By Dave Brousseau
HOLLYWOOD – Clinging to a single point lead, St. Thomas Aquinas, the No. 1 team in the nation, was on the verge having their 19-game winning streak end abruptly as placekicker Dylan Semmartin lined up for a 33-yard field goal.
Wyatt Smith, a 6-6 senior defensive end who is headed to Ohio State University and one of the best in the country, saved the day for the No. 1 ranked team on the nation when he extended his lengthy frame blocking the attempt with 1:28 left in regulation.
The Raiders, who were making their first ever trip to the Hollywood camps for a varsity football game, ran out the clock to remain undefeated with a 21-20 victory Friday night before the largest crowd ever at this school that has watched many big games over the years.
“This a really big outcome,” said Smith, who is among the top sack leaders in Florida. “We’ve been wrapping this in practice every single day, for moments like this. This was my first block on a big game. We’re going to finish through the whistle. We always say play through 48 and we did.”
It was the second blocked kick of the game for the Raiders, the other on an extra-point attempt that would have given Chaminade a 14-point lead.
“Otherwise, we dominated the game,” said Chaminade-Madonna coach Damien Jones when asked about the two blocked kicks that determined the outcome. “They are the ‘best’ team in the country and we dominated them. But you can’t play football without special teams, and we gave up points in that area. That came back to bite us.”
The Raiders (6-0) rallied from a 20-7 third quarter deficit on a three-yard run by Ryan Mathis with 4:36 left in the quarter. They took the lead on another Mathis touchdown when back-up quarterback Cody Conness completes a middle screen pass to the senior running back with 10:55 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Despite the loss, Chaminade still leads the all-time series 8-5, with the all-time point deferential of five points (277-272) in the Lions favor.
The last time Aquinas survived a one-point victory came in the third game of the 2023 season with a 37-36 win over Cocoa. How rare has a single point victory been for the Raiders. Well, prior to the win over Cocoa, it was a 13-12 victory over Pompano Beach Blanche Ely in a first-round playoff game in 2007.
The last two times, the Raiders won the state championship.
“Our kids put in so much time and opportunity to put in a great effort exposing their talent to the world,” said Aquinas’ coach Roger Harriott. “Chaminade has nothing to hang their hat on. It’s not the outcome they expected. I’m proud of both sides.”
Chaminade-Madonna (4-2) proved they had grit in the attempt to win this rivalry game.
They stopped Aquinas on a potential clinching touchdown inside the one-yard line with a successful goal-line stand with 6:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Junior quarterback Brady Quinn guided Lions into scoring position and a potential game-winning drive that would have covered 99 yards. He finished his night with 18 completions for 263 yards and a touchdown. He also had two rushing scores on 1 and 18 yards that gave the Lions a 14-7 lead at the half, finishing the night with 88 rushing yards.
Quinn also threw a short touchdown pass to Tromon Isaac Jr. on the Lions first possession of the second half for the 20-7 lead. Isaac finished with six catches for 145 yards.
Aquinas will look to extend their winning streak to 21 games when they host McArthur next Friday. Chaminade-Madonna will play at Cardinal Newman, the defending Class 2A state champ, in a key district game.
Dave Brousseau is a veteran journalist who worked at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and is a longtime BCAA Correspondent. Need to reach out to him? Contact him at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.