No. 1 Mater Dei holds on for win over St. Thomas Aquinas No. 14

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – It only took an extra 90 minutes to wait for, but the Broward County Classic High School Football Showcase’s premier matchup between Mater Dei and St. Thomas Aquinas took place Saturday evening. 

If there was more time on the clock, things might’ve looked a little different for the Raiders at the end.

Though the Monarchs didn’t score a single point in the second half, they didn’t exactly need to as they held on for a 26-16 victory over the Raiders. 

”Well, first of all, much credit to St. Thomas Aquinas. Their kids played hard and I know they’re well coached,” Mater Dei head coach Raul Lara said. 
“I know there’s a lot of great athletes over there and a lot of great athletes that have came out of this program. Coaches are doing a wonderful job.”

Wisconsin commit Ryan Hopkins shines 

If the first quarter seemed like a lackluster period for Mater Dei quarterback Ryan Hopkins, he really heated up in the second with his star-studded wide receiving corps. 

Hopkins by intermission had completed 8 of 14 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns as Chris Henry Jr. was the main target, finishing with four catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. 

The future Badger rarely looked rattled or distressed at any point, with the Monarchs (1-0) cruising throughout the second half to an insurmountable lead. Hopkins finished the game completing 13 of 23 passes for 282 yards and three scores.

With being able to get a look at St. John Bosco and Mater Dei on back to back days, we can safely say we can’t wait to see the two rivals square off on Halloween. 

St. Thomas Aquinas couldn’t avoid turnovers 

The Raiders (0-1) are known as one of the most well disciplined teams in the Sunshine State, and that includes taking care of the football on offense. 

That was an area of the game that St. Thomas Aquinas couldn’t check off their box on Saturday afternoon, coughing the football twice against the nation’s No. 1 team. 

Whether it was senior Mason Mallory (16 of 27, 97 yards) or junior Cody Conness behind center, neither could avoid turning over the ball to the Monarchs via interceptions. With how good the Monarchs were playing up front, it almost didn’t matter what the Raiders did in trying on offense. 

The good thing for the Raiders is that Mater Dei is the best team they’ll play all season long and everyone else will not be of the Monarchs’ caliber. Winning a 17th state title is still the goal and one game doesn’t change that. 

Mater Dei’s Chris Henry Jr. was unstoppable

People from all around South Florida came to watch the Raiders attempt to upset the Monarchs and instead watch Mater Dei dominate for most of the evening. 

High school football fans got a good look at one of the best wide receivers in the country in Ohio State five-star commitment Chris Henry Jr., who put on a show for the faithful. 

The future Buckeye finished with a state line of four catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. 

St. Thomas Aquinas’ defense did a good job of taking Henry Jr. away in the second half, containing the elite pass catcher to no catches in the final two quarters.