thankful for them. We’re proud of them.”
Turner has accounted for 90 touchdowns in his career and Hankerson has topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of his three seasons as a starter. The rest of the seniors were more than just afterthoughts, though: Star tight end Mason Turner led St. Thomas Aquinas with four catches for 54 yards and was its leading receiver this season, and star wide receiver Camden Brown had three catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. Although he didn’t have a catch Friday, the Sanchez one of four 300-yard receivers for the Raiders and their top punt returner.
Taylor has also been at St. Thomas Aquinas for all four years of high school, while Brown was part of the last two title teams and Sanchez moved to South Florida from New Jersey earlier this year. Before they walked onto the field for the last time, offensive coordinator Wes Carroll suggested they all take a curtain call together.
“We walked off the field as a senior core together,” Turner said. “We started it and we finished it.”
While a celebration took place a few dozen yards away from him, Turner recounted his unprecedented career and Hankerson plotted a sneak attack.
“I love you, boy!” the running back shouted over and over as he jumped on Turner’s back, and dragged him to the ground.
They laughed on the field for one last time as Raiders. Even 13 championships in, St. Thomas Aquinas is putting together memorable season with one-of-a-kind players.
“They’re brothers,” Harriott said of his senior class. “All the challenges that we’ve been facing has enabled us from a spiritual and humanistic standpoint to come together closer, and they have a totally different perspective on life.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 10:04 PM.
