FORT LAUDERDALE — St. Thomas Aquinas senior defensive back Justice Fitzpatrick caught three passes for 50 yards and had a game-sealing interception on the final play of the game as the host Raiders surged to a 27-21 win over Chaminade-Madonna in a battle of defending state champions on Friday night.
For St. Thomas Aquinas, it was its ninth consecutive victory after dropping the season opener.
Lions quarterback Malik Leonard had one final opportunity to deliver a potential win, but his desperation heave on the final play of the game from his own 34 was intercepted by Fitzpatrick. Chaminade-Madonna had more than 100 yards in penalties, two interceptions, a fumble, and a blocked field goal, and saw a seven-game win streak halted.
“It definitely feels great closing my senior season out with an interception, especially against a big rivalry team like Chaminade, where we fell short against last year,” said Fitzpatrick, who missed the first six games of the season with a knee injury he sustained in the preseason. He is the younger brother of Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight and we knew we were a second-half team,” he added. “We were ready to come back and punch them in the mouth. It’s what we worked for and laid on the line.”
St. Thomas Aquinas (9-1) senior quarterback Mason Mallory finished the game with eight carries for 65 yards, including an electrifying 65-yard TD run that tied the game at 14-14 in the third quarter. He was 13 of 27 for 105 yards in the air.
“On my (long) run, I saw green grass and took advantage of that,” Mallory said. “A lot of people like to mess around with me and say I am a little slow, but I turned on the burners for that one, and it was a pivotal moment to get the offense kind of going.”
St. Thomas Aquinas is looking to extend its state-record consecutive state championships to seven, while the Lions are looking for number five in a row.
St. Thomas Aquinas avenged last year’s 29-22 defeat to the Lions and won for the fifth time in the 13-game series that began in 1963. Until last season, the teams hadn’t played since 1981.
“It was a back-and-forth game and the guys hung in there,” said St. Thomas Aquinas coach Roger Harriott. “Chaminade did a great job of fighting all the way to 48 (minutes), as we did.
St. Thomas Adras Donovan (9) celebrates recovering a fumble late in the fourth quarter by Chaminade-Madonna Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 (Jim Rassol/Contributor).
“We really pride ourselves on being a second half team and finishing the game strong,” he added. “We made (finishing) a point of emphasis this week, and our depth was an advantage for us in the second half.”
Chaminade Madonna (7-2) scored first on a 13-yard TD run by Leonard with 11:46 remaining in the second quarter, but the Raiders tied the game at 7-7 with 5:46 left in the first half on a 2-yard scoring run by senior Daley Quyis, his first of two scores on the night.
Leonard scored on a 12-yard run to give the Lions a 14-7 lead with 3:57 left in the third quarter, but Mallory tied it at 14-14 on the ensuing series on the 65-yarder with 2:05 to go in the third.
Chaminade-Madonna running back Lee Prince Jr. (5) breaks free for an 81-yard touchdown run against St. Thomas during the second half of a high school football game. Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 (Jim Rassol/Contributor).
It took just one play for Chaminade-Madonna to seize a 21-14 lead as Lee Prince Jr. scampered for an 85-yard TD run with 1:43 left in the third. Prince Jr. transferred from St. Thomas Aquinas to Chaminade-Madonna this season.
Things turned in the Raiders’ favor after a three-and-out as Leonard was intercepted on a deflected ball, giving St. Thomas Aquinas the ball on the Lions’ 38.
Mallory hit junior Julius Jones for a 37-yard gain, and one play later, Quyis knotted the game at 21-21. On the ensuing kickoff, Joshua Wilson recovered a fumble to set up a 37-yard field goal by Johnny DiSalvatore to hand the Raiders their first lead of the game at 24-21 with 11:52 left in the contest.
Chaminade-Madonna drove to the St. Thomas Aquinas 31 and set up for a 48-yard field goal attempt by Noah Sidan, who had missed wide from 43 yards out on the opening series of the game. This time, his kick was blocked by Jermiyah Douglas with 6:08 left.
St. Thomas defensive back Samari Howard (21) breaks up a pass intended for Chaminade-Madonna’s wide receiver Denairius Gray (6) during the third quarter of a high school football game. Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 (Jim Rassol/Contributor).
“We’ve been talking about it all week, coming off the edge,” Douglas said. “I saw the opportunity and got to it. They beat us last year, and we came back strong to win it.”
DiSalvatore added a 28-yard field goal to extend the Raiders’ lead to 27-21 with 2:45 to go.
The Raiders’ defense then saw Daniel Norman force a Leonard fumble, with Donovan Adras recovering. St. Thomas Aquinas was forced to punt, but they left the Lions with just 13 seconds remaining and 87 yards to go.
Chaminade-Madonna senior running back Derrek Cooper carried 14 times for a game-high 100 yards, and Leonard completed 19 of 32 for 258 yards and two interceptions. He also carries six times for 21 yards and two TDs.
St. Thomas running back Virgil Lemons (0) gets stopped for a short gain by a host of Chaminade-Madonna defenders during the third quarter of a high school football game. Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 (Jim Rassol/Contributor).
Chaminade-Madonna coach Dameon Jones said the combination of costly penalties and turnovers cost the Lions, who were whistled 12 times for 105 yards.
“One hundred percent,” Jones lamented. “This is the sloppiest we have been, and you can’t win a ball game with turnovers and penalties. It was lucky that we were still in the ball game and had a chance to win the game at the end with all those penalties and all those turnovers. Imagine if we take that out of the equation.
“This prepares you,” he continued. “It makes you clean up all your mistakes. When we get to the playoffs, you are cleaning all of that stuff up, and you are going. You lose games like this and you learn from them. I feel great about my team. If we don’t make those mistakes tonight, it’s a different outcome. Those are the football gods. You can’t win all of them.”
Chaminade-Madonna’s Derrek Cooper (1) gains a few tough yards as St. Thomas linebacker Ryan McPhun (45) makes the tackle during the fourth quarter of a high school football game. Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 (Jim Rassol/Contributor).
