Photo by Matthew Christopher
St. Thomas Aquinas to open 2022 high school football season as part of ESPN GEICO Kickoff
Two of the best high school football teams in Florida will open their 2022 seasons on national television.
ESPN announced on Tuesday that it will carry a doubleheader on Saturday, August 27 starting at Noon ET, with the six-time state champion St. Joseph’s (Pennsylvania) Hawks taking on the reigning FHSAA Class 7A champion St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders.
That game will be followed by Los Alamitos (California) taking on the American Heritage Plantation Patriots at 4 p.m. ET.
The Raiders finished the 2021 season with a 14-1 record and a No. 13 national ranking in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25.
The Hawks finished the 2021 season with an 11-3 record and are bringing back 3-star linebacker Josiah Trotter, who is committed to West Virginia.
Los Alamitos finished the 2021 season with a 9-2 record and bring back one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation in senior Malachi Nelson who is committed to play for Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans. Another name to keep an eye on will be senior two-way athlete Deandre Moore Jr.
The Patriots will have a new face taking over the head coaching reins, as previous coach Pat Surtain left to become an assistant with the Miami Dolphins. Mike Smith was named the new head coach for the Patriots’ football program in March.
A name to keep an eye on for American Heritage will be five-star wide receiver Brandon Inniss who is being highly recruited by Alabama, Miami, Ohio State and USC.
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