St. Thomas Aquinas ready to make more history this fall with London game
They're going a little further this October.
The Raiders have been selected to play a game in London on Oct. 8 against the NFL's London-based Academy school at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They are believed to be the first South Florida team to ever play a regular season game overseas in Europe.
Aquinas announced the news just before last week's preseason opener against Sarasota Cardinal Mooney, which the Raiders won 22-14.
The school posted a video of the team being told about the trip during a recent practice.
The trip and all expenses are being paid for by Nike and the NFL, according to Aquinas' announcement and the team will be allowed to take a roster allotment of just over 50 players for the game.
The NFL Academy is 'an elite football development program for student-athletes' consisting of players ages 14 through 18 according to nflacademy.com. In addition to its program based at Loughborough University in England, it also has an academy at A.B. Paterson College in Gold Coast, Australia.
The Academy has produced top college talent in recent years sending players to Power Four schools such as Oklahoma, Colorado and Pittsburgh, and this year's squad is led by offensive linemen Nikau Hepi, an Auburn commit, and Bruno Werner, a Boston College commit.
For nearly two decades, Aquinas has traveled to compete in marquee matchups across the country including Las Vegas, Cincinnati, and Dallas.
They will be the second team from Florida to make such a trip to face an NFL Academy team following Orlando Edgewater, which played an exhibition game in England last year in August.
St. Thomas is gearing up for its regular season opener this Saturday at its home field, Brian Piccolo Stadium, where it will take on California powerhouse Mater Dei, the No. 1-ranked team in the country per MaxPreps.
The game is part of the annual Broward High School National Football Showcase, is at 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN. The Raiders also face Miami Columbus on Sept. 5 and are scheduled to face nationally-ranked Plantation American Heritage and Chaminade to close out the regular season following its trip to England.
This season, Aquinas is looking to extend its state-record state championship streak to seven in a row. Thanks to top talent like senior cornerback Justice Fitzpatrick, a Georgia commit, the Raiders are once again a major favorite to win Class 5A and perhaps contend for a national title as they open the season ranked in the top 10 in multiple polls.
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