St. Thomas Aquinas embraces underdog role, but unable to secure upset of Bishop Gorman
St. Thomas Aquinas football is a 3-time national champion.
The Raiders have won 15 state championships.
On Saturday on their home field, they were underdogs.
Few outside their program believed Aquinas had a chance to beat Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, a four-time national champion which arrived at Brian Piccolo Stadium ranked No. 1 in the nation in multiple polls.
The Raiders nearly defied expectations.
But Aquinas was unable to hang on to an 11-point second half lead as the Gaels rallied for a 29-21 victory over the Raiders in a nationally-televised matchup of the Broward Football National Showcase.
“We’re one of the best teams in the nation and we showed it against the No. 1 team in the nation,” Aquinas quarterback Andrew Indorf said. “We should have won and been the No. 1 team, but we put our name on the map. We were underdogs, but we had them looking like underdogs at times.”
The Raiders (0-1), ranked No. 11 by MaxPreps, lost their season opener for the second consecutive season in the Showcase. It’s only the fourth loss for Aquinas, however, in its past 19 games against out-of-state opponents dating back to 2008.
The underdog role is something Aquinas starting quarterback Andrew Indorf has been accustomed to throughout his high school career.
Indorf, who does not have major college offers like most of the quarterbacks on other teams involved in the Showcase, showed his development since last season with strong command of Aquinas’ offense throughout the game’s first three quarters as he guided the Raiders within striking distance of a major victory.
“I don’t let it get to my head because I know my teammates trust me,” Indorf said. If the fans don’t see it or if scouts don’t see it, it doesn’t bother me. I just want to make every rep count and don’t let the moment pass me and just keep going.”
Indorf completed 20 of 37 passes for 198 yards and threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions.
“That quarterback is really, really good. He’s probably the most underrated,” Bishop Gorman coach Brent Browner said. “I’ve seen a lot of lists and he’s not even ranked in the top 10.”
The Raiders, who are looking to extend their state-record streak of five consecutive state titles, took a 21-10 lead when Indorf connected with Julius Jones on a 52-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter.
But the Gaels (2-0), who have won 13 of its past 14 state titles in its home state, amassed 508 total yards and turned up the defensive intensity late in the third quarter to finish the game, scoring 19 unanswered points.
Gorman quarterback Melvin Spicer’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Kaina Watson cut Aquinas’ lead to 21-17. Hudson Borsari’s second of three field goals pulled the Gaels within a point.
Aquinas’ ensuing drive was stopped after Indorf was sacked on third down forcing a punt.
Gorman took the lead with 6:44 left in the game when sophomore Terrance Grant ran for a 3-yard touchdown.
Indorf’s two turnovers proved costly in the fourth quarter. The first, an interception by Alexander Perez set up Borsari’s 35-yard field goal.
Aquinas had one final chance as Indorf led the Raiders into the red zone. But Indorf was intercepted with under a minute to go by Brayton Correa, ending the Raiders’ chances of a comeback.
“We fought really hard. Our receivers played great,” Indorf said. “We just couldn’t get it done. We’ll take a lot of motivation from this and just keep going.”
MORE SCORES
No. 18 Carol City 61, Hialeah 7
Killian 29, Everglades Prep 0
Coral Shores 29, Somerset South Homestead 0
This story was originally published August 24, 2024 at 11:03 PM.
