Raiders defense force four turnovers from uncharacteristic Spartans
Less than ideal weather conditions didn’t fog the minds of St. Thomas Aquinas players, of how important it is to uphold their end of the bargain as far as state bragging rights. With rain in the forecast on a hot sticky night, it was the Raiders who protected the ball while winning the turnover battle. They fumbled three times but loss only one.
In a game in which more than 6,500 fans waited out a 45 minutes delayed due to inclement weather, had been widely discussed since the two schools reached an agreement to play. Though De La Salle, a seven time national champion didn’t fully live up to the hype. The Raiders again showed the nation why it’s one of the top high school football teams in the country.
20 points off four turnovers and elusive Max Lescano helped send No 2 nationally ranked St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders (Fla) to a 30-6 thrashing of No 3 ranked De La Salle (Ca), Friday night on national television (ESPN2) at Brian Piccolo Stadium. With the win, the Raiders extend their streak to 18 games.
Lescano kept the Spartan’s defense busy, when he wasn’t scrambling, he was through the air, completing 9 of 15 passing with 152 yards and one rushing touchdown. Junior RB Fred Coppet grounded out two touchdowns while kicker Nolan Bieck connected on three field goals.
On a rain soaked night in Fort Lauderdale, the Raiders held a tighter grip on the ball than the Spartans, who traveled more than 3,000 thousand miles to reach Florida for what was billed as California vs. Florida, east coast vs. west coast showdown, which never materialized. Of course the Raiders held up their end of the deal in the lope-sided affair, but only misery set in for De La Salle. St. Thomas Aquinas adds California to a list of states (Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, and Texas) in which they have victories, leaving them 7-0 against foes outside the state of Florida.
St. Thomas (3-0) took advantage of three fumbles and one interception, all which resulted in scores. Leonard Skubal had a pick and Joseph Bosa, Cole Champion, and Jelani Hamilton recorded fumbles. Lescano was the culprit, directing an offense with his legs as well as his arm. The gutsy 5’10” Lescano was clutch on several plays that surfaced on second and third, and long situations. He eluded the rush on several occasions as he avoided would tacklers to sustain drives.
Raiders Hamilton covered the Spartans first fumble of the game after quarterback Bart Houston suffered a shot from Bosa. Then St. Thomas, working fast, watched Fred Coppet knife through the middle of the Spartan’s defense to finish off a 12-yard touchdown run, to lead 7-0 early in the first quarter.
De La Salle (2-1) known around the country for a history making 151-game winning streak that stretched from 1992-2004, never could get in since offensively and that had a lot to do with the Raiders defense. But still, the Spartans were their worst enemy with uncommon turnovers, penalties and as a result it was the end of a 28-game win streak that dated back to 2009 when they fell to Lakeland (Fla), a 31-30 overtime loss. They were flagged five times, two 15 yard personal fouls and three times for illegal procedure. Trailing 10-0, the Spartans got on the board with their lone score of the game. Just before halftime, Houston threw a lateral to Anthony Williams who turn and tossed a 58-yard touchdown strike to Andrew Buckley who was wide open, cutting the deficit 10-6 after a failed extra point attempt.
In the second half, St. Thomas scored 20 unanswered points to knock the Spartans from the unbeaten ranks.