Mike’s Takes: St. Thomas Aquinas vs. St. Frances Academy

Mike&#8217;s Takes: St. Thomas Aquinas vs. St. Frances Academy

Michael Costeines

August 28, 2021 @ 07:52 PM

I stopped over in Fort Lauderdale to take in the nationally televised matchup between St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Frances Academy. Both teams came into the opening weekend ranked in the top 10 in the country. The Raiders outscored the Panthers 14-3 in the second half to earn the 38-23 victory. This was a game that felt like a sauna and saw numerous players cramp up on both teams. It also could be the reason for the numerous mental mistakes and turnovers I saw throughout the game. Both teams will need to address those issues moving forward. This is a statement victory for St. Thomas Aquinas against a national power. Here are my observations... [player_tooltip player_id="111491" first="Mason" last="Taylor"] - Tight end 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="111491" first="Mason" last="Taylor"] is my unofficial offensive MVP after catching 11 balls for 133 yards against the Panthers. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Taylor exploited the middle of St. Frances Academy's defense all afternoon. He is also caught balls in the flat and provided a nice cushion for quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="50029" first="Zion" last="Turner"] when he got outside the pocket. The LSU commit made a huge catch on third down in the 4th quarter to essentially ice the game. Taylor put on a show for the ESPN audience and the fans in attendance. [player_tooltip player_id="50029" first="Zion" last="Turner"] - Quarterback 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="50029" first="Zion" last="Turner"] looked very comfortable throwing outside of the pocket for the Raiders. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Turner finished the afternoon with 340 total yards of offense and three touchdowns. I thought Turner’s short/intermediate throws were crisp and he used his legs to move the chains. Turner’s 38-yard touchdown to 2022 Jaylan Sanchez right before halftime was one of the biggest plays of the game. Turner scrambled around and found Sanchez wide open in the endzone to take a 24-20 lead into the break. The 3-star quarterback holds offers from Arkansas, Coastal Carolina, FIU, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Pittsburgh, Southern Miss, West Virginia and Toledo. Derrieon Craig - Linebacker 2022 Derrieon Craig was all over the field for a St. Thomas Aquinas defense that forced five turnovers. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Craig smacked his way downhill for numerous tackles. Craig looked fast on his pursuit and helped limit St. Frances Academy to just a field goal in the second half. It was a big defensive effort for Craig and company, albeit in sweltering heat. He holds offers from Arizona and Syracuse. [player_tooltip player_id="50006" first="Julian" last="Armella"] - Offensive tackle Armella did a really nice job opening holes for 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="49995" first="Anthony" last="Hankerson"] and stifling four-star edge rusher Derrick Moore on defense. The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Armella is the Raiders anchor on the frontline. He holds 35 Division 1 offers and is a top 5 player nationally in his class. As for Hankerson, he looked shifty and maneuvered his way into the second level many times. He is a very good runner horizontally and racked up yards with ease. [player_tooltip player_id="50217" first="Jordan" last="Smith"] - Linebacker 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="50217" first="Jordan" last="Smith"] might have been the unofficial MVP on defense. The 6-foot, 210 pound Smith delivered some big hits against the run and pass all afternoon. He looked instinctive and flew to the football. Smith recorded a sack and recovered his own fumble on a tackle during consecutive plays. This kid looked really good all afternoon. Take a look at his highlights by clicking <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12702014/Jordan-Smith">here</a>. He holds no offers to my knowledge. For any South Florida Prep Redzone news or information....please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.