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Mater Dei’s top-ranked football team displayed an impressive passing attack to build a 23-point lead against St. Thomas Aquinas of Florida at halftime of the Broward County showcase in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Saturday.
The Monarchs, it turned out, needed almost all of that lead.
St. Thomas Aquinas surged in the second half but Mater Dei held on for a 26-23 victory in a clash of nationally-ranked teams.
Mater Dei, ranked No. 1 in the nation, led No. 10 St. Thomas Aquinas 26-3 at halftime.
The Raiders found more rhythm on offense and defense in the second half while the Monarchs struggled with penalties and on offense.
“We were just blessed to come out of Florida with a victory,” Mater Dei coach Raul Lara told ESPN, which broadcast the season-opening game. “All credit to St. Thomas Aquinas. (Those) kids really played hard.”
“First game, you always got to work on something,” the coach added. “Offensively, we got so clean some stuff up.”
In the first half, Mater Dei quarterback Ryan Hopkins tossed three touchdowns, including two to Chris Henry Jr.
In his game since suffering a season-ending injury last season, Henry made a spectacular, over-the-shoulder grab in stride for an 81-yard touchdown reception for a 20-3 lead with 4:30 left in the second quarter.
Earlier in the quarter, the Ohio State commit had a diving grab for 22-yard touchdown reception.
Hopkins punctuated the first half with a 62-yard touchdown strike to junior wide receiver Gavin Honore with 21 seconds left.
Mater Dei scored 26 unanswered points to close the first half with a 26-3 lead and 302 yards of offense.
With St. Thomas Aquinas surging, Mater Dei’s defense delivered a goal-line stand on fourth down from its 1 to open the fourth quarter.
Running back Justin Lewis helped seal the victory with a 22-yard run for a first down 1:23 left the fourth quarter as Mater Dei ran out the clock. Left tackle Kodi Greene and tight end Mark Bowman delivered key blocks on the play.
Mater Dei’s defense was led by cornerback Danny Lang and defensive tackle Tomu Topui among others.
On Friday, the Monarchs (1-0) play host to Bishop Montgomery at Santa Ana Stadium.