Published on Wednesday November 28, 2007 in The Miami Herald
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL | ST. THOMAS
Aquinas keeps winning tradition intact
St. Thomas Aquinas, which has qualified for the playoffs 26 times, is one game away from playing the most postseason football games in Florida.
BY BOB EMANUEL JR.
bemanuel@MiamiHerald.com
For most of George Smith's tenure at St. Thomas Aquinas, his teams reigned among the state's best.
The program qualified for the playoffs 26 times, just one appearance behind leader Jacksonville Bolles in the history of the Florida High School Athletic Association's football championships, dating to 1963. The Raiders are tied with Miami Monsignor Pace with 17 consecutive playoff appearances.
With history within reach, it should come as little surprise that St. Thomas remains one of Broward's remaining football teams in the 2007 playoffs. The Raiders, who play host to Melbourne Palm Bay (9-3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, will make state history by playing their 81th postseason game.
''The whole thing is about finding a way to win,'' said former St. Thomas quarterback Wesley Carroll, who graduated in 2007 and is a freshman starter at Mississippi State. ''That's always been the motto of St. Thomas. Coach Smith, just one way or another . . . find leaders and fill in the roles of people who left.''
BEGINNING STAGES
The Raiders qualified for the state playoffs for the first time in 1971. Within a few seasons, they were a staple. St. Thomas qualified for the playoffs eight out of 10 seasons beginning in 1977.
''The lasting memory in my mind is 1975,'' said Smith, who coached the Raiders from 1975-92, and has been at the helm for his second run since 1995. ''Our whole objective, when we got in there, was you've got to win some games so you don't get fired and you put kids into school, give them [every opportunity to go to college] . In those early years, they were going to . . . places nobody ever heard of, but they went and they were successful.''
The first marquee recruits under Smith (linebacker Steve Reich to Kentucky and defensive lineman Bill Farrell to LSU) signed following the 1976 season.
''It's kind of evolved where kids have gone everywhere now,'' Smith said.
The 1983 team, which featured Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin's only season as a Raider, produced the school's second undefeated regular season in Smith's career and reached the state semifinals.
St. Thomas followed that with another undefeated regular season in 1984.
''Playing in the middle 80s, we were just happy to make the playoffs,'' said Tim Conrad, a kicker during the 1983-84 seasons and the team's current kicking and special teams coach.
''Getting as far as we did in 1983 to the state semifinals was absolutely groundbreaking. It was historical and monumental. You felt fulfilled. Today's St. Thomas Aquinas, them making it that far is something that is commonplace. Actually, if we were to lose in the state semifinals nowadays, it's almost a disappointing season.''
After a four-year playoff drought in which the team went 26-14 from 1987-1990, Aquinas began its streak.
The Raiders returned to the playoffs in 1991 and advanced to the Class 4A title game. A year later, they won their first state championship under Smith, when they beat Tallahassee Leon 28-9 in the Class 4A final.
''It's something you can say, as a player, we started, that class, this tradition off by being the first,'' said Daryl Porter, a senior running back on championship team who went on to play in the NFL before returning to Aquinas as an assistant coach.
Smith stepped down for two seasons and was replaced by Mike Spencer, who is now the coach at Archbishop McCarthy.
Smith, 315-65 in his Aquinas career, returned to the sideline in 1995 and led St. Thomas to the state final the next year. Aquinas won its second title in 1997 and its third in 1999.
''I thought in the early '90s, we made a great run,'' Smith said. ''I got out, and Mike Spencer took over. He did a nice job and continued that on. He decided to go over to the west coast, and I took the job back. Our staff has been together all those years, and that's kind of what carried it over -- our staff. We added young guys that are very good coaches. They cared about where we're at and what we've done.''
AMONG THE BEST
The Raiders made the state final again in 2000 and 2001 before beginning their three-year streak of title game appearances in 2004.
Each of the past three seasons ended with losses to Lakeland.
''A lot of high school students really don't have the opportunity to go to state one time in their whole life in any sport,'' Carroll said. ''We were fortunate enough to go three years in a row. That's just a tribute to the program, the tradition itself.
'We went our junior year when we had all the linemen and all the [Division I-A] prospects. Some of those guys were kidding around, saying, `You guys won't go back next year. You don't have all the athletes you need.' But we had just as good, if not a better year, my senior year.''
Two more victories would give the Raiders a fourth consecutive title appearance, a feat never accomplished by a larger classification school in state history. Belle Glade Glades Day, coached by current American Heritage coach Byron Walker, made seven title games from 1982-88.
First, the Raiders must beat Palm Bay (9-3) this week. The Pirates did not complete a pass in last week's 28-9 victory over Melbourne. A victory would give Aquinas a state semifinal matchup against the Cape Coral-Largo winner.
''It's a great feeling,'' Raiders senior receiver Philip Pierre-Louis said of the program's recent run. ''It's a whole lot of practice and a whole lot of hard work and determination.''
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