FINAL: No. 1 Mater Dei thwarts No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas comeback, wins TSN Game of the Week, 26-23

Kendall Webb

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FINAL: No. 1 Mater Dei thwarts No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas comeback, wins TSN Game of the Week, 26-23 image

Katie Stratman for The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn

The No. 1 Mater Dei [Santa Ana] Monarchs and the No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale] Raiders met Saturday in The Sporting News High School Football Game of the Week.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, Aug. 23 — The No. 1 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs raced out to a 26-3 halftime lead, and then held on for dear life in the second half of a 26-23 win over the St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Raiders.

The Monarchs were impenetrable on defense in the first half and unstoppable on offense in the second quarter while beginning to dominate a Raiders' squad that, for a time, looked out of its league. But the second half was a different story as an opportunistic St. Thomas Aquinas ultimately outscored the Monarchs 20-0 over the final two quarters.

While the Raiders certainly found a better rhythm, the Monarchs were also their own worst enemies. They were penalized at least 14 times for more than 150 yards, and many of the penalties were just poor discipline or mental lapses. They also had trouble with their extra-point unit which took two more points off the board.

Those missing points made a difference late as St. Thomas Aquinas was able to pull within three and only needed a field goal to tie it up at that point. They never got in position to attempt it, but it's a situation Mater Dei will have to clean up down the road.

 

 

St. Thomas Aquinas led 3-0 after the first quarter before Mater Dei got revved up in the second. The Monarchs scored all of their 26 points in the frame, getting on the board with a 5-yard touchdown run by Justin Lewis. Monarchs' quarterback Ryan Hopkins then found Chris Henry Jr. in the end zone on a 22-yard toss for another touchdown to make it 12-3.

The Monarchs went for two after the first score, unsuccessfully, then attempted to kick the PAT on the second one but botched it with a high snap.

Hopkins and Henry connected again with 4:30 to play in the stanza when the senior quarterback spotted his receiver streaking down the middle of the field. The play went for 81 yards, and following a successful 2-point conversion, the red royals were up 20-3. Another big play just before the half – this one for 62 yards from Hopkins to Gavin Honore – extended the lead to 26-3. It appeared, at that point, the game might get out of hand.

Then the tide started to turn in Aquinas' favor in the third quarter. A 5-yard run by Virgil Lemons cut into Mater Dei's lead at 26-10, and a Mason Mallory 7-yard quarterback draw trimmed it to 26-16. Finally, Mallory's touchdown pass to Julius Jones with 1:36 to play shrunk the Monarchs' advantage to 26-23.

That would prove to be the final score, however, as the Raiders couldn't get a stop after kicking the ball back to Mater Dei.

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FINAL — Mater Dei 26, St. Thomas Aquinas 23

And that's it. The host Raiders were blown out in the first half, trailing 26-3, but it was all St. Thomas Aquinas in the second half as they outscored the nation's No. 1 team 20-0.

Mater Dei is the best until somebody proves otherwise. But issues in the kicking game and a ton of careless penalties almost proved their undoing today. They have a lot to clean up, too.

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Mater Dei picks up a first down, and that's going to just about do it. But what a great comeback by St. Thomas Aquinas.

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Another big personal foul penalty on Mater Dei. They've got some stuff to clean up there, and this was a dumb penalty with a kid continuing to try to knock the ball loose from Mallory long after the whistle blew.

Mallory finds Julius Jones on the next play for a touchdown, and a game that 26-3 is now 26-23 in favor of Mater Dei. 1:36 to play.

They have all three timeouts.

4th Qtr — MATER DEI 26, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 23

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St. Thomas Aquinas driving again on Mater Dei's 21. Clock is an issue around 2:30 to play.

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St. Thomas Aquinas fails to convert on a 4th-and-4 near midfield, and the ball goes over to Mater Dei on downs. Just over six minutes to play, so the Raiders need a quick stop.

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St. Thomas Aquinas forces the three and out, and they've got the ball with just over seven minutes to play needing two scores. Good field position around their own 40.

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St. Thomas Aquinas turns the interception into a touchdown, but they're unable to convert the 2 pt. conversion. Mason Mallory does the honors with a 7-yard quarterback draw. The momentum has definitely shifted. They need two scores, but there's time.

