Tuesday, December 4, 2018

St. Thomas Aquinas And Lakeland Title Preview

     The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders will clash with the Lakeland Dreadnaughts in the FHSAA Class 7A state championship on Friday night at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Both schools met each other in the Class 5A state title game three consecutive years from 2004 to 2006.
      St. Thomas Aquinas(13-1) has never lost a championship game in Orlando and won titles there in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016. STA looks to win their fourth state title in the last five seasons and 11th overall. The Raiders have won nine straight games and outscored their opponents 666-110 this season. They outlasted South Miami 77-20 in the regional quarterfinal, pounded district rival Fort Lauderdale 51-0 in the regional semifinal, blanked Dwyer 35-0 in the regional final and beat Venice 38-18 in the state semifinal.
     The Raiders have quarterback Curt Casteel to call the signals. He will look for wide receivers Marcus Rosemy, Xavier Restrepo, Jamal Cooney, Jahvante Royal and The'Andris Freeman down the field on passes. Running backs Daniel Carter and Nigel White are expected to split the rushing opportunities from the backfield.
     Lakeland(14-0) has compiled five shutouts and have outscored their opponents 660-115 this season. The Dreadnaughts scrambled Wiregrass Ranch 43-7 in a regional quarterfinal, knocked off crosstown rival Kathleen 29-7 in a regional semifinal, topped Plant 49-30 in a regional final and outscored Edgewater 56-21 in a state semifinal. Running back Demarcus Bowman will get the majority of carries while quarterback Dywonski McWilliams can pass the ball.

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