Published Saturday October 20, 2007 in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Raiders shut out South Broward in district game
By Rick Menning, Special Correspondent
St. Thomas Aquinas rode a quick-strike offense and two defensive touchdowns to a 35-0 victory Friday at South Broward in a district matchup.
The Raiders (6-1) were held to one first down on each of their first two drives, but in between were staked to a 7-0 lead when junior linebacker Conor O'Neill recovered a fumble that was bouncing toward the sideline at the South Broward 17 and, in full stride, scrambled into the end zone. With neither team able to generate much offense, St. Thomas converted another turnover into a score five minutes before halftime. Senior defensive back Rodney Gillis intercepted a pass from Bulldogs quarterback Kurt Walsh at the South Broward 28, and Jeremiah Harden lunged across from 4 yards out to cap the ensuing drive and extend the lead to 14-0.
Just over three minutes later, the Raiders scored again. With the ball on the St. Thomas 45, Giovanni Bernard cut left for 16 yards to the Bulldogs' 39. On the next snap, junior quarterback Ryan Becker, who completed 8 of 13 passes for 91 yards, found Philip Pierre-Louis open downfield for a touchdown.
Harden rushed for 85 yards on seven carries, including a game-breaking play at the start of the second half. Harden took the handoff from Becker at his own 35, burst through the middle of the Bulldogs' line and raced untouched 65 yards for a 28-0 advantage after Brandon Parker kicked the fourth of his five extra points.
Matt Clark was the workhorse for South Broward (3-4), rushing for 68 yards on 19 carries
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