The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders (2-0) head to Cardinal Gibbons High School Friday for an afternoon game to be played under the South Florida heat. This rivalry match up against the unbeaten Chiefs (2-0) is the longest-running series in Raider football history. Both teams are coming off an open date last week.
Two weeks ago Aquinas fought hard for a 46-6 victory over a talented Boyd Anderson team. The Raiders overcame an uneven offense performance, with special team and kick return play carrying St. Thomas over the Cobras.
Raider kicker Michael Palardy kicked field goals of 34, 25 and 42 yards along with three points after touchdown to help keep the home team in control of the game.
After Raider LB Garth Jobb tackled the Boyd Anderson QB in the end zone for a safety, LaMarcus Joyner returned the free kick for a 78-yard touchdown. Rashad Greene joined in with a 42-yard touchdown on a punt return in the third quarter.
Aquinas QB Jake Rudock finished with 8-15 passes with touchdown passes to Joyner (35 yards) and Phillip Dorsett (34 yards).
The Raider defense was lead by John Baglia with seven tackles which included two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Senior linebacker Vinnie Mauro scored on a 48-yard fumble recovery.
The Raiders-Chiefs game marks the 20th anniversary of Cardinal Gibbons only victory over a George Smith-coached Raider team. Head Coach Smith's record versus the Chiefs stands at 30-1 with his only loss coming in the 1989 season.
The Raiders look to extend their current consecutive win streak to 27 games which would tie their all-time consecutive win streak which spanned the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
The best way to enjoy this afternoon delight is to slap on the sun block, sport your designer sunglasses and sip a cool beverage.
In this year's edition of "The Catholic Bowl", the Raiders stay very hot and move to 3-0 on the season and keep their win streak alive, while they cool the Chiefs down.
Raider Pressbox Prediction: Raiders by 17
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