The Rams won their first state championship in school history. The Indians did not capture their first state championship since 1981 and their second overall state football title.
Lake Mary(12-3) broke out to a 3-0 lead at 7:00 of the first quarter on their first possession. Lucas Parker was able to boot a 32-yard field goal.
Vero Beach(14-1) scored on the first play of their opening drive just 10 seconds later. Quarterback Champ Monds connected an 80-yard touchdown pass to quarterback/wide receiver E.J. White on the right hash marks to take a 7-3 lead.
Rams quarterback Noah Grubbs threw his second interception of the contest to defensive back Jordan Crutchfield in the end zone for a touchback at 9:37 of the second quarter. Two plays later, White fired a 79-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marcus Melbourne on the right sideline to give Vero Beach a 14-3 lead with 8:52 remaining in the second.
The Rams turned the ball over on downs at the Indians 20-yard line with 6:17 left in the second. The Indians extended their lead on their next possession to 21-3 with 3:00 remaining in the first half. Monds threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Xavier Stinson in the middle of the field to finish off a six-play, 80-yard drive.
In the third quarter, Lake Mary closed it to 21-11 with 2:00 to go. Wide receiver Barrett Schulz caught a 35-yard touchdown pass on the left sideline from Grubbs. They were able to pick up a two-point conversion as Grubbs sneaked into the middle of the line.
The Indians responded on a three-play, 80-yard drive and got into the end zone with 1:23 left in the third. White rushed through the middle from one yard out to make it 27-11. The extra point by kicker Riley Swanson was no good.
The Rams answered back and trailed 27-19 at the 11:14 mark of the fourth quarter. Grubbs tossed a seven-yard touchdown pass to running back Gavin Isaacs on the right side. They made the two-point conversion with a double pass. Grubbs threw a lateral pass across the field toward the right side to Schulz. He then found Isaacs with a pass to the right side of the end zone.
Indians running back Jonathan Hillsman reached the 200-yard rushing mark during a possession in the middle of the quarter. He finished up the contest with 238 rushing yards. Swanson missed a 39-yard field goal with 3:23 to go in the fourth to end the drive.
Things looked great for Vero Beach as Crutchfield made his third interception of the game when he picked off a Grubbs pass at the Indians 40-yard line with 1:12 left. Vero Beach took a knee three straight times and had a 4th-and-31 from their own 19-yard line. White got the snap and ran the ball to beyond the back of the Indians end zone. It gave Lake Mary a safety and they were behind 27-21 with 12 seconds left in the fourth.
The Rams had one more chance after the ensuing kickoff. Kick returner Jahvon Robinson returned the kickoff 23 yards to the Vero Beach 42-yard line with eight seconds to go. Grubbs rolled out to his right and threw a hail-mary pass down the right sideline. It was caught by Schulz at the Indians four-yard line. He lateralled the ball near the goal line and wide receiver Tavarius Brundidge Jr. ran it into the zone to tie the game 27-27 with no time remaining in the fourth quarter. Parker kicked the extra point to give Lake Mary the 28-27 victory and their first FHSAA state championship.
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