Broward 7A-5A football offensive player of the year: Mason Mallory, St. Thomas Aquinas senior

When Mason Mallory left the 2024 6A state champion West Boca Raton program and transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas, there was no guarantee he would wind up being the starter.

After all, senior quarterback Brady Palmer, a Temple commit, transferred in and was the penciled-in starter in the fall, with Mallory listed No. 3 on the depth chart.

“When I first met Coach Roger Harriott, and looked him in his eyes, I told him I was going to get him another one,” said Mallory, who did just that as he became the starter and helped the Raiders win a state record seventh straight state championship, and 17th overall.

“I just wanted to be a part of a culture where the coaches prepare you for the next level,” Mallory said. “I needed that to become the best player possible. “I’m forever thankful for Brady and everything he’s done for me. We kind of work together as one quarterback, and the standard is playing to glorify Christ, and that’s all we do.”

In the 29-0 5A state championship win, Mallory was 21 for 32 for 265 yards, and also did it with his legs rushing for 106 yards and a TD as the Raiders (14-1) finished the year on a 14-game winning streak, after it dropped the season opener to then MaxPreps No. 1 Mater Dei (Calif.), 26-23. Before the final, Mallory accounted for four TDs in each of the three regional games, his first such streak.

“Definitely, it was one of the greatest teams I’ve ever been a part of,” Mallory said. He finished the season throwing for 2,322 yards and 23 TDs, and added 760 yards and nine scores on the ground. A 68-yard TD run in the regular-season finale against Chaminade-Madonna was the longest of his career. He also had a 67-yard run in the state final. “I have a group of people here, players and coaches, who really believed in me.

“It was a tiny bit of a culture shock at first,” Mallory said of the transition of going from West Boca to St. Thomas Aquinas, and leaving his cousin Javian Mallory, a UM commit, behind. “At St. Thomas, they do everything like basically college, but definitely with the help of my teammates helped me become a better football player, and a better man. They are big on faith, and I was glad to be a part of that. Winning a seventh straight title for the school was the goal from when I first stepped on the campus.”

Mallory will now look to help the boys’ basketball team win a second straight championship. Mallory is a point guard.

“Mason has proven to be a true competitor with exceptional leadership skills,” said St. Thomas Aquinas coach Roger Harriott. “His ability to remain poised through adverse situations has enabled him to lead us to victory through challenging moments. He’s a phenomenal player and an even better person.”