Published Saturday October 17, 2009 in The Miami Herald
Aquinas unveils Wildcat, routs Miramar 31-6
BY JEFF SHAIN
Miami Herald Writer
File this under news upcoming St. Thomas foes -- heck, the rest of the state -- didn't necessarily want to hear. The nation's No. 1 team has a new weapon to play with.
Hello, Wildcat.
Seeking to perk up a rushing attack slow to find its gear against Miramar, the Raiders unveiled their version of the retro-modern package that helped turn Friday night's clash of
Broward County's two best teams into a 31-6 romp.
James White picked up 85 of his team-best 98 yards as the Raiders' Wildcat triggerman, including a 21-yard TD jaunt on its first series and a 50-yard run that was stopped a foot short of the goal line.
The run game wasn't really there [early], and we'd been practicing the Wildcat a lot, said White. Coach [George] Smith finally wanted to put it in the game, and we had some real success with it.
The Raiders (6-0) wound up gaining 97 of their 151 rushing yards from the Wildcat set, used in various forms at such places as Florida, West Virginia and Michigan and now helping the
Dolphins lead the NFL in rushing.
[The coaches] talked about doing it, but they always joke around, said White, the Raiders' top rusher with 418 yards and four TDs. At first it was a little shaky, but as we kept working it and working it we got better. Now it's working really good.
Smith, for his part, would say only that it's another way to utilize some of his top players.
St. Thomas also took advantage of costly Miramar mistakes that let them take possession five times inside the Patriots' 30.
Miramar's Ivan McCartney lost two fumbles and Miramar (5-1) twice gave up the ball on downs when McCartney -- who punts in addition to his blue-chip receiving skills -- was pulled down short of the marker when he took off from punt formation.
You can't make mistakes with the No. 1 team in the country, said Miramar coach Damon Cogdell, whose team entered Friday ranked No. 5 in the South Florida Top 20.
Smith said: I thought our special teams played real well again and was able to create some problems for them.
It was a nightmarish outing all the way around for McCartney -- ranked as the nation's No. 4 wideout by Rivals.com but held without a catch. The Patriots didn't complete a pass until less than five minutes left in the third quarter.
Miramar avoided the shutout when Ryan Williams hit Denzel McCullum with a 15-yard TD pass on the game's final play. Jeremiah Hicks led the Patriots with 122 yards rushing, despite turning his left ankle near the end of the first half. He got the ankle taped and was back for the second half.
© 2009 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