4th Qtr, 9:44 — MATER DEI 26, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 16

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On the first play of the fourth quarter, Mater Dei held St. Thomas Aquinas on a 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line. But then they gave it right back to the Raiders inside their own 30-yard line on an interception.

If Mater Dei was to end up losing this after leading 26-3, it would rival American Heritage's big comeback last night against St. Joseph's Prep. The difference is, American Heritage willed themselves to victory. In this case, Mater Dei is doing as much as St. Thomas Aquinas is to keep this close.

|| THIRD QUARTER ||

A personal foul for a horse collar on Mater Dei. The Monarchs are keeping the Raiders in the game with penalties. 13 for 140 yards now, and St. Thomas Aquinas is suddenly in business at Mater Dei's 25.

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Make no mistake about, St. Thomas Aquinas has been dominated. But they just forced a three-and-out, and there's a little bit of a momentum swing now. A touchdown and 2-point conversion on this possession, and somehow, this is a one possession game.

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And St. Thomas Aquinas finally gets to the end zone with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. That's roughly around the time American Heritage started digging out of their big hole against St. Joseph's Prep last night. Could we see another big comeback tonight?

Virgil Lemons does the honors from three yards out, and the PAT is good. Down 16, it's technically a two-score game now, assuming St. Thomas Aquinas could convert a couple of 2-pointers after touchdowns.

3rd Qtr — MATER DEI 26, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 10

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Some stats from the first half today. I talked about how this may come down more to who controls the trenches. Turnovers are even, but look at these lopsided yardage totals:

 

 

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We're under way in the third quarter in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

|| SECOND QUARTER ||

Well, that's a backbreaker. After last night's incredible rally by American Heritage from 28 down to beat St. Joseph's 31-28, you never say never. But after forcing St. Thomas Aquinas to punt with 30 seconds left in the first half, Mater Dei strikes from 62 yards out when Hopkins finds Gavin Honore who takes it the distance.

But definitely problems in the kicking game for Mater Dei. They line up for the PAT, another snap that's off, and it ends up getting blocked. Amazing a program at this level is struggling with something so elemental while doing all the big things well

2nd Qtr — MATER DEI 26, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 3

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Well, it just happened again for the second time in four plays. After the last interception. St. Thomas Aquinas sent out junior Cody Conness who promptly threw an interception to Mater Dei's Ezekiel Su'a. Su'a returned it to the Raiders' 24 where he fumbled it back to the Raiders.

The end result is on the two plays, St. Thomas Aquinas has maintained possession, but they are moving the wrong direction back toward their own end zone. 

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A crazy play. Mater Dei's CJ Lavender Jr. picks off a pass and returns it 42 yards. At the end of the play St. Thomas Aquinas punched it loose, and the Raiders recover. So, two turnovers on the same play, and we end up where we started with the Raiders having the ball.

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A completely bonkers catch by Henry Jr. on a pass right down the middle of the field. 81 yards, and Mater Dei starting to really get going.

They go for two again, and this time they convert. Not sure if that's just to make up the difference they lost on the first two or if that's an issue for this Mater Dei squad. If it is, that will be something to follow through the season in their big games.

2nd Qtr, 4:30 — MATER DEI 20, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 3

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Mater Dei is back in St. Thomas Aquinas territory on a big gain by Lewis. Then Monarchs QB Ryan Hopkins finds Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for a nice pass-and-catch to Aquinas' 22. On the very next play, Hopkins finds Chris Henry Jr. in the end zone who makes another great catch in tight coverage.

Mater Dei botches the snap on the PAT attempt, so maybe that explains why they went for two on the first one. They may know something we don't know. Either way, that's two freebies that aren't on the board that could be, so if this thing is close late and Aquinas needing a field goal to win, that could be something to look back on.

If this is round 2, then Aquinas needs to answer on this next drive.

2nd Qtr, 9:43 — MATER DEI 12, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 3

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This is a replay of a great catch by Chris Henry Jr. in the first quarter for Mater Dei. 50-50 ball, but he goes up and gets it.

