Welcome to TBO.com. Skip directly to: our Keyword Search, Section Navigation, Content.

TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Sports

TBO > Sports

Aquinas Dominates Lakeland

Tribune photo by JIM REED

Lakeland's Aaron Truedell gets stopped by St. Thomas Aquinas in the State Championship game.

By NICK WILLIAMS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 20, 2008

Related Links

ORLANDO - The Lakeland football team was in an unfamiliar situation Friday.

In each of the program's six state title game appearances, they've walked away winners.

Friday, however, three minutes and eight plays was all it took for defending state champion Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, the nation's top-ranked team according to numerous polls, to assert its dominance.

Aquinas scored 28 points in the first four minutes and went on to hand Lakeland its only loss of the season 56-7 in the Class 5A state title game at the Florida Citrus Bowl.

At the half, Aquinas (15-0) led 35-0 and had amassed 213 total yards while limiting the Dreadnaughts to 85.

"They're not used to losing like this," Lakeland coach Bill Castle said. "It's a humbling experience. Every now and then, I guess, it makes you a better man when you go through something like this."

Sophomore running back Steward Butler led Lakeland (14-1) with 86 rushing yards while junior back Rodney Watson added 66 yards. Sophomore receiver Javares McRoy scored Lakeland's lone touchdown on an 86-yard pass in the third quarter. The 86-yarder was 4 yards shy of the state championship record of 90.

"To be the No. 1 team in the nation, they played like it Friday," Castle said. "They just have one heck of a football team. Tonight wasn't our night. I'm proud of the kids for the season that we had. We played 14 tough games, we played a tough schedule. Everything belongs to St. Thomas, they're truly a well-coached team and they deserve to be No. 1 in the nation."

Aquinas senior quarterback Ryan Becker went 8-for-11 for 100 yards and three TDs, and rushed for another. Junior Giovanni Bernard rushed eight times for 104 yards while junior back James White added 98 yards and one TD.

"We set a goal that we were going to win state and our goal was to win a national championship," said Aquinas senior receiver and Ohio State commit Duron Carter, who had two catches for 12 yards and one touchdown. "Lakeland was a great team. We just came out and executed."

The 2006 Class 5A title game between the two was a classic. Lakeland led 21-0 with just more than six remaining in the fourth when the Raiders scored 35 points in the last 6:07 to send the game into overtime. In double overtime, Lakeland prevented Aquinas from scoring on fourth-and-goal on the 1-yard line to pull off a 45-42 victory and win its third consecutive state title.

Friday, Lakeland couldn't make a comeback.

"We weren't ready for them," Lakeland junior defensive back T.J. Denson said. "We played our hearts out and I guess they played with their hearts out more than we did."

The title is Aquinas' fifth.

"It's for the teams that have played here before and lost to Lakeland and going back to '06 when we were getting beat 35-14 and came back and lost in two overtimes," Aquinas coach George Smith said. "This is a win for all those teams that played them and didn't beat them."