MitchMash: Aquinas-Byrnes stretched all boundaries

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Imagine going to the Oscars and then getting invited to Oprah’s after party.

Or, how about getting tickets to "Oprah" and then scoring one of her hidden, hefty gift baskets?

Or, just forget Oprah altogether, and just imagine your favorite desert with whip or ice cream … after the Oscars, Oprah and opening a gift basket.

That – in the world of high school football – is what St. Thomas Aquinas’ whirling-dervish, 42-34 victory over Byrnes was like before approximately 16,000 fans at Lockhart Stadium and a national television audience Friday night.

This one had it all, including pregame jawing, celebrity sightings, electrifying runs, bonehead mistakes, heroes, goats, comebacks, trick plays, fake punts, pin-point passes, speed demons, hellacious hits, 861 yards, a 93-yard kickoff return, a blocked field goal, a fumble return for touchdown, gobs of Division I talent, numerous Division I college coaches, and speed, speed and more speed.

Whew!

And most amazing of all, it occurred following more buildup and hoopla than an "American Idol" finale. This, after all, was just the fourth meeting ever of the nation’s top-two high school football teams, earning it the tag Super Prep Bowl IV.

No doubt about it, this one was the most entertaining of all of them.

Right down to one of the game’s most visible and vocal stars – 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior Lamarcus Joyner. "This showed the world that we’re No. 1," he shouted from a yellow Aquinas school bus that left the premises.

Joyner was also the lad who felt disrespected that Byrnes would not kick the ball away from him after closing to 28-21 early in the fourth quarter.

He paid his respects with an electrifying 93-yard kickoff return for touchdown, one of five scores on the night that were 39 yards or longer.

"We call that an automatic six when Lamarcus Joyner is back on the return," of all people, Lamarcus Joyner said.

In almost all cases, such a third-person remark – especially from a teen – would turn the stomach, but somehow on this night, it fit. This game stretched all boundaries, pushed all limits and invigorated all senses.

Even the highly ballyhooed Aquinas secondary – with at least three Division I players, including Joyner, the nation’s top-ranked cornerback – was elongated beyond all recognition by Rutgers-bound quarterback Chas Dodd and a bushel of outstanding receivers.

Dodd completed 26-of-44 passes for 416 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions. Almost all of the receptions were highly contested, but Dodd threaded needles and his receivers, led by Jazz King (nine catches, 156 yards, two TDs), made tough catches.

Despite outgaining the top-ranked Raiders 558-303, Byrnes fell short. At least on the scoreboard.

The team’s coaching staff pulled out all the stops with double-passes, fake punts, a fumble-rooski and at least a dozen snaps worth of the trendy Wildcat offense with either star running back Marcus Lattimore or fleet receiver Nick Jones behind center in shotgun formation.

They liked to call it "Nitro." They were prodded to invent it because of Aquinas’ enormous athletic bounds, which in the end proved decisive. All the trickery and all the yards and effort couldn’t overcome the flat-out acrobatic plays made by Joyner, Phillip Dorset on a 73-yard catch-and-run worthy of any highlight reel and a nimble 39-yard fumble recovery by defensive lineman Ken Hankerson.

All the superb coaching in the Sunshine State by Florida Hall of Fame coach George Smith and staff, which is considerable, couldn’t draw up those results. And that’s what made this game so breathtaking, so impossible to take your eyes from.

"I think everybody came to play today," Dodd said. "Everyone knew what was at stake. Everyone put forth their best effort."

But as in life, game and drama, there is always a sad tale, and in this case – almost appropriately so – it was told by the most unlikely source. Lattimore, the top recruit in the game and most popular Byrnes player, fumbled four times, three that were recovered by Aquinas.

One was returned for a touchdown, another after Byrnes had driven 62 yards to the Aquinas 16 and the last one came on a rushed pitch from Dodd on third-and-goal from the Raiders’ 6 late in the third quarter. After each turnover, Lattimore was consoled by teammates immediately. But following the last one, he avoided all contact, found a vacant spot behind the bench and set one knee down to pray.

Clearly, he was searching for answers.

In the biggest stage of his young life – he’ll certainly play on bigger ones – his strong, sure hands that have drawn interest from every Division I school in the nation had betrayed him. Even though he finished with superb numbers – 23 rushes, 118 yards, two touchdowns; eight catches, 94 yards – he remained amiss after the game.

