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:
Senior linebacker Leonard Skubal
celebrates Friday's win over
De La Salle.
Photo by Stuart Browning
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)
