St. Thomas Aquinas Outlasts Columbus in Top Florida High School Football Matchup: Live Score Recap

The No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders (3-0) defeated the No. 17 Columbus Explorers (2-1) 31-24 in a top national and Florida high school football matchup on Friday at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.

Raiders senior running back Tyler Reid ran for four touchdowns, including two 80-yard touchdowns.

The Raiders built a 17-7 lead at halftime that they made a 24-7 lead with a long Reid touchdown run. Columbus tied the game with just under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but again, Reid broke a long touchdown.

The Raiders held A'Mir Sears for much of the game, but he made his mark with a fourth-quarter touchdown catch to tie the game.

Top Recruits to Watch

Columbus

A'mir Sears, Sr., CB — 5* - Miami (FL)
Sekou Toure, Jr., So, ATH — 4* - Offers from Rutgers, Penn State, Syracuse
Ajavion Willis, Sr., CB — 3* - Pitt
Kai Moore, Sr., QB — 3* - Northern Illinois
Cecil Smith, Sr., RB — 3* - Northern Illinois
Damien Harvey, Jr., DL — 3* - Offers from Auburn, Kentucky, Louisville
Remarus Turnier, Sr., OL — 3* - Georgia State
Tavares Ward, Sr., CB — 3* - Middle Tennessee State

St. Thomas Aquinas

Mark Matthews, Sr. OL - 5* - Texas A&M
Wyatt Smith, Sr., DE - 5* - Ohio State
Julius Jones, Sr., WR - 5* - Notre Dame
Zayden Gamble, Sr., DB - 4* - Notre Dame
Jaden Carey, Sr., DB - 4* - Ohio State
Samari Howard, Sr., DB - 4* - Colorado
Austin Coles, Sr., WR - 3* - Kentucky
Tyler Reid, Sr., RB - 3* - Pitt
Andre Jones, Jr., - 3* - Notre Dame

St. Thomas Aquinas outlasts Columbus in Top Florida High School Football Matchup: Live Score Recap

FINAL: St. Thomas Aquinas 31, Columbus 24

FOURTH QUARTER UPDATES

Aquinas got a first down, and it will try to run out the clock with one minute remaining.

Columbus had a promising drive, but penalties pushed them back, and the Explorers punted. St. Thomas Aquinas has the ball at it own 19-yard line - 2:06

TOUCHDOWN AQUINAS! Reid scores on another 80-yard touchdown run, his fourth touchdown of the game - Aquinas 31, Columbus 24 - 6:40

FIELD GOAL COLUMBUS! Miller makes a 25-yard field goal after the Aquinas defense keeps the Raiders out of the end zone - Aquinas 24, Columbus 24 - 6:55

Interception by Columbus! Calixte tried to throw on the run but he found a Columbus defender instead. The Explorers will have the ball at the Aquinas 10-yard line - 9:04

TOUCHDOWN COLUMBUS! Sears catches a slant pass in the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown. He beat senior DB Jaden Carey on the route - Aquinas 24, Columbus 21 - 9:48

Interception by Columbus! Defensive lineman Angel Orozco was right in front of a screen pass, and DeSoto will have the ball at the Aquinas 48-yard line - 12:00

End of Third Quarter: Aquinas 24, Columbus 14

THIRD QUARTER UPDATES

Fumble by Columbus! Aquinas recovered a fumble after Columbus quarterback Kai Moore lost the ball in the pocket. The Raiders have the ball at the Columbus 38-yard line.

The Columbus defense forces St. Thomas Aquinas to punt, and the Explorers will start a drive at their 3-yard line - 1:55

TOUCHDOWN COLUMBUS! Sanje Green catches a 13-yard touchdown to give the Explorers a much-need touchdown - Aquinas 24, Columbus 14 - 4:57

TOUCHDOWN AQUINAS! The Raiders score on the opening drive. It was another Reid touchdown, this one for 80 yards - Aquinas 24, Columbus 7 - 11:09

St. Thomas Aquinas receives the kickoff, and the second half is underway.

HALFTIME: St. Thomas Aquinas 17, Columbus 7

Raiders running back Tyler Reid has two long runs and two touchdowns and is the star of the first half. The Raiders have held Columbus star A'Mir Sears to a quiet night so far.

SECOND QUARTER UPDATES

FIELD GOAL ST. THOMAS AQUINAS! The Raiders get to inside the Columbus 3-yard line, but they are forced to kick the field goal at the end of the half.

TOUCHDOWN COLUMBUS! The Explorers drive down the field for the score. Tony Brown III makes the short-yardage touchdown reception - Aquinas 14, Columbus 7 - 2:19

TOUCHDOWN ST. THOMAS AQUINAS! Reid catches a 3-yard touchdown pass in the flat. He set up the touchdown with a 60-yard run earlier in the drive - Aquinas 14, Columbus 0 - 8:09

Missed field goal by Columbus! Junior kicker Matteo Miller missed a 50-yard attempt, and Aquinas will start a drive at its 20-yard line - 10:33

END OF FIRST QUARTER: St. Thomas Aquinas 7, Columbus 0

FIRST QUARTER UPDATES

The Columbus defense stuffs Aquinas quarterback Blake Calixte on a run on 4th-and-1 at the 40-yard line. The Explorers will have the ball with 1:30 remaining in the quarter.

Fumble by Columbus! The Explorers fumbled after a receiver was running after the catch, and Aquinas senior safety Samari Howard jumped on the loose ball near midfield - 3:00

TOUCHDOWN ST. THOMAS AQUINAS! Senior running back Tyler Reid breaks a long run down the sideline for the score. That's his second consecutive game with a long touchdown on the Raiders' opening drive - St. Thomas Aquinas 7, Columbus 0 - 6:41

St. Thomas Aquinas senior linebacker Levi Champion gets a sack on third down, and Columbus punts into the end zone. The Explorers drove to the Aquinas 45-yard before punting - 8:34

Columbus receives the opening kickoff, and the game begins with a touchback.