Raiders’ defense is dominant in shutout
FORT LAUDERDALE — St. Thomas Aquinas coaches frequently like to yell out “Hold the rope!” to their defense as a sign of encouragement in key situations. If the rope equates to the goal line, the Raiders’ defense hasn’t budged all year.
In the season opener, St. Thomas held nationally ranked St. John Bosco (Ca.) to just three points. After shutting out Flanagan in Week 2, the defense went back to work Monday night.
Playing for the first time in 24 days due to Hurricane Irma, St. Thomas pitched its second shutout of the season, blanking Stranahan, 44-0. The Raiders chained up the Dragons’ offense, holding the visitors to -31 yards on 38 plays. St. Thomas Aquinas led 31-0 at halftime and played the majority of the second half with a running clock.
Senior linebacker Nik Bonitto put the Raiders on the board just three plays into the contest, returning a Stranahan (2-1) fumble 20 yards for a touchdown.
“It was great being back out there,” said Bonitto. “We just wanted to hit somebody else for a change. We’ve just been practicing against each other for the past two weeks.”
“[The defensive performance] just shows how hungry we’ve been for the past two weeks. How bad we’ve been wanting to play. I feel like our whole defense really showed [up] tonight.”
After the defensive touchdown, St. Thomas Aquinas (3-0) went to the air against the Dragons’ defense. On its first offensive series, junior quarterback Curt Casteel threw a quick out to Tavares Kelly, who then exploded down the sideline and sprinted past the defense for a 55-yard touchdown catch.
In the second quarter, Casteel connected with Georgia commit Elijah Moore for a 32-yard scoring hookup. Backup quarterback Kyle Engel later connected on a pair of touchdown passes, hitting Kelly and senior Caden Blanchard. Raiders fullback Joseph Lieble later scored on a 1-yard run.
St. Thomas Aquinas, ranked third in the nation by MaxPreps, now turns its attention to the West Coast as it prepares for a weekend road trip to Arizona. On Friday, the Raiders will play at Centennial High School, which is off to a 5-0 start this season.
This will mark the second straight year St. Thomas Aquinas will make a West Coast swing. Last season, the Raiders traveled to Nevada to face Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman.