Football Pilgrims May Soon Leave Lauderdale for Northern Indiana Holy Land

Just as all good Sunni Muslims make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca, all good Fort Lauderdale Catholic boys go to Notre Dame. So maybe it was inevitable that two of the most well-regarded players on next year's defending state champion St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders football team have named the...

By Thomas Francis

April 22, 2009

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Just as all good Sunni Muslims make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca, all good Fort Lauderdale Catholic boys go to Notre Dame. So maybe it was inevitable that two of the most well-regarded players on next year's defending state champion St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders football team have named the Fighting Irish as a leader for their college destination. Brandon Linder, a center prospect, has had a scholarship offer from the school since last fall -- the start of his junior year and has already made multiple visits to the South Bend, Ind., campus. Another St. Thomas star -- cornerback Cody Riggs -- declared after this past weekend's visit that he very nearly gave the school a verbal commitment. He's expected to do so eventually. Here's a (soundtracked) highlight reel of Riggs' play in the 2008 season:

Currently, two starters on the Irish offensive line are Coral Springs natives who atteneded St. Thomas -- tackle Sam Young and center Dan Wenger. Last year's Raiders punter, Ben Turk, and the guy who snapped him the ball, Jordan Cowart, have enrolled at the school and will suit up for the team this fall.

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