COVER 3 – STATE CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION: Three athletes that stood out from the 2024 Class 5A State Championship Game

Our Cover 3 feature on FloridaHSFootball.com will be a complimentary part of our Daily Drive Podcast with Christopher Lyke that begins on January 2, 2025. In this year’s week-long state championship extravaganza at FIU’s Pitbull Stadium, St. Thomas Aquinas had a dominating performance over the Lakeland Dreadnaughts with a 34-0 win, grabbing their sixth consecutive state championship. Six straight titles are now a state record. Here are three players we felt had a breakout performance in the game:

DB Zayden Gamble – St. Thomas Aquinas

While the stats do not directly reflect how the score was on the field of play, the Raiders made the necessary stops to preserve that 34-0 victory. One of those players was sophomore defensive back Zayden Gamble, who intercepted a pass from Lakeland’s Zander Smith at their own 20-yard line and returned it 78 yards to the Lakeland 20-yard line late in the third quarter. Just four plays later, Aquinas opened up fourth-quarter play with a Chance Washington rushing touchdown to increase the game score to 27-0.

RB Chance Washington – St. Thomas Aquinas

Everyone knows when your number is called upon during the postseason, and you are expected to go out there and perform at the highest level you can. St. Thomas Aquinas RB Chance Washington did just that against the Lakeland Dreadnaughts. Including the touchdown, he scored after Zayden Gamble’s scoop and run; he had the only score of the second quarter when Lakeland was virtually still within a possession or two from changing the narrative of the ball game. Running in the ball with 8:58 left in the second, Washington’s touchdown saw the Dreadnaught sideline go from optimistic to outright concerned and stunned.

QB Andrew Indorf – St. Thomas Aquinas

Junior QB Andrew Indorf doesn’t immediately give you the vibe of a big-time recruit, and truth be told, he only has offers from North Carolina A&T and Wagner, according to various recruiting sites such as 247Sports and ESPN. The numbers he had in the state championship also don’t stand out, but against a highly touted Lakeland defense, he went 13 of 19 from the saddle with one interception on the night. The way he managed the Aquinas offense was undoubtedly a thing to watch and develop throughout the game itself. Before the game, he was calm, cool and collected. After the game, he was calm, cool, and collected, with a sense of excitement. Andrew Indorf deserves to be better in the college football recruiting world.