MIAMI — If there has been nemesis to the powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas football program, it has been Lakeland High School.
But not on Thursday night.
St. Thomas Aquinas seized a 17-0 halftime lead and coasted to a state-record-extending sixth consecutive FHSAA state football championship and 16th overall with a 34-0 drubbing of previously undefeated Lakeland in the Class 5A state title game on Thursday night at Pitbull Stadium at Florida International University.
The Raiders’ previous loss in a state title game came in 2018 to the Dreadnaughts, and Lakeland also had beaten St. Thomas in the final in 1996, 2004, 2005 and 2006, with the Raiders decimating them 56-7 in 2008.
This domination of the Dreadnaughts was the Raiders’ 30th consecutive playoff win during the winning streak.
After the game, St. Thomas Aquinas coach Roger Harriott walked to midfield and FaceTimed longtime Raiders coach and former athletic director George Smith who was unable to attend.
“Congratulations, coach. We did it again,” Harriott told Smith, who serves as the school’s athletic consultant. Harriott panned the phone so Smith could see the celebration. This is all for you, coach. We could never have done this without you. I love you.”
Harriott said the team capitalized on its chances in jumping out to the early lead and grounding the Dreadnaughts’ running game.
“We had a strong game plan,” he said. “We capitalized on some of their mishaps, but at the end of the day, we have an exceptional program, and I am proud of them. They did a phenomenal job. We had a few difficult mishaps this season, and we just showed the resilience, faith, tradition, and spirit that St. Thomas really has. It was a tough season, but it prepared us for opportunities like this.”
St. Thomas senior quarterback Andrew Indorf, the school’s all-time passing leader, threw for one TD and ran for another as the Raiders (12-3) snapped a 19-game Dreadnaughts’ winning streak. Lakeland (13-1) had won back-to-back Class 4S state titles and 14 consecutive playoff games.
Indorf finished off his high school career by calling his own number and scored from a yard out to polish off the victory with 5:16 left in the game.
“They couldn’t compete with us,” said a beaming Indorf, who now will settle in on the recruiting process. “The game was already over and that (TD run) was icing on the cake. I told my running backs, ‘You all ain’t going to take this one from me.’ I wasn’t going to give up. I was always going to get in. My O-Line pushed me the whole way through, and I got in.”
While the Aquinas offense did its job, it was the defensive effort that carried the win.
“I never won nothing before. This is huge, man,” said senior defensive end Richard Scott, who transferred from Cardinal Gibbons this season. He signed with FIU just last week. “All week we focused on coming out strong and playing the run because we knew that was what they were going to do because we had trouble stopping it early on in the season. We practiced hard for this.
“We knew if we made them pass the ball,” Scott continued, “we knew we had a chance. This is my first one. It feels great.”
In its regional semifinal and regional final victories, St. Thomas Aquinas had allowed 32 points or more. However, the Raiders limited Bradenton Manatee to just 13 points in the state semifinal before the Lakeland blanking.
St. Thomas Aquinas senior defensive end Trevor Sommers won his fourth ring and had four tackles, one for a loss, on Friday. Linebacker and Maryland signee Travares Daniels had a team-leading 11 tackles for the Raiders.
“This was definitely a statement,” said Sommers, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound Pitt signee. “We felt disrespected coming into the game. We wanted to put our foot on their neck and show we have a great defense at the end of the day.
“This is a historic win for us and a complete win,” Sommers continued. “This is very big. Only a few people can say they won four state championships. I was fortunate to be with this program and I am very thankful that I trust the process.”
Sommers said losing three games this year galvanized the team.
“It definitely motivated our team,” Sommers said. “I think the losses brought us together. I think this was the most connected team we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Lakeland took the opening kickoff and drove to Raiders’ 29 where they went for it on fourth-and-7 but were stopped short, turning the ball over to St. Thomas Aquinas.
The Raiders drove 10 plays to the Lakeland 15 where the drive stalled, and Nicholas Romero converted a 32-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
St. Thomas Aquinas extended the lead to 10-0 with eight seconds left in the first quarter when Indorf found running back Cedric Wyche II in the flat, and the Illinois-bound Wyche did the rest, rambling 18 yards for the score.
Lakeland turned the ball over on its ensuing drive as Lantz Pascal recovered a fumble and returned it 10 yards to at the Dreadnaughts’ 18. Chance Washington did the rest as he carried four times for 28 yards, including the final 6 yards for the touchdown and a 17-0 halftime cushion.
Washington, who finished with 70 yards on 12 carries, scored two TDs on the night as the Raiders rushed for 147 yards. Indorf was efficient as he was 13 of 19 for 159 yards and one score and added 21 yards on the ground and another TD.
Romero tacked on a 22-yard field goal to make it 20-0 heading into the final quarter, while Chance and Indorf each added short scoring runs in the fourth quarter.
Lakeland finished with 183 yards rushing, most of it coming on its final possession when the outcome had long since been decided.
The last time St. Thomas Aquinas had played a game at FIU was two months ago when the Raiders came up short 29-22 to Chaminade-Madonna, which rolled to the 1A state title 42-7 on Wednesday night.
