Atlantic At St. Thomas Aquinas Preview

     The Atlantic Eagles challenge the St. Thomas Aquinas at Brian Piccolo Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night in a FHSAA Class 7A regional quarterfinal game. The Raiders have knocked off the Eagles during four previous postseason meetings in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2019. 

     Atlantic(5-5) had a different season this year than in 2020 when they captured the South Florida Tri-County Class 7A Championship in the gold bracket over Plantation. They lost plenty of offensive weapons to graduation and could not get any traction during the regular season with their longest winning streak being two games. Atlantic lost their last two regular season contests to playoff-bound Fort Lauderdale and Doral Academy. 

     The Eagles have been known in recent years for their tough defense and holding their opponents to limited scoring. They are led on defense by safety Marquis Lymon. They can implement Zachary Waters and Lincoln Graf at quarterback. Wide receivers Reece Dobard, Medro Sainclair and Martay McClendon intend to make pass receptions downfield. Running backs Omari Mitchell, Corey Reddick and Lymon will get their share of carries. 

     St. Thomas Aquinas(9-1) is the defending two-time FHSAA Class 7A state champions and have captured a state-record 12 football state titles. They are riding an eight-game winning streak and have outscored their opponents 412-124 this season. STA have picked up victories over playoff-bound teams American Heritage, Western, Cardinal Gibbons, Dillard and out-of-state powerhouse St. Frances Academy. Their only loss this season was to Jesuit by three points. They have not lost a home playoff game since 2003 and have not been eliminated in first-round game during the 21st century. 

     Quarterback Zion Turner will lead the Raiders offense with his passing and running out of the pocket. Running backs Anthony Hankerson, Xavier Terrell, Gemari Sands and Cecil Stone look to gain yardage on rushing opportunities. Tuner can connect passes to tight end Mason Taylor along with wide receivers Camden Brown, Isaiah Hardge and Jaylan Sanchez. Cornerback Jerrod Cameron, defensive end Michael Renoit, safety Conrad Hussey and linebacker Kyrie Samuel lead the St. Thomas Aquinas defense.