First Half

Saint Thomas Aquinas played their rival, the Miramar Patriots, during STA’s annual Homecoming Game! Miramar opened the game with the ball, driving down the field to score an early touchdown. However, when attempting to score a field goal, the punt was blocked by Tavius Horne Jr., causing the score to remain at 6-0. After a slow first quarter for the Aquinas Raiders, they got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter with a 75-yard rushing touchdown from running back Jordan Lyle. Kicker Francesco Pileggi scored the extra field goal making the score 7-6. Later in the second quarter, the Aquinas Raiders offense struck again with a 14-yard fade to Chance Robinson and an additional extra point kicked by Francesco Pileggi. The Aquinas Raiders went into halftime with a 14-6 lead.  

Homecoming Court 

At halftime, St. Thomas Aquinas celebrated the annual Homecoming Court with our Lady Raiders. Crowned Homecoming Queen was senior Zoe Taylor alongside Delaney Fowler, Maddie Meltz, Hailey Miyamoto, Elaina Lopez, Nikki Reres, Gianna Lopez, Anya Bondarchuk, Sa’nie Clark, Talia Harriot, Meagan Mozard, and Ava Rannazzisi. These ladies exemplified the spirit and values of STA and shined bright as they graced across the football field. 

Second Half   

Coming out of halftime, the Aquinas Raiders received the ball with a return from James Madison II. The Raiders offense drove down the field with great play calls by the offensive coordinator and finished the drive with another fade route to senior Chance Robinson for a touchdown. After a defensive stop by the Aquinas Raiders, the offense went back in to score with a one-handed catch by Chance Robinson, making the score 28-6. The game wasn’t quite over yet with the Aquinas Raiders defense making impressive plays causing Miramar to have to return the ball.  The Aquinas Raiders offense drove down the field and kicked a 34-yard field goal lead by Francesco Pileggi, making the score 31-6. After a slow 4th quarter, defensive tackle Connor Lowe made a phenomenal play with an interception return for a touchdown with 1:56 remaining on the game clock. The game ended with a score of 38-6 with Aquinas Raiders taking home the gold! Here’s what the captains had to say about their performance: Cornerback Ryan Mack stated, “It was a needed win to continue to move onward and finish the season off strong.” Running back Jordan Lyle followed up with, “We all as a team have to play at 110%  on the field at all times.” Safety Allen Bryant concluded with, “The atmosphere helped me a lot to win my last Homecoming game in my senior year.”