Wednesday, November 7, 2018

South Miami At St. Thomas Aquinas Preview

     The South Miami Cobras face the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders at Brian Piccolo Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night in a Class 7A regional quarterfinals. Both schools meet in the first round for the second straight year. Aquinas defeated Cobras 56-0 in the 2017 FHSAA playoffs.
     South Miami(8-2) are riding a seven-game winning streak with losses this season to only Doral Academy and Mater Academy. The Cobras have outscored their opponents 403-104 this year. They have averaged 43 points per game in their last seven games.
     The Cobras will rely heavily on their passing game. Quarterback Tyler Pena has a list of the wide receivers to connect the ball to which includes Gerard Turner, Lewis Oviedo, Isaac Chacon, Umir Ervin and Tavoris Miller.
     St. Thomas Aquinas(9-1) would be undefeated had it not been for a home loss to Miami Central in Week 5. The Raiders have won seven consecutive district titles and 21 in the last 22 seasons. They have compiled four shutouts and outscored their opponents 465-72 this season. The team has averaged 52 points in their prior four contests. STA has beaten DeMatha, Piper, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Blanche Ely this year.
     The pace of the Raiders offense will be steered by quarterback Curt Casteel. They have two options in the backfield with running backs Daniel Carter and Nigel White. Wide receivers Xavier Restrepo, Jamal Cooney, Marcus Rosemy and Jahvante Royal look to make catches from Casteel.

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