Aquinas moves closer to extending state title records; NMB advances to FIT final
St. Thomas Aquinas is two wins away from extending its state-record football dynasty for one more season.
Led by quarterback Mason Mallory’s two touchdown passes and two touchdown runs, the Raiders took control early and held off McArthur for a 34-7 victory on Friday in the Region 4-5A final at Brian Piccolo Stadium.
The state semifinal matchups will not be finalized until Sunday morning, but the Raiders (12-1) will host in Class 5A next Friday against either Ponte Vedra or Fort Myers Riverdale.
Aquinas is looking to extend its state-record state championship streak to seven consecutive seasons and win its state-record 16th state title overall.
McArthur (10-3), one of the breakthrough teams in Broward County this season, held Aquinas to only a Johnny DiSalvatore field goal for the first quarter and a half of the game. But the Raiders broke through with a pair of rushing touchdowns by Mallory before halftime to take a 17-0 lead.
Kenson Louis led the Mustangs with 104 rushing yards on 20 carries, but they were held to only 66 yards passing. Quarterback Javarius Robinson scored McArthur’s lone touchdown with eight minutes left in the third quarter to cut the Raiders’ lead to 17-7. Mallory answered with a pair of touchdown passes to put the game out of reach.
Florida Invitational Tournament semifinal - North Miami Beach 20, Booker T. Washington 6: John Gray rushed for 162 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries to lead the Chargers (6-6), who advanced to the inaugural Classes 3A-1A championship game.
NMB will play Dunnellon on Thursday at 1 at The Range at H.G. Morse Stadium in The Villages for the title. The FIT, an invitational tournament for schools which did not advance to the state series playoffs, is in its second season, but this is the first time it has held a postseason tournament for schools in Classes 7A-1A.
The Chargers have won both their games in the tournament by a combined score of 62-6 after finishing the season 4-6 and coming up just short of making the top eight in Region 4-2A.
Freshman quarterback Bo Bertani completed 8 of 17 passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Kenny Charlotin led NMB’s defense with six tackles and a sack.
Booker T., which also missed the playoffs in Class 2A, finishes its season with a 3-9 record.
This story was originally published November 29, 2025 at 8:15 AM.
