Jesuit Football Stuns St. Thomas Aquinas
Was Jesuit football bad? Definitely not. But were they expected to defeat the second-best team in Florida? Again, definitely not.
St. Thomas Aquinas was coming off a 38-23 win over one of the nation’s best programs in St. Frances Academy (MD). They had also won the Florida 7A state title last season, defeating Edgewater 31-21. This team was near unstoppable, yet Jesuit put a halt to another undefeated Raiders’ season.
This matchup was set up just two days before kickoff; the Tigers’ second week opponent, Wharton, had to cancel because of COVID-19 issues.
But Jesuit didn’t let the short turnaround time affect their play. A 50-yard run by Joquez Smith set up a 21-yard field goal for the game’s first points in the first quarter.
After an interception, a turnover on downs, and a fumble, St. Thomas Aquinas got on the board with a long rushing score, courtesy of three-star running back Xavier Terrell. Jesuit answered relatively quickly, as Joquez Smith once again pierced the Raider defense with a rushing score, this time from about 30 yards out.
With about three minutes left before halftime, the Raiders reclaimed the lead with a long touchdown pass from Zion Turner to Xavier Terrell. St. Thomas Aquinas was matching Jesuit stride for stride, not allowing them to pull away for the upset.
After a Tiger punt, the Raiders had just under a minute to work with. They put 6 more points on the board… for Jesuit. The Tigers’ AJ Cottrill recovered a fumble with just eight seconds left and took it all the way for a score to give Jesuit a 17-14 halftime lead. Jesuit RB Joquez Smith had an astounding 146 rushing yards in the first half alone.
Call it good defense or mistakes, but the second half was filled with them. Five minutes into the third quarter, the Raiders fumbled in the red zone, and Jesuit recovered. On the Raiders next drive, Turner threw an interception. This would be one of three interceptions thrown by St. Thomas Aquinas in the game.
Finally, the Raiders regained the lead early in the fourth on a long Terrell scamper. Hope seemed to be lost for Jesuit when they attempted a fourth down conversion with about five minutes left and couldn’t get it.
But St. Thomas Aquinas didn’t do themselves any favors. After failing to convert on a long third down, they were forced to give the Tigers another chance to win the game.
Jesuit didn’t flinch. Sophomore QB Luke Knight threw a 17-yard strike, moving the line of scrimmage inside the Raider red zone. After a pass interference call in the end zone, the ball sat at the 9-yard line. With 26 seconds left, Knight fired a pass to Jaydn Girard in the end zone for the win. Jesuit had just upset the sixth-ranked team in the nation.
Mistakes were the Achilles’ heel for the Raiders. They turned the ball over six times and committed 13 penalties. It’s safe to say that won’t be the case this week against American Heritage.
Written by: Dhruv Mohan
