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Lakeland Has Tough Task

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 14, 2008

LAKELAND - Lakeland football coach Bill Castle couldn't celebrate his team's 22-21 victory against Pensacola Pine Forest in the Class 5A state semifinals for long.

That's because he knew the type of program his Dreadnaughts would face in the state final at 7 p.m. Friday in Orlando.

Lakeland (14-0), the sixth-ranked team in the country, will face Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (14-0), the nation's No. 1 team, in a rematch of the 2006 Class 5A state championship game.

"They've got the best team they've ever had, and that's saying a lot," Castle said. "They have one of those teams that comes around maybe once in a lifetime."

The 2006 title game was a classic, with Lakeland sealing a 45-42 double-overtime win on a goal-line stop as time expired.

"I know it's going to be a tough one," Lakeland junior quarterback Jarred Higgins said. "We're not going to underestimate them. ... We just have to come out with our 'A' game."

Nick Williams

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