FORT LAUDERDALE — St. Thomas Aquinas senior quarterback Mason Mallory accounted for four touchdowns as the host Raiders got rolling after the first quarter and defeated McArthur 34-7 in a Class 5A regional final on Friday night.
St. Thomas Aquinas (12-1), ranked No. 12 nationally by MaxPreps, led 3-0 at the end of the first quarter and pulled away in the second quarter to jump ahead 17-0 entering halftime. The Raiders led 24-7 at the end of the third and held the Mustangs scoreless in the fourth.
Mallory had three passing touchdowns and rushed for another score in the victory. Senior Justice Fitzpatrick, junior Julius Jones and sophomore Levi Thomas each had touchdown catches.
“We have been preaching all week to start fast and finish fast,” Mallory said. “We kept putting the foot on the gas we stayed relentless. We executed perfectly today. We did our part and it showed. It’s a great feeling.”
Fitzpatrick, a Georgia commit and highly touted cornerback, stepped up at wide receiver with a 37-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.
“It’s definitely a great feeling and to contribute,” Fitzpatrick. “It was a great pass and great play. It’s surreal and it feels like the last four years flew by. It’s a bittersweet moment that we’re coming to the end of it. It’s my senior year and I want to close it out with another state championship. We need to take it one week at a time.”
St. Thomas Aquinas marched downfield on their opening possession. Senior kicker Johnny DiSalvatore converted a 26-yard field goal to make it 3-0.
The Raiders extended their lead in the second quarter. Junior running back Virgil Lemons had a 20-yard scamper to the McArthur 9-yard line. Mallory rushed for a 9-yard touchdown to make it 10-0 with 5:43 left in the second quarter.
The Raiders scored on their next possession late in the first half. Lemons had a 20-yard run and Thomas had a 19-yard reception on the drive. Mallory fired a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jones to push the lead to 17-0 with 25 seconds left in the first half. McArthur (10-3) responded on the opening drive of second half.
Senior Javarius Robinson threw a 27-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Semaj Flowers to the Raiders 21. Senior running back Kenson Louis stepped up with an 11-yard run. Robinson rushed for a 10-yard score to cut the deficit to 17-7 with 7:26 left in the third.
Mallory had a 54-yard touchdown pass to Jones called back due to a holding penalty later in the third. Mallory connected with Fitzpatrick for a 37-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 24-7 with 1:23 left in the third quarter.
McArthur converted on a fake punt running play to extend their drive on the first play of the fourth quarter. However, the Mustangs offense stalled again and were forced to punt during the series.
The Mustangs were stopped on a run up the middle on fourth down at their own 45 with 6:27 left. Senior Jaden Desir had a 25-yard touchdown run called back on a holding penalty for the Raiders on the ensuing drive. Mallory tossed a 4-yard scoring pass to Thomas to make it 31-7 with 3:55 left.
DiSalvatore drilled a 23-yard field goal with 56 seconds remaining to make it 34-7.
The St. Thomas Aquinas defense has allowed 13 or fewer points in all three playoff wins and was led by several impact players in the regional final, including junior Wyatt Smith, senior Phillip Goodrich Jr. and senior Daniel Norman.
“We played well in all three phases,” St. Thomas Aquinas coach Roger Harriott said. “Our defense was flying around and they handled the assignment. The coaches did a good job getting them ready. Mason played well and we have a good supporting cast around him.”
St. Thomas Aquinas previously defeated McArthur 31-7 earlier in the season in September. McArthur had won eight consecutive games entering the regional final.
The Raiders have won a state record six consecutive Class 5A state championships and have won 34 straight playoff games.