HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Dylan Semmartin got a hand on Chaminade-Madonna’s 33-yard field goal attempt with 1:18 remaining, and No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas survived a Friday night heavyweight fight, 21-20, to improve to 6-0 on the season.
The Raiders were outgained by 240 yards and trailed by as many as 13, but they never blinked, scoring the final 14 points of the game to stay unbeaten and extend their road winning streak to nine straight games dating back to last season. Chaminade-Madonna, a top-five team in Florida, falls to 4-2.
Quinn Keeps the Lions in Front
Chaminade-Madonna quarterback Brady Quinn was brilliant for most of the night, accounting for all three Lions touchdowns. He opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run, added an 18-yard scoring run in the second quarter to make it 14-7, and capped the third-quarter drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Tromon Isaac Jr. that pushed the lead to 20-7.
Quinn finished with 263 passing yards on 76 percent completions and rushed for 88 yards and two scores on just eight carries. Isaac was his go-to target, finishing with 145 receiving yards and the touchdown grab.
Raiders Rally Behind Mathis and Calixte
St. Thomas Aquinas answered every time it needed to. Ryan Mathis found the end zone twice, including touchdowns covering 8 and 3 yards, the second of which cut the deficit to 20-14 in the third quarter. In the fourth, quarterback Blake Calixte kept it himself on a 10-yard touchdown run to give the Raiders their first lead at 21-20.
The Lions had one more chance. Chaminade-Madonna drove into field-goal range with the clock winding down, but Semmartin’s block with 1:18 left ended the threat and preserved the win. Zayden Gamble also came up with an interception for the Raiders, one of the few takeaways in a game where Chaminade-Madonna controlled much of the yardage.
Why It Matters
The 21 points marked St. Thomas Aquinas’ lowest scoring output of the season, a sign of how much Chaminade-Madonna’s offense, led by Quinn, challenged the Raiders’ defense. But championship programs find ways to win when they aren’t at their best, and Aquinas did just that on the road against one of South Florida’s most dangerous teams.
Chaminade-Madonna had the yards and the lead, but couldn’t turn its advantage into enough points. The Lions will look to regroup, while the Raiders move to 6-0 with another gutsy road win in the books.
Football Hotbed will have more from around South Florida as the season continues.
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