St. Thomas Aquinas starts the 2008 football season with their first-ever game played outside the State of Florida. The Raiders will face the Cincinnati Elder Panthers in the Herbstreit Challenge at Paul Brown Stadium to open the season.
The Raiders fly into Cincinnati nationally ranked in preseason polls to meet the Panthers who started their season with a win over Middletown, Ohio.
George Smith, Aquinas Head Coach, begins his 32nd season with a .830 winning percentage while compiling an overall record of 318-65 with the Raider program. The hall of fame coach has built St. Thomas into a national powerhouse.
A trio of running backs comprised of Beau Bucci, Gio Bernard and James White should set up the Raiders' high power passing attack of returning receivers Duron Carter, Dwayne Difton and Gabe Holmes .
The Aquinas defense should be solid with returning linebacker, Conor O'Neill along with strong play from defense backs Ronnie Kennedy, Brian Robinson and newcomers Dez Southward and Cody Riggs.
Look for highly-efficient Ryan Becker, Senior QB, to pilot the Raiders by air - back to Florida with the historic win.
Raider Press Box Prediction: Aquinas by 8
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