Bosco rolls over highly ranked St. Thomas Aquinas

WEST POINT, N.Y. —

Don Bosco continued its out-of-state dominance by defeating St. Thomas Aquinas Aquinas (FL) 24-7 on Saturday at the United States Military Academy.

The Ironmen did not allow a single down in the first half and held the Raiders offense to 157 yards by the time the clock struck zero at the end of the game. Not to mention, 87 of those yards came on one play, a touchdown pass from from Jake Rizzo to Sam Bruce in the first quarter.

With the halftime score at 10-7 in Bosco’s favor, the Ironmen wore out St. Thomas Aquinas in the second half with their strength, the run game.

Junior running back Malik Bakker had 18 carries for 86 yards and a rushing touchdown in the second half.

Bakker’s fourth quarter touchdown from two yards out with 9:40 remaining gave Bosco a 24-7 lead. He finished with 28 rushes for 118 yards and a touchdown.

Bosco quarterback Wes Mckoy also found R.J. Trimble-Edwards on the run for a 59 yard touchdown in the third quarter to help jumpstart the Ironmen offense, which had a sub-par first half after turning the ball over twice.

Bosco’s defensive line held St. Thomas Aquinas to less than 60 yards on the ground by the time the game was over. They were able to contain St. Thomas Aquinas running back and Miami commit Jordan Scarlett.

Cornerbacks Daivon Ellison and Lawrence Stevens both played well and held their ground vs. St. Thomas Aquinas wide receivers Sam Bruce, Jawaun Harris, and Devante Peete. Bruce, who has more than a dozen offers and Peete, a Miami commit, are both consensus four-star recruits.

Senior defensive lineman William Mack III had two sacks and an interception. Mack was seen in the backfield countless times and was all over the field on Saturday.

The bottom line: Bosco did what it has always done in order to win games; pound the ground, play smart football, and stay tough on defense. They did not make costly errors and their toughness prevailed over a team that was bigger and had a higher ranking from them. Bosco must be in contention for a national title if they win out and bring the Non-Public Group 2 title back to Franklin Turnpike by seasons end.