STA prepares to take on Mater Dei live on ESPN. PHOTO BY AQUINAS ATHLETICS
Against all odds, Saint Thomas Aquinas attempted to seek victory against the nation’s number one team, Mater Dei High School. Travelling over 2,000 miles from Santa Ana, CA; fans were excited to see how this was going to go down. This exhibition game was broadcast Saturday, August 23, on ESPN for the Broward County National Football Showcase of 2025. Mater Dei is rated the number one high school team in the nation, compared to STA ranked at number thirteen. Both teams are reigning state champions. Although St. Thomas Aquinas had a home field advantage; they lost 26-23. During halftime the score was 26:3 and it was not looking too good for the Raiders. Going into the third quarter, they started to make a comeback; although it was not enough to secure the win. One of the most valuable players of the game from STA was Mason Mallory, a three-star quarterback; who threw over 101 yards, moved the ball for 89 yards, and made a touchdown; according to MaxPreps. As four-star wide receiver; Julius Jones Junior said,“It doesn’t matter how you start, it matters how you finish and that’s what they remember.”
The day prior to August 23, American Heritage High School played Saint Joseph’s Prep from Pennsylvania. Heritage won with a score of 31-28; but were tied at 28-28 at one point in the game. Dia Bell is the quarterback at American Heritage and he is considered to be the #1 QB of the 2026 class. Bell made a touchdown to secure the win against St. Joseph’s Prep with less than 7 minutes remaining. During the game against St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Mater Dei, Bell was seen to be watching the game, as well as Jordan Lyle; Class of 2024. On Saturday evening, there were lightning delays, but despite the bad weather STA’s fans still showed up and supported their team. The “Rowdy Raiders”; St. Thomas Aquinas’ student section chanted “overrated” to the opposing team Mater Dei. Some of the football players at STA said they love hearing the negativity from their competitors, and that it drives them to play harder. Throughout the game, players like: Virgil Lemons (Class of 2027), Jones, and Mallory scored touchdowns.“We want to show everyone we are not quitters and as you can see we feed off of each other. Those guys believe in me and I believe in them,” said Mallory. Jermiyah Douglas is a Captain of the STA team; a three-star defensive back; made an interception during the fourth quarter. Due to an injury at the game vs Cardinal Mooney, captain Justice Fitzpatrick; Georgia commit, unfortunately was unable to play on Saturday. Even though STA did not defeat Mater Dei; they still were able to turn it around and have a strong finish to the game.