8 takes: St. Thomas Aquinas is nation's new football king

After St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) romped past De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) by a 30-6 score Friday, MaxPreps senior writer Mitch Stephens looks at eight takes from the aftermath of the nationally televised contest:

1. THE TORCH HAS BEEN PASSED

With Aquinas' decisive victory over visiting De La Salle, the Raiders now lay a stake as the nation's top high school football program.

At least that's how I see it and for these reasons:



Longevity. These Raiders aren't just some up-and-comers. Under George Smith, St. Thomas had won six previous state and two mythical national crowns. He won 361 games in what most consider the hotbed of high school football talent – South Florida.

Coaching. Smith handed the reins to charismatic and young — but established — coach Rocco Casullo, who had paid his dues on campus for 10 years and comes from a rich coaching background, as his dad Bob is the Oakland Raiders' special teams coach. Beyond that he's got a deep 16-man staff that includes regional mainstays and longtime St. Thomas assistants.

Talent. C'mon. It's South Florida, it's a private school with an impeccable tradition not only in football, but all sports. Though coaching can enhance talent, a high school can not produce 50 current Division I players in a five-year span and eight NFL players over the last decade without tremendous God-given tools.

Performance. Comparing high school programs on paper or even through film or TV is still subjective. The proof is this: The Raiders have gone outside state boundaries seven times and they've recorded seven wins, finished off with the slaying of the prep kings, De La Salle.

Yes, Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) can make a very similar claim – and actually has knocked off De La Salle twice. But I think St. Thomas' longevity and the region it competes in and quality of opponents it plays every season gives it a slight nod.

I think that's a new matchup someone should arrange: Don Bosco Prep versus Aquinas.



Here are seven more takes from Fort Lauderdale on the heels of St. Thomas' victory over De La Salle.

De La Salle not nearly done (continue reading) {PAGEBREAK} 2. DON'T STICK A FORK IN DE LA SALLE

One game does not do in the Spartans. In fact, I think they'll run the table and get picked again to represent Northern California for the CIF's Open Division.

Other than ball security – four lost turnovers – and continued quarterback struggles, this wasn't as lopsided as the final score indicated.

Make no mistake, those are two critical areas in any game, but both are fixable.

On the major plus side, De La Salle's smallish front moved St. Thomas' massive line and averaged almost five yards per carry (not counting sacks). Until the final series, it also limited Aquinas' major running game to less than four yards per carry. The dynamic Aquinas duo of Fred Coppet and Dami Ayoola was held to a combined 79 yards on 21 carries.

"Those guys on defense come up and stick," Casullo said. "They're really, really good. I know we won, but we're beat up."



The problem at quarterback is simply a mystery and will get resolved. Bart Houston has been absolutely nails since early in his sophomore season, but has struggled badly in his first three games of his senior year.

Playing the position – especially at a high-profile school – carries a tremendous burden. I can't imagine that pressure, even at the high school level. He's a great character kid and obviously has great tools. He made the finals of the Elite 11 camp. We predict he'll get it worked out and lead De La Salle to another championship and look forward to telling that comeback story.

This was his first varsity loss by the way. He's 27-1 controlling the keys to the De La Salle sports car. On Friday, the Spartans just threw a rod. It's expensive but surely fixable.

Max is mad with game (continue reading) {PAGEBREAK} 3. MAX LESCANO IS MONEY

Any kid with a 4.8 grade point average is going to be solid. But what I like about Aquinas quarterback Max Lescano is that he's fearless and athletic to boot. That makes him a perfect high school quarterback.

He's not going to get major Division I looks because of his size – he's 5-foot-10, 185 pounds – and he doesn't have a big-league arm, but he's got everything else and then some.



He was the difference on Friday. In the face of third-down situations and De La Salle's fast, frantic and smart defense, Lescano was just one step ahead, both mentally and physically. He used his 4.51-second 40-yard dash speed to escape trouble and hit the corner numerous times.

"The kid is really good," De La Salle coach Bob Ladouceur said. "Maybe even better than we expected. He found a way to get outside and get away. He really hurt us."

Lescano not only completed 9 of 15 passes for 152 yards, but he rushed for a team-best 58 yards on eight carries.  He's why the Raiders converted eight third downs and generally broke De La Salle's spirit.

