PLANTATION – An almost two-hour weather delay threatened the St. Thomas Aquinas and American Heritage (Plantation) game before it really had the chance to get started.
In a game that was tied late in the first quarter and the ball in the hands of St. Thomas Aquinas following an interception, both teams were quickly sent to the locker room to wait out a rain delay. While the delay eventually ended, it seemed like it could have been enough to potentially cancel the game.
Yet after both teams returned to the field one hour and fifty five minutes later, it was the show of quarterback Zion Turner, wide receiver Camden Brown and tight end Mason Taylor which helped lead the Raiders (2-1) to a 24-16 win on the road.
“It’s just a cold start,” said Taylor. “We started off slow. We were sitting in there for another two hours, but once we got warmed up … we started moving.”
With just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, Turner connected with Camden Brown – a product of American Heritage (Delray Beach) – for a 15-yard touchdown to put St. Thomas Aquinas ahead 21-14.
The Raiders didn’t have to look back from there, adding a field goal later to put more distance between them.
“[Camden’s] been waiting to make a big play like that and obviously he’s extremely talented,” St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Roger Harriott said.
Brown finished the game with four receptions for 47 yards and the touchdown.
Turner, who Brown seemed to have strong chemistry with throughout the night, finished with 165 passing yards and two touchdowns, the second an earlier touchdown to Isaiah Hardge.
“Me and Zion worked all summer. 7-on-7 Immortals, we worked constantly,” Brown said about his chemistry with Turner. “Constantly working with the best of the best every tournament.”
Alongside Brown, Turner also found LSU commit Mason Taylor four times for 31 yards.
While Taylor may have not found the endzone, his ability in the running game and ability to draw other players toward him helped open up plays for other people.
“Mason is a great blocker,” Turner said. “That’s something people don’t know about him. … He put his head on the line for us a lot of times.”
Since June, Taylor has risen up recruiting boards. He has earned offers from Alabama, LSU, and Florida – three of the premier schools inside of the SEC.
Taylor, a three-star prospect according to 247Sports Composite ratings, committed to LSU in July.
“It’s been long,” Taylor said about the recruiting process. “I’ve been slept on and then I gained exposure in the summer. And I just felt like LSU was for me. Their schemes, their roster spots, everything. I fit in.”
For Harriott, one thing that stands out about Taylor is his leadership.
“He’s a great leader, he’s confident, he loves his teammates,” said Harriott. “He enjoys playing football and he’s somebody that is dependable on and off the field. … It’s great to watch him mature.”
Not many people have gotten as close of a view to Taylor’s recruiting much like his father, Jason Taylor, who currently serves as an assistant coach on the defensive side for St. Thomas Aquinas.
“It’s special. I get to be dad and coach at the same time,” Jason Taylor said. “Only difficult thing is sometimes, I gotta make adjustments defensively or look at film and I don’t get the chance to watch him play live, which is a little unfortunate. It’s the biggest blessing, I get to be a dad to four great kids and I get to be involved in my older son’s and Mason’s everyday football life. I’m going to enjoy it while I can because next year he won’t be with us.”
