St. Thomas Aquinas High School should be ranked as elite private school in own division

A big "thank you" to Herald sports writer Jason Dill for his article on St. Thomas Aquinas football and why the Florida High School Athletic Association continues to allow this juggernaut of ringers to tear up high school football teams in the state.

St. Thomas fields great teams with a high-caliber coaching staff and position coaches for each starter and subs that could suit up and play anywhere else. Good luck to them and, I wish them continued success but take this all-star team and look for competition with elite private schools. Give IMG a call. They will play you three times a week.

Unless the FHSA allows counties to field all-star teams, St. Thomas should not figure into Florida high school playoffs.

Whether St. Thomas recruits is a no-brainer. If your son has the tools to compete at a Division 1 level and you have the funds, St. Thomas is your destination after IMG refuses the option.

Tough luck for a great Braden River High club that ran the table in the regular season, yet knew somewhere down the schedule you had to knock off the perennial power from the east coast, St. Thomas Aquinas. They kept it close and showed up to play for their coaches and fan base.

Chang 'em up coach; this isn't good for high school ball.

Bob Harrington

Bradenton

This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "St. Thomas Aquinas High School should be ranked as elite private school in own division ."