Published Saturday October 31, 2009 in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
St. Thomas' defense steps up in shutout
Raiders win despite offensive struggles
By Christy Cabrera Chirinos, Staff Writer
Fort Lauderdale
Usually, it's the vaunted offense that shines.
But on a night when that offense had its struggles and injuries took a toll, St. Thomas Aquinas showcased another one of its strengths.
The defense.
The unit dominated, helping St. Thomas earn a 27-0 victory against rival Deerfield Beach on Friday at Lockhart Stadium.
The Bucks were held to three first downs and 47 yards of offense as St. Thomas extended its win streak to 32 games.
Making matters worse for Deerfield, it was a St. Thomas defensive score that put the game out of reach.
With the Raiders (8-0) already ahead 13-0, sophomore linebacker Cole Champion intercepted a Khambrel Garland pass and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown with 3:37 left in the third.
The play came just moments after Bucks starting quarterback Donte Dotson was sidelined by cramps.
"It came right to my hands, and it was kind of a blur," Champion said. "We really wanted a big shutout game, and we have a lot of respect for Deerfield Beach. They're a good rival, so this is big."
But the Raiders defense wasn't the only one making big plays.
Deerfield Beach, hoping to erase memories of last year's 65-10 loss to St. Thomas, came out strong defensively and held St. Thomas to a 35-yard Michael Palardy field goal on its opening drive.
Later, with St. Thomas ahead 10-0 after a 3-yard touchdown run by James White, the Bucks threatened after Calvin Chatman intercepted a Jacob Rudock pass and returned it 32 yards to put Deerfield (5-3) deep inside St. Thomas territory.
Back-to-back sacks of Dotson ended the threat, however, and Deerfield was forced to punt.
The 10 points scored in the first half by the Raiders were a season-low.
"We had some missed opportunities, and you can't do that against a team like this," Deerfield Beach coach Adam Ratkevich said. "But they're the No. 1 team in the nation for a reason, and they were tough on defense. They had a great scheme for us."
St. Thomas' scoring woes continued on the opening drive of the second half.
Again, the Raiders moved the ball downfield, but again they had to settle for a Palardy field goal — this one a 32-yarder — before Champion's interception return.
With Rudock out of the game because of an ankle injury, St. Thomas turned to White and the Wildcat.
Just as it has in recent weeks, the scheme worked, and White broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run that capped the scoring.
White finished with 16 carries for a game-high 127 yards and was named the game's most valuable player by the Great American Rivalry Series, which showcased Friday's game.
"We had a lot of injuries tonight, and we saw more speed on the defensive line, so we had to make adjustments," White said. "The Wildcat works when we're slow. We hadn't run that play before, but it was a wide-open hole, and I took off."
Copyright © 2009, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
