On Friday September 2, St. Thomas Aquinas (1-0) played host to Cardinal Gibbons for a friendly football game. The only problem was that Aquinas was not a pleasant host, putting Cardinal Gibbons Redskins (0-1) in the dark 35-3, while restoring power in its state ranking. Considered one of the best teams in the state, St. Thomas proved its dominance on both sides of the ball, controlling the line of scrimmage the entire game.

Aquinas’ was led by junior quarterback, Wesley Carroll,who threw four touchdown passes completing 8-11 for 196 yards.

“I was nervous at first, but after scoring on our first drive, I became more relaxed and into the flow of the game better,” said Carroll.

St. Thomas offense scored on its opening possession with a 16-yard run off left tackle by Bobby Crawford, 5’8 senior running back, to give Aquinas a 7-0 score.

Aquinas’ second score was delivered in the second quarter when Carroll roll to his right side linking up with Crawford on a 51-yard screen pass on the left side to increase the lead 14-0. After another Gibbons’ punt, St. Thomas continued to take advantage of its size up front and speed at the skill positions.

With 2:23 left in the second quarter, Carroll connected with Leonard Hankerson, 6’3 junior wide receiver, on 41-yard touchdown pass to enhance the score 21-0 at halftime.

At the beginning of the third quarter, the lights when out in the stadium with 10:38 remaining. This delayed both St. Thomas’ offense and the game for 20 minutes. However, when the lights were restored, so did Aquinas’ offense, as Carroll connected with Steven Brown, 5’11 senior wide receiver. This 17-yard touchdown pass pushed the Aquinas’ lead to 28-0.

Legendary coach George Smith, Aquinas head coach, indicates the importance of preparing for a big game. “I always tell my players to play hard the entire game and good things will happen. Compete on every play and have confidence in what you are doing. Those are keys to being successful. Also, the kids have been waiting for this first game two weeks ago due to the hurricane. That was motivation itself,” said Smith.

The final scoring drive for the Aquinas was capped with a Carroll 24-yard touchdown pass across the middle to Hankerson expanding the score 35-0.

Gibbons final got on the board with 4:51 remaining in the fourth quarter as Blair Walsh, 5’9 sophomore place-kicker, hits a 24-yard field goal.

This will be a building block for the Redskins as they prepare for Coral Springs Taravella (1-1) next week. For St. Thomas, they will host Plantation (0-1)