 

 

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I mentioned if one team is trading field goals for touchdowns that end up making a difference. And if this is a heavyweight bout, then round one goes to Mater Dei by getting the touchdown there.

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And Justin Lewis punches it from five yards out to put Mater Dei on the board. Strange decision afterward to go for two, and it isn't even close.

2nd Qtr — MATER DEI 6, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 3

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About to head to the second quarter in Fort Lauderdale. And I mentioned this feeling like a heavyweight bout, and that's kind of how it feels. Two big teams, poking at each other, throwing a quick jab here and there, but mostly feeling each other out.

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|| FIRST QUARTER ||

And that's your first quarter with St. Thomas Aquinas leading on their home field, but Mater Dei in the red zone.

End of 1st Qtr — ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 3, MATER DEI 0

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No doubt, St. Thomas Aquinas has to be happy with how this first quarter has unfolded. But another thing to keep an eye on is trips into the red zone. They barely cracked the 20 on that last drive, and they did get the field goal, but if one team is settling for field goals, and the other one is finishing drives, that could be a difference maker as well.

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And there's your icebreaker. St. Thomas Aquinas drives inside Mater Dei's 20, but has to settle for a 35-yard Johnny DiSalvatore field goal. But it's true, and St. Thomas Aquinas is on the board.

1st Qtr, 3:40 — ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 3, MATER DEI 0

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And early on, St. Thomas Aquinas turning to their quarterback, senior Mason Mallory who's got them on the move in Mater Dei territory.

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We've had an exchange of possessions, and both teams kind of feeling each other out early.

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St. Thomas Aquinas is three and out to start the game. But a great punt, and Mater Dei takes over on its own 22.

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And we're under way!

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|| PREGAME ||

KEYS TO THE GAME ...

We've got a link to our full preview of this game above. But I'd say some last minute things to think about today are the fact we've got two experience quarterbacks, but they're both making their debuts today with their current programs. Football is a sport full of cliches, and we always talk about turnovers and mistakes, and surely, those could play a role today. The quarterback that wins that battle probably has the upper hand.

But that being said, both of these teams are elite. They are basically small college programs from a talent standpoint. So they can overcome the random mistake here and there. So, I think another thing to keep an eye on is whether or not one team is able to start dominating in the trenches. That can help sustain drives, and even with a mistake or two, a team that can move the ball up and down the field is going to have more opportunities.

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We're hopeful that the weather has cleared out and we can get this thing kicked off at the adjusted start time of 4:30 p.m. We'll check back in shortly with some keys to the game.

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TEAM INFO ...

We've got a lot of player info, but just a reminder, this No. Mater Dei squad is the back-to-back national champions. Last year, all seven current major selectors picked the Monarchs as the national champions.

St. Thomas Aquinas, meanwhile, was Florida's FHSAA Class 5A state champion. They also have a couple of national titles back in 2008 and 2010.

In short, these are two teams with championship pedigrees, and this feels like a high school heavyweight bout today. It'll be played on St. Thomas Aquinas's home field so they've got all the advantages there. Just the familiarity, and it should be a raucous crowd cheering them on.

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WEATHER AND MORE ...

Checking in on Fort Lauderdale. We've started out today like we did yesterday with another weather delay in Florida. But we do have an estimated start time of 4:20 p.m. EST. Hang tight, and we'll keep an eye on things.

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TOP 25 AND THE GAME OF THE WEEK ...

While you're getting ready for tonight's big game, get yourself up to speed on the preseason edition of The Sporting News High School Football Top 25.

Then check out our TSN Game of the Week Recap featuring the No. 14 Milton (GA) Eagles at the No. 12 Buford (GA) Wolves on Thursday, August 14, 2025.

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OUR PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAMS ...

Finally, don't miss out on The Sporting News Preseason All-American Teams.

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MORE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL HEADLINES ...

Kendall Webb

Kendall Webb is a freelance writer with The Sporting News and the former publisher of the College Football America Yearbook. He is a proud alumnus of Kilgore College (AA), the University of Texas at Austin (BJ), Middle Tennessee State University (BS), and Harvard University (ALM). Webb has attended a high school or college football game in more than 40 states during his career as a freelance journalist, and he remains an avid follower of team sports at all levels.