St. Thomas Aquinas High School Football

Published Sunday October 15, 2006 in The Miami Herald

ST. THOMAS 27, HOLLYWOOD HILLS 0

St. Thomas Aquinas cruises to win

St. Thomas Aquinas defeated district rival Hollywood Hills, which only gained 67 total offensive yards, and it shut down the county's rushing leader.

BY JOSEPH GOODMAN

jgoodman@MiamiHerald.com

So this is how St. Thomas Aquinas rebounds after a loss -- by shutting down the county's best running back and shutting out a district opponent.

One week removed from its first regular-season loss since 2004, St. Thomas beat Hollywood Hills 27-0 on Saturday at Lockhart Stadium.

The Raiders' defense held Hollywood Hills to 67 total offensive yards. Hollywood Hills junior running back Chris Anderson, the county's rushing leader, gained just 54 yards on 21 carries.

''It was very good to see after the way we played last week,'' St. Thomas coach George Smith said. "We didn't talk at all about last week after Saturday. It's like it didn't even happen.''

St. Thomas (6-1, 3-0 in District 16-5A) moved one game closer to earning a playoff berth and a district championship. All that separates St. Thomas from the playoffs is McArthur and Western, which is struggling to find an offense. Saturday's win, the Raiders 16th in a row at Lockhart, was St. Thomas' 38th consecutive district win, a streak dating back to a 1996 loss to Piper. Smith, coaching in his 30th season, now needs two wins to reach 300 for his career.

''It was all about respect tonight,'' said St. Thomas senior Vincent Zann, who played defensive tackle Saturday and helped shut down Hollywood Hills' running game. ``We know we lost that respect, and today was all about getting it back and proving that we're not just some garbage team but a contender for state.''

While St. Thomas Aquinas can coast to a district championship, Hollywood Hills (5-2, 2-1) plays its most important game of the season next week, a district game against rival South Broward.

The winner will likely make the playoffs. The loser will miss the postseason.

St. Thomas' defense wasn't the only improvement from last week's 18-15 loss to Deerfield Beach. Junior running back Jeremiah Harden entered Saturday's District 16-5A game hoping to make up for a dreadful, multiple-fumble game. Harden redeemed himself with 154 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.

''I know I had a bad game last week, and I wanted to come back and prove that I'm good,'' Harden said.

Mission accomplished.

Harden's 1-yard touchdown run with 10:29 left in the third quarter gave St. Thomas Aquinas a two touchdown lead. The score was set up by a muffed Hollywood Hills kickoff to start the second half.

Jeffery Fuller recovered the loose ball at the nine-yard line.

While Hollywood Hills' special teams floundered, St. Thomas Aquinas' kicking teams offered several key plays that led to short drives and easy scores.

With 2:59 left in the third quarter, St. Thomas punter Mickey Groody dropped a kick at the Hollywood Hills' 2. Hollywood Hills went three-and-out and St. Thomas got the ball back at the 30-yard line.

A Hollywood Hills personal foul moved St. Thomas into field goal range and Raiders' kicker Wes Byrum made a 23-yard field goal to give St. Thomas a 20-0 lead.

When St. Thomas did make a mistake -- a fumble inside the red zone with 8:25 left in the game -- Hollywood Hills' one-dimensional offense could do nothing. Another poor punt gave St. Thomas the ball at the Hollywood Hills 25. St. Thomas needed just four rushing plays to reach the end zone. A nine-yard run by Harden and a Byrum extra point put St. Thomas ahead 27-0.

''We're just going to have to get better at all aspects of the game,'' Hollywood Hills coach Al Lang said. "We've got to be a better team than we were tonight.''