FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A controversial week one loss on the road against Booker T. Washington hasn’t deterred St. Thomas Aquinas at all.
The Raiders’ momentum grew Friday night as they cruised to their second straight blowout with a 49-0 win over Plantation in their hope opener. The win brings the the Raiders to 2-1 on the year, while Plantation remains winless at 0-3.
“We come out each game with something to prove,” St. Thomas Aquinas Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Coach Ameer Riley said after the game. “Our mindset is to prove who we are, and that’s going to be our mindset going forward. Every game is an opportunity to prove ourselves.”
St. Thomas Aquinas was set to face a 3rd-and-12 from their own 26-yard line as time in the first quarter was running down until Plantation defensive end Willie Webster hit Raiders’ quarterback Jake Allen late, and a flag was called. The 15-yard penalty gave St. Thomas a first down, and the ball at the 41-yard line. One play later, Allen hit Josh Palmer on a 69-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the first quarter to make it 21-0, St. Thomas.
Raiders’ stellar running back duo Keyshawn Bryan and Mike Epstein did their part in the St. Thomas Aquinas home opener. Epstein dashed in for a 27-yard score that put the Raiders up 7-0, and Bryan followed his backfield mate with a one-yard plunge to make it 14-0, and later a 75-yard touchdown run that gave St. Thomas a 28-0 lead with 5:32 left in the first half. Bryan and Epstein – a duo that entered the game with 357 yards and four touchdowns – combined for over 100 yards and three touchdowns on Friday night in just two quarters of action.
“I think they’re essential,” Riley said of Epstein and Bryan. “They’re a two-headed monster and those guys get after it, they’re great athletes. I think the big thing is they’re unselfish and they don’t complain about reps or anything like that and it shows. They play great.”
Plantation, which entered this game without scoring a point in its first two games, wasn’t in this game from the get go. After a Colonel punt on the first drive, it took St. Thomas Aquinas just two plays to open up a 7-0 lead. The Raiders punted just once the entire game, and a running clock was instituted after St. Thomas took a 35-0 lead into the half.
With St. Thomas Aquinas up 28-0 late in the second quarter, Raiders coach Roger Harriott wanted to give his stars some rest. Florida commit and four-star Raiders’ signal caller Jake Allen was taken out of the game, replaced by junior backup Beau Fillichio. Bryan and Epstein also were taken out of the game as junior Samuel Llewellyn took over the majority of the ball carrying duties.
St. Thomas Aquinas’ dominating defense continued their stellar play Friday. The Raiders held Plantation scoreless and to under 200 total yards, forcing two turnovers in the process. The Raiders held Miramar to just six points last week, and an electric Booker T. Washington offense to a modest 23 points in the opener.
“I think they played well,” Riley said of his defensive unit. “We’ve still got some worked to do, we talked about getting better every week and this was a great opportunity to get better. The kids played with a lot of heart and it starts up front with the defensive line, those guys really got after it, the linebackers made them right, and the secondary did their part. We played really good team football, and I think playing team football was the key to our success tonight.”
On the contrary, Plantation has yet to score a point on the season, and had no red-zone opportunities Friday night. The Colonels have been outscored [105-0] through their first three games.
Raiders’ five-star receiver and Ohio State commit Trevon Grimes was out Friday night with a knee injury, but said he expects to return against Hallandale after the bye week.
Jake Allen finished just over 100 yards and a touchdown in his short action. Running backs Samuel Llewellyn and Daniel Carter, and receiver Teriq Phillips each got touchdowns with a running clock in the second half.
UP NEXT: St. Thomas Aquinas will have a bye next week before returning to action at home on Friday, September 23rd at 7:00 P.M. E.T. Plantation will take on Miramar at home next Friday night.
