CLASS 5A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: Lakeland and St. Thomas Aquinas meet for the seventh time for a state championship with another epic battle expected

#4 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS RAIDERS (FORT LAUDERDALE) (11-3) VS. #2 LAKELAND DREADNAUGHTS (13-0)

When: Thu. Dec. 12th

Where: South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium, Miami

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. EST

Live Broadcast: NFHS Network – Click Here To Watch

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS RAIDERS (FORT LAUDERDALE) (11-3)

• Head Coach: Roger Harriott (10th year, 127-14 overall; 18th year overall as head coach, 205-29)
• State Finals Appearances: 24 – 1991 (4A), 1992 (4A)*, 1996 (5A), 1997 (5A)*, 1999 (4A)*, 2000 (4A), 2001 (4A), 2004 (5A), 2005 (5A), 2006 (5A), 2007 (5A)*, 2008 (5A)*, 2010 (5A)*, 2012 (7A)*, 2014 (7A)*, 2015 (7A)*, 2016 (7A)*, 2018 (7A), 2019 (7A)*, 2020 (7A)*, 2021 (7A)*, 2022 (3M)*, 2023 (3M)*, 2024 (5A)

KEY PLAYERS

• #2 QB Andrew Indorf (Sr): Indorf threw for 2,700 yards and 30 touchdowns this season with eight interceptions. Indorf’s QB rating is 117.5%. He also rushed for 295 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
• #4 RB Cedric Wyche III (Sr): Wyche rushed for 805 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. He also had 127 receiving yards this season. Wyche signed to Illinois after receiving offers from Florida, FIU, USF, and Mississippi.
• #81 WR Julius Jones (So): Jones leads the Raiders in receiving yards per game with an average of 62.5. He had 750 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns this season.
• #0 S Tavares Daniels (Sr): Daniels is the Raiders’ second-leading tackler, averaging five tackles per game. He signed to Maryland after receiving offers from Indiana, Georgia Tech, and Tennessee.
• #5 LB Joey Ramjas (Sr): Ramjas leads the Raiders with 61 tackles this season.
• #90 DE/DT Trevor Sommers (Sr): Sommers leads the Raiders in sacks this season, with eight. He also has 13 tackles for loss. Sommers signed with Pitt after receiving offers from UCF, Maryland, West Virginia, and Colorado.
• #14 WR Ah’mari Stevens (So): Stevens is the Raiders’ second-leading receiver with 406 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns. He is is currently holding offers from FIU, Miami, USF, Pitt and Missouri.

2024 RESULTS – HOW THEY GOT HERE

* – District Game
*** – Playoff Game

• 8/24 – vs. Bishop Gorman (NV), 29-21 (L)
• 8/30 – at Boyd Anderson (Fort Lauderdale), 51-0 (W)
• 9/6 – vs. Columbus (Miami), 42-6 (W)
• 9/13 – at Western (Davie), 23-15 (W)
• 9/20 – vs. McArthur (Hollywood)*, 56-0 (W)
• 9/27 – at Bishop Moore (Orlando), 50-15 (W)
• 10/4 – vs. Hollywood Hills (Hollywood)*, 64-0 (W)
• 10/11 – vs. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood), 29-22 (L)
• 10/18 – vs. Monarch (Coconut Creek), 44-6 (W)
• 10/25 – vs. American Heritage (Plantation), 42-38 (L)
• 11/1 – BYE
• 11/8 – BYE
• 11/15 – vs. North Miami***, 58-0 (W)
• 11/22 – vs. Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach)***, 53-32 (W)
• 11/29 – vs. Atlantic (Delray Beach)***, 49-42 (OT) (W)
• 12/6 – at Manatee (Bradenton)***, 16-13 (W)

TEAM STATS

• Passing Yards: 2632
• Passing Yards per Game: 188.0
• Rushing Yards: 2389
• Rushing Yards per Game: 170.6
• Rushing Yards per Carry: 8.6
• Receiving Yards per Catch: 13.4
• Yards per Game: 358.6
• Sacks: 50
• Interceptions: 16
• Fumble Recoveries: 7
• Caused Fumbles: 9
• Punt Average: 32.8
• Kickoff Return Average: 29.8
• Punt Return Average: 17.0
• Average Score: 41.9

LAKELAND DREADNAUGHTS (13-0)

• Head Coach: Marvin Frazier (2nd year, 25-3 overall)
• State Finals Appearances: 11 – 1986 (5A)*, 1996 (5A), 1999 (5A)*, 2004 (5A)*, 2005 (5A)*, 2006 (5A)*, 2008 (5A), 2018 (7A)*, 2022 (4S), 2023 (4S)*, 2024 (5A)

