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Fort Lauderdale, FL — The South Florida powerhouses have 15 state championships between them with St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) winning ten state titles to Miami Carol City’s five. Both are still very much in the state title hunt for the 2019 season, and tonight one team took one step closer to the postseason. That team was St. Thomas Aquinas as they pulled away in the second half to finish with a convincing 45-24 victory. The Raiders’ three non-offensive scores were the difference on the scoreboard.
“The scoreboard is not a true indicator of the game,” said Head Coach Roger Harriott. “It was really a hard-fought battle.”
Junior cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows (featured image, photo Credit: Jay Winbrow) scored on a pick sick and blocked a punt that led to a score for the Raiders. It was the third game in a row that American Heritage (Plantation) transfer McBurrows scored on a pick-six.
Junior cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows catches the overthrow and scores on the pick-six. @STA_Football up 14-6 on Carol City late in first half. @FootballHotbed pic.twitter.com/mx6wCtvOkb
— Marcus Benjamin (@_BenjaminReport) September 28, 2019
“Ja’Den McBurrows is a strong force of nature,” said Coach Harriott. “He’s having a great experience here at St. Thomas. He’s been a joy to coach. He works hard on and off the field.”
Carol City marched 80 yards down the field on the first drive of the game scoring on a 9-yard Keyone Jenkins touchdown pass to senior wide receiver D’Andre Stafford. The extra point was missed and Aquinas countered with a scoring drive of their own ending with a five-yard run by senior running back Jaedon Henry. The Raiders would take the lead with the extra point and would never trail for the remainder of the contest.
Just before the half, with Carol City backed up in their own end zone, McBurrows would catch an errant throw and charge over the goal line for a touchdown. Aquinas would go into halftime up 14-6.
“When the ball comes my way I just try to pick it off and take it to the house,” said McBurrows.
In the second half, an avalanche of events would be the Chief’s undoing. First, the Raiders would add to their lead with an impressive opening drive that would conclude with a 15-yard run from sophomore quarterback Zion Turner. Turner went 15 for 24 for 162 yards with the rushing touchdown.
The Raiders add to their lead as quarterback @_ZionTurner goes in for the score. @STA_Football up 21-6 over Carol City with 10:32 left in the 3rd quarter. @FootballHotbed pic.twitter.com/aS6JdCf51F
— Marcus Benjamin (@_BenjaminReport) September 28, 2019
“You tend to forget that he’s only a sophomore,” said Harriott. “He’s doing a great job. He’s growing every single week. His best days are definitely ahead of him.”
Zion Turner, QB, St. Thomas Aquinas Photo Credit: Pressure Athletics
Also in the third quarter, McBurrows made another big play in Chief territory. Coming off the edge on a punt, the 2021 defensive back got a hand on the football and senior DB Philjae Bien-Aime took it the rest of the way for a score. On the ensuing Chief possession, senior Damian Anderson would pounce on a jarred football and score on defense for the second time on the night. The Raiders would add a field goal in the 3rd quarter and would take a 38-6 lead to the final period.
Jenkins would connect with Alabama commit Thaiu Jones-Bell twice for touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the score look respectable. The first was a 60-yard touchdown pass and the second was on the last play of the game in the red zone. The freshman completed 18 of his 26 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns.
Florida commit Derek Wingo was everywhere on defense for Aquinas. The senior came off the edge, lined up on the defensive line and dropped back in coverage on several plays. He had an unofficial four tackles for loss and two sacks.
Derek Wingo, LB, St. Thomas Aquinas Photo Credit: Pressure Athletics
“Our guys are playing sound on the defensive side,” said Harriott. “They put a lot of work into ensuring that we’re efficient. We’re playing disciplined football. We have some guys that are not only talented but have a strong intellectual base as well.”
Next week, Aquinas (4-0) will travel to Jacksonville to take on the defending 8A state champs in Mandarin while Carol City (2-4) will be doing some traveling of their own to Ocala to battle Vanguard.
