Highlights, recap: No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas escapes with a 21-20 win over No. 22 Chaminade-Madonna

Ryan Mathis scores go-ahead touchdown for the Raiders with 10:45 remaining in fourth quarter.

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Oct 2, 2026, 7:00pm
In a showdown between nationally-ranked Florida high school football powers, No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) came from behind to defeat No. 22 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) 21-20, preserving the victory with a blocked field goal by four-star Ohio State commit Wyatt Smith with 1:23 remaining in the fourth quarter.

St. Thomas Aquinas (6-0) trailed 14-7 at halftime and were down by 13 points early in the second half before mounting the comeback to win its 20th consecutive game. 

Senior quarterback Cody Conness found running back Ryan Mathis on a screen that gave the Raiders a 21-20 lead with 10:45 left in the fourth quarter and the nation's top-ranked team relied on its special teams to seal the victory late.
Senior running back Ryan Mathis holds offers from Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Liberty, SMU and South Florida. (FILE PHOTO: Jeff Klein)
Senior running back Ryan Mathis holds offers from Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Liberty, SMU and South Florida. (FILE PHOTO: Jeff Klein)
Four-star quarterback Brady Quinn accounted for all three touchdowns in the loss for Chaminade-Madonna (4-2).

Quinn ran for two first-half touchdowns and found four-star wide receiver Tromon Isaac Jr. to give Chaminade-Madonna a 20-7 lead with 8:37 left in the third quarter before Aquinas stormed back. 

Up next for the top-ranked Raiders is McArthur (Hollywood, Fla.) at home next Friday. Chaminade-Madonna will go on the road to face Cardinal Newman (West Palm Beach, Fla.) next week.

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