St. Thomas Aquinas prepares for latest out-of-state opponent, John Curtis

St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) has conquered some big challenges in out-of-state showdowns of the past, but Friday night's matchup with Curtis (River Ridge, La.) could be the biggest hurdle the Raiders have faced outside the Sunshine State.

Curtis, the nation's No. 6-ranked team and defending national champion, will host No. 3 Aquinas at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in a battle of two of the country's most prominent non-public programs.

Having played the likes of Camden County (Ga.), Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) and De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) in recent years, Aquinas is as prepared as a program can be for the big stage and bright lights of playing in the nation's biggest interstate matchup this season.

Being prepared for the big stage and being prepared for the vaunted John Curtis offense are two different things, however, a distinction Aquinas head coach Rocco Casullo is well aware of.

"Their two running backs Raekwon James and George Moreira are really tough kids," Casullo said. "Their quarterback is a big kid, 6-2, 200 and benches 400 pounds. Those three guys can wear you out defensively."

In last week's season opener against Bergen Catholic, James and Moreira combined for 232 yards and two touchdowns.

The task of slowing down an offense that rolled up 677 points in 14 games last year rests with first-year defensive coordinator Bill Tierney. Tierney, a fixture on the Don Bosco Prep coaching staff during its run to a national title in 2009, has experience coaching against run-heavy offensive schemes that are far more common up north.

"It was really tough for me to prepare for the double Wing T (vs. Camden County in 2010) because you have to play assignment football in those types of offenses," Casullo said. "Bill has a great game plan this week. They are more accustomed to seeing those types of offenses up north than down here."

There's no doubt that Aquinas has the horses on defense this year. Despite only returning three starters, the unit is replete with talent.

It appears as if Aquinas is getting back to the Aquinas of old -- the one that routinely contends for national titles.

"Although it's early, I think they have the potential to be one of the better teams in Aquinas history especially on the defensive side of the ball," Miami Herald preps editor Andre Fernandez told MaxPreps.

"Some of that has to do with the talent they have with Anthony Moten, Al Harris, Nicholas Bosa just to name a few. Some of it has to do with Bill Tierney's arrival and adding another solid coaching presence in addition to what they already have."

In games against De La Salle, Don Bosco Prep and now John Curtis (not to mention Byrnes, Prattville and Camden County), Aquinas has scheduled many of the nation's elite programs from the past decade.

Casullo said he didn't have any particular team in its crosshairs for upcoming seasons. Rather, they will start assessing possibilities for out-of-state games in the winter while remaining open to playing at Sun Life Stadium, where Aquinas took on Northwestern in a Dade-Broward showdown two weeks ago.

That's part of the irony of Aquinas being located in talent-rich South Florida. Out of all the teams in the country it could play, Washington (Miami) and Central (Miami), just a short drive down Interstate 95, are two of the most intriguing opponents Aquinas could take on.

"Following that Booker T.-Central game, I know a lot of people have started buzzing about what a shame it is they aren't playing either of those this year while they're so good," Fernandez said, while also mentioning fellow Fort Lauderdale school University as a ballyhooed potential game.

But Casullo and Aquinas can't afford to look that far ahead, not with Curtis and 500-win coach J.T. Curtis looking to win its 30th straight game.

"We need to control the line of scrimmage and avoid turnovers," Casullo head. "They go 100 percent."

Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Follow the live Qwixcore here.