Beyond all that, afterwards he couldn't have been a classier kid. He's being recruited by all the Ivy League schools, but is leaning toward Princeton, which plans to keep him as a quarterback (other places want him at other positions).

"Those guys (De La Salle) are really good," he said. "They're relentless. They never gave up."

Special teams are special (continue reading) {PAGEBREAK} 4. AQUINAS SPECIAL TEAMS ARE VERY SPECIAL
 
As usual, special teams get lost among all the touchdown makers and big-hitters on defense. But unquestionably, more than the offense and defense, Aquinas won this battle.

Kicker Nolan Bieck was absolutely nails, drilling field goals of 40, 23 and 20 yards but more importantly, driving seven straight kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.



Casullo had gushed about De La Salle's special teams before the game, especially on kickoff returns, but Bieck completely negated that area by making the Spartans start at the 20 each series.

Without a breakaway threat this season, De La Salle had to be flawless for at least 8 to 10 plays to score – not normally a problem. But on this night, it couldn't sustain and eventually turned the ball over.

With a shorter field, the Spartans may have been able to put a touchdown or two up on the board. Bieck never made that an option.

"(Bieck) is great," Lescano said. "That's absolutely nothing new. He does that every game. I'm hoping he joins me at Princeton."

Bieck would be the 12th straight Aquinas kicker to play at a Division I school.

De La Salle's special linebacker (continue reading) {PAGEBREAK} 5. MICHAEL BARTON IS BETTER THAN ADVERTISED



Aquinas' coaching staff and Lescano went on at length throughout the week about how good De La Salle linebacker Michael Barton looked on film.

He looked even better in person.

The 6-1, 211-pound senior who has committed to Cal was all over the field, not only making tackles but exalting his team.

"He wouldn't let them quit," Lescano said. "He's really, really good."

Aquinas back makes it look fun (continue reading) {PAGEBREAK} 6. FRED COPPET HAS FUN

Aquinas' 5-9, 175-pound junior tailback had modest numbers by his standards (15 carries, 57 yards) but his contributions are far greater than yards and touchdowns anyway.



He did score a pair of touchdowns, the game's first on a 12-yard burst up the middle and a 1-yard plunge in the third quarter, but you can see the Raiders feed off his energy.

He's not a showboat or boastful, but just seems to sincerely love the game and being around his teammates.

Make no mistake, he's a Division I talent. Great feet and fast and surprisingly strong. It takes more than one tackler usually to bring him down.

"That's just because of who he is," Lescano said. "He's not that big but he's a bundle of energy. He's great to be around."

Receiving line at St. Thomas Aquinas (continue reading){PAGEBREAK} 7. AQUINAS IS A WIDE RECEIVER FACTORY

The best receiving tandem I saw last season was the Aquinas pair Rashad Green, now at Florida State, and Phillip Dorset, now at Miami. That pair, by the way, is making great contributions as true freshmen.



Well, just wait until Franklyn Richardson (6-2, 180) and Mark Barr (6-1, 165) get through. The new duo are just juniors and showed off their vast athleticism on Friday.

Richardson set up the first score with a 25-yard grab and Barr made the highlight play of the game, a fully extended 42-yard grab from Lescano, setting up a second-quarter field goal.

On Barr's grab, De La Salle had it perfectly covered but the long and fleet receiver just made a catch you'd expect to see Brandon Marshall make.

What is in Casullo's future? (continue reading) {PAGEBREAK} 8. ROCCO CASULLO HAS 'IT' 

By ‘it' we don't just mean the ‘it' job of high school football. He just has all the qualities to go far as a coach.

He's personable. Strong. Hollywood handsome. Shares the wealth of credit. The first thing he did following the game was note all the contributors – from administrators to office workers to assistant coaches to teachers and the community.



He sees the big picture.

And we suspect, big colleges take notice of big-picture guys. Not sure of his aspirations, but wouldn't be surprised to see him at the next levels soon.

He also went out of his way to note De La Salle's class.

"There's a reason they had all that success and why all those kids are so well coached and classy," he said. "Forget the game, it was just a great experience being a part of this and playing a program like De La Salle.

"I hope we can do this again, next time maybe out their way."

We suspect De La Salle would go for that.



The Spartans want that torch back.