By Dave Brousseau

SOUTHWEST RANCHES – The final score of the St. Thomas Aquinas and Archbishop McCarthy football reflected the lopsided outcome in the first meeting between these two schools.

The combination of a dominate run game and stingy defense keyed the Raiders 40-7 District 15-5A victory on Friday.

The win extended the Aquinas (5-0) winning streak to 19 games, tying the fourth most in team history.

Senior running back Ryan Mathis led the team with 107 rushing yards on six carries, including scoring runs of 16 and 58 yards as part of a 27-0 lead in the first half.

Overall, the combination of Mathis, quarterback Blake Calixte, Omar Gonzalez Jr., Jacquez Burley and Virgil Lemons finished with 288 yards on 24 carries and six touchdowns.

Senior running back Tyler Reid and team rushing leader had only three carries for 70 yards, all coming in the opening quarter.

Calixte was also consistent with the passing game with 18 completions for 158 yards. At one point he completed 12 passes on 14 attempts.

“We always have to improve, because there are the little things we need to take care of,” said St. Thomas coach Roger Harriott. “That’s how our team evolves over the course of the year.”

“I think we still need to find our rhythm offensively, while out defense and special team are doing a quality job,” Harriott continued.

The Raiders defense held the Mavericks (2-2) to 53 rushing yards on 19 carries. McCarthy’s lone score came on a 63-yard pass from Malik Denson from Nate Merrell Jr. in the third quarter.

The Raiders will have a bye-week before facing Chaminade-Madonna on the road on Oct. 2. Chaminade leads the all-time series 7-5 dating back to the first meeting between the two schools in 1963.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS FOOTBALL

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.