Frantic St. Thomas Aquinas comeback attempt comes up short against Mater Dei

For the second straight night, the Broward County National Football Showcase featured a fantastic finish.

But this time, the bid for a stunning comeback by a Broward County-based school came up just short.

Still, St. Thomas Aquinas put on a show and demonstrated why the 2025 squad is deserving of a high national ranking.

The issue on Saturday was, the Raiders were aiming to dig out of a deep hole against the top team in the country.

Mason Mallory made things interesting with a touchdown run and scoring pass to Julius Jones in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough as St. Thomas Aquinas ended up falling, 26-23, to Mater Dei (California).

The Monarchs are the top-ranked team in the nation, and showed why, especially in the first half, building a convincing 26-3 lead at the break.

But in the fourth quarter, Mallory scored on a 7-yard run, and hooked up with Jones on a 6-yard scoring pass with 1:36 left.

Mallory threw for 134 yards on 15-for-24 passing with one touchdown and one interception.

Even with three time outs, there simply wasn’t enough time to get the ball back for the Raiders after Mater Dei recovered the on-sides kick.

Justin Lewis broke free on a 20-yard run on third down that helped the Monarchs run out the clock.

Taking on the top team in the country is a tall order for any opponent.

It’s even a tougher task when you consider the size and skill level of Mater Dei (Calif.), which is loaded with Power Four conference commitments.

But St. Thomas Aquinas also has its own rich history. Winners of six straight state titles, the Raiders are accustomed to facing the best, especially in the nationally-acclaimed Broward Showcase.

In a meeting of two top 10 ranked teams on Saturday, it was Mater Dei that put on a show that cemented themselves as the No. 1 team in the nation.

The Monarchs scored four touchdowns in the second quarter and appeared to be headed to an easy victory.

If the ESPN audience thought they’d seen this story before of a Broward school getting dominated in the first half, well, it did. On Friday night, it was American Heritage that fell behind by 28 points against St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia).

That was before Heritage quarterback Dia Bell directed a miraculous comeback, with the Patriots rallying to a 31-28 victory.

Could St. Thomas do the same?

The Raiders almost did.

Quarterback Ryan Hopkins, a Wisconsin recruit, threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter alone. Ohio State commit, receiver Chris Henry Jr., hauled in touchdown catches of 23 and 81 yards.

Hopkins threw for 265 yards, with Henry finishing with three catches for 122 yards.

And in the closing minute before halftime, Hopkins connected on another long pass, a 72-yard reception to Gavin Honore, to give the Monarchs a 26-3 lead at intermission.

St. Thomas, the reigning Class 5A state champs, had a tough time slowing down Mater Dei’s high-powered offense. It was especially difficult, considering star defensive back, Justice Fitzpatrick, did not play due to a right leg injury suffered in last week’s preseason game.

The Raiders are looking to gain their identity with a new quarterback. Left-handed throwing Mason Mallory, who led West Boca Raton to the Class 6A state title last year, is now at the helm with St. Thomas.

St. Thomas opened the scoring on Johnny DiSalvatore’s 36-yard field goal.

The Raiders carried that 3-0 lead into the second quarter, when momentum shifted to the Monarchs.

Mater Dei was able to assert its physicality, which opened up the running and passing game.

Lewis got Mater Dei on the board with a 5-yard rushing touchdown. But a 2-point conversion attempt was stuffed.

The combination of Hopkins to Henry clicked for two straight touchdowns.

Henry’s first touchdown reception was a 23-yard play down the right sidelines, making it 12-3.

Mater Dei’s big play capability took over, with Hopkins and Henry hooking up for an 81-yard scoring play.

Just before halftime, it was Hopkins to Honore that clicked for 72 yards.

In the third quarter, St. Thomas chipped back with a touchdown on its first possession. Palmer led the way on most of the drive, which was assisted by a couple of Mater Dei defensive penalties.

On fourth-and-goal at the three, Mallory flipped to Virgil Lemons, who scored on a 3-yard run that cut the score to 26-10.

This story was originally published August 23, 2025 at 11:58 PM.