Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), the two-time defending Super 25 champion, had already locked in its game against St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) when coach Kenny Sanchez spoke to USA TODAY High School Sports on March 10.
On Tuesday, St. Thomas Aquinas made its announcement with coach Roger Harriott and athletic director George Smith announcing the Sept. 30 game to the team.
Aquinas, the two-time defending Florida state 7A champion champion, could be will be the Gaels’ most likely competition for the No. 1 spot in the preseason rankings.
The Gorman-Aquinas game in Las Vegas will be televised by one of the ESPN networks.
“I think this is an exceptional opportunity presented to us,” Harriott told The Sun-Sentinel. “We feel blessed and grateful to represent St. Thomas Aquinas, Broward County and the state of Florida.”
Gorman quarterback Tate Martell, a Texas A&M recruit, tweeted this past winter that Aquinas was one of the five teams he wanted to play in 2016. He ended his tweet with the words: “Tell your coaches.”
That drew the ire of Aquinas’ Trevon Grimes, who is the No. 1 receiver in the nation, according to Rivals.com.
Grimes’ tweet: “No! Tell YOUR coaches to call. South Florida football is something you don’t want to call out.”
The game pits two of the nation’s top quarterbacks in Martell and Florida-bound Jake Allen. Both already have earned invitations to the Elite 11 finals.