KEY PLAYERS

• #15 QB Zander Smith (Sr): Smith threw for 918 yards and 10 touchdowns this season with one interception. Smith has a 57.3% completion percentage and a 120.1 QB rating. He also rushed for 79 yards this season. Smith is signed with North Dakota State after receiving offers from Bowling Green, Cornell, and Eastern Michigan.
• #12 QB Chad Williams (Jr): Williams hast for 386 yards and seven touchdowns this season with three interceptions.
• #23 RB Jordan Henderson (Sr): Henderson leads the Dreadnaughts with 681 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns this season. He is considering USF, FAU, Liberty, Boston College, and UNLV.
• #24 RB Jadarius Dobie (Jr): Dobie rushed for 578 yards and three touchdowns this season. He currently holds an offer from Western Michigan.
• #5 WR/S Shanard Clower (Sr): Clower leads the Dreadnaughts in receiving yards per game with an average of 55.6 and total touchdowns with 11. He had 556 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns this season. He is tied for the team lead in interceptions with one. Clower also recorded 206 rushing yards this season.
• #0 LB Malik Morris (Jr): Morris is a highly sought-after recruit with offers from Miami, Florida, USF, Oregon, and Tennessee. He is tied for the team lead in total touchdowns, with six. He is also the team leader in QB hurries, with 11. Morris recorded five rushing touchdowns this season.
• #1 S Keon Young (Sr): Young is signed to Mississippi after receiving offers from Florida, USF, Kentucky, and Minnesota.

2024 RESULTS – HOW THEY GOT HERE

* – District Game
*** – Playoff Game

• 8/23 – at Miami Central, 16-8 (W)
• 8/30 – BYE
• 9/6 – at Lake Mary, 35-34 (OT) (W)
• 9/13 – at Winter Haven, 44-0 (W)
• 9/20 – vs. Booker T. Washington (Miami), 48-13 (W)
• 9/27 – vs. Lake Gibson (Lakeland)*, 63-0 (W)
• 10/4 – at Sumner (Riverview), 28-0 (W)
• 10/11 – BYE
• 10/21 – vs. Specialty Fit (Seffner), 46-14 (W)
• 10/25 – at Kathleen (Lakeland)*, 47-6 (W)
• 11/1 – BYE
• 11/6 – at Sebring*, 22-12 (W)
• 11/15 – vs. Spoto (Riverview)***, 51-6 (W)
• 11/22 – vs. Gaither (Tampa)***, 41-13 (W)
• 11/29 – vs. Tampa Bay Tech***, 24-21 (W)
• 12/6 – vs. Niceville***, 34-33 (3OT) (W)

TEAM STATS

• Passing Yards: 1304
• Passing Yards per Game: 100.3
• Rushing Yards: 1848
• Rushing Yards per Game: 142.2
• Rushing Yards per Carry: 6.2
• Receiving Yards per Catch: 16.6
• Yards per Game: 242.5
• Sacks: 15
• Interceptions: 5
• Fumble Recoveries: 5
• Caused Fumbles: 3
• Kickoff Return Average: 39.7
• Punt Return Average: 25.0
• Average Score: 38.4

THOUGHTS ON THE GAME

This Class 5A state championship game will be a matchup between two of Florida’s top programs. Lakeland enters the game undefeated, while St. Thomas Aquinas has faced tougher opponents throughout the season. Lakeland’s defense has given up an average of 38.4 points this season, while St. Thomas Aquinas is averaging 41.9 points per game. Both teams have talented players and winning could depend on which team’s defense can shut down the other’s key players.

St. Thomas Aquinas has won 14 state championships, while Lakeland has won nine. This is St. Thomas Aquinas’s 24th appearance in the state finals and Lakeland’s 11th having won nine state championships so far. St. Thomas Aquinas has had more success in recent years, winning their last five state championship appearances, while Lakeland won state championships the past two seasons in 2022 and 2023. However, Lakeland is coming into the game undefeated, while St. Thomas Aquinas has three losses this season.

Lakeland averages more rushing yards per game (142.2) than St. Thomas Aquinas (170.6). However, St. Thomas Aquinas averages more passing yards per game (188.0) than Lakeland (100.3). The key matchup in this game will be Lakeland’s rushing offense, led by Henderson and Dobie, against St. Thomas Aquinas’s passing offense, led by Indorf. If Lakeland can contain Indorf and force St. Thomas Aquinas to become one-dimensional, they will have a good chance of winning the game. On the other hand, if St. Thomas Aquinas can establish the pass early and force Lakeland to respect the pass, it will open up running lanes for Wyche, which could lead to a big day for the Raiders’ offense.

Turnovers could be a deciding factor in this one as both teams have shown a propensity for turning the ball over. St. Thomas Aquinas has thrown 10 interceptions this season, while Lakeland has thrown four. Additionally, both teams have fumbled the ball multiple times. In a close game, the team that can win the turnover battle will likely come out on top.

PREDICTIONS

Josh’s Pick: St. Thomas Aquinas
Chris’s Pick: St. Thomas Aquinas
Reno’s Pick: St. Thomas Aquinas
Massey Predictions (via On3): St. Thomas Aquinas 38, Lakeland 21

An asterisk (*) next to a year in the State Finals Appearances section indicates the team was the state champion that year