The turnaround for the Aquinas soccer team last year came midseason, and quickly.
Can Aquinas continue its rise to the top of Section V Class AA football?
“They're excited that we're back together and have so many guys back on the team,” Aquinas coach Maurice Jackson said. “We're still very young. (My systems are) a different style of football that they weren't used to before.”
“They are looking forward to starting the season.”
At least three players from Aquinas' roster are likely to play college football next fall. At the top of that list is Quante Gillian'sa 6-foot-3, 270-pound senior on his way to becoming a defensive end at Syracuse University.
Experienced running back Derrion Battle has verbally committed to join Mercyhurst, a school in Erie, Pennsylvania, that is entering the Football Championship Subdivision. Senior Cornerback Joshua Ernst told the coaches at Division II Gannon in Pennsylvania that he planned to play at their school.
Two-time Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Linebacker/Center/Long-Snapper Lucas LeoneRecipient Noah Collins-Howard and second-year quarterback Trent Buttles are also among the 11 players who returned to Aquinas after helping the team double its win total to six in 2022. The 2023 season ended for Aquinas in the sectional semifinals.
“The guys are confident,” Jackson said. “We know we still have a long way to go and some hurdles to overcome.”
Aquinas Football at a glance
- Head coach: Maurice Jackson
- Classification: A.A.
- Last season’s results: 6-4, loss to McQuaid, Section V, Class AA, semifinals
- Last Section V Championship: 2018
Aquinas football schedule for the 2024 season
- Friday, September 6: against Buffalo Bishop Timon, 7 p.m.
- Friday13 September: vs. University Prep, 6 p.m.
- Saturday, September 21: in Fairport, 3pm
- Saturday28 September: against Penfield, 1pm
- Friday, October 4: against McQuaid, 6 p.m.
- Thursday, October 10: Pittsford, 7pm in Sutherland
- Friday, October 18: against Rush-Henrietta, 6 p.m.
- Friday, October 25: at the Hilton, 7pm
Top games for Aquinas
Week 2 against University Prep could answer the question of how much Aquinas has improved since the team's 33-7 loss to UPrep last September. McQuaid, the team to beat in Class AA and a rival, comes to Aquinas in Week 5. How will Aquinas start the sectionals after a Week 8 meeting at Hilton?
Aquinas’ best returning players
RB/LB Tano Auriuso, RB Derrion Battle, OL/DL Frankie Burgess, QB Trent Buttles, WR Noah Collins-Howard, CB Joshua Ernst, DE/TE Quante Gillians, OL/DL Shane Hoyt, DE Brody Lennox, LB/OL Lucas Leone, WR/DB Thomas Levins