When he finally gathered himself 20 minutes after the gun to talk to reporters, he thanked his teammates: "My team stuck with me the whole time," he said with welled eyes. "They love me. Every time I had a fumble, they all came up and told me, ‘It’s OK.’ "

And clearly it will be for Lattimore, a 6-foot, 215-pound bull who is rated the No. 3 recruit in the nation overall. He’s earmarked to be a college star and maybe even play on Sundays. But on this Sunday he’ll still be hurting, a fact even his opponents seemed to have empathy for.

When asked about holding Lattimore in check, Aquinas linebacker and leading tackler Vincent Mauro, a Division I talent himself, said: "I have great respect for that kid. He’s a great player. He’s strong and fast and got all the tools. He’s not only a great player but a great person. It was awesome just to go against him."

For all its flash and glimmer, the game even featured some humility, and certainly humanity.

Mauro, absolutely exhausted from chasing down the Rebels, walked slowly out of the locker room, feeling every effect from one utterly super game that surpassed one utterly hyped-up week .

"You have to beat the best to be the best," said Mauro, who had a game-high 11 tackles and a forced fumble. "And that’s the best team I’ve ever faced and probably will ever face in high school. With that quarterback (Dodd) and (Lattimore) and those great big defensive linemen. …It would suck to lose a game like that."

Mauro’s cheeks quickly raised and his face got real bright.

"But from our standpoint, there’s no better feeling," he said. "I’m so fortunate to be on this team. We practice so hard every week. We deserved this and I’m so very happy."

10 more takes from Fort Lauderdale

1. The shenanigans that ignited things 30 minutes before hand were just that – shenanigans. The Byrnes players locked arms in their end zone and did a march toward midfield, which is something they always do. For some reason, once near midfield, they started jawing and flailing fists at the Aquinas players, some of whom took a step forward. It added some fun and excitement, but it’s really hard to figure the purpose. Why shake up the already quite alert Raiders? It set a tone that frankly had already been set.

2. From the yin of Joyner’s flair we present the yang of Aquinas’ other big hero, junior quarterback Jacob Rudock, who tossed four touchdowns in his first big game under the hot lights and deflected all attention. "When our receivers and backs get the ball, they don’t look back," he said. "My job is pretty easy. Get them the ball. They do the hard part."

3. No wonder Mauro, in the same humble mold, gushed over Rudock, a first-year starter: "I love that kid. He’s growing up every day. He’s confident, cool and collected. He’s going to be a great player."

4. The most grateful person in the stands had to be Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, who watched his future quarterback Dodd put on a show. Not terribly big – 5-11, 170 – Dodd managed the pocket beautifully, threw the ball on the run and showed an extremely strong and accurate arm.

5. Schiano wasn’t the only high-profile coach milling the sidelines before the game. Florida’s Urban Meyer and Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops were also in attendance. Others spotted were former NFL receiver Antonio Freeman and a pair of former Aquinas standouts, Major Wright and Marcus Gilbert, now starring for college football’s No. 1 squad, Florida. Is this school No. 1 in everything?

6. Besides landing the game’s most surprising standout, Schiano also had the night’s most honest quotes, telling Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Love South Florida. Love the talent that comes out of here." He also told Hyde that he took a special flight to the game on a small eight-seat plane. "I’ve got six empty seats to take players back," he joked. … Sort of.

7. Even though Aquinas prevailed, you got the feeling the Raiders weren’t entirely comfortable with the victory. No one could remember the last time someone piled up more than a half-century of yards on them.

8. I’ve seen a couple of California state sprint champions – Jahvid Best and Kenny O’Neal – show explosive speed on the gridiron, but Joyner’s 52-yard touchdown reception was truly like watching lightning unleashed from a bottle. He made some very talented, fast kids look very average.

9. Almost as jaw-dropping was the ground Aquinas senior safety Keion Payne made deflecting what looked like a sure touchdown bomb from Dodd to King late in the second quarter. King had a good seven yards on the secondary, Dodd laid it out in front, but Payne kicked it into another gear and tipped it away at the last moment. Wow.

10. If you think Aquinas’ football team is No. 1, check out its website. Another wow.

Lastly, I wanted to thank the hospitality of the entire Aquinas staff, especially the superb stat and press box crew that made our lives considerably easier.