By James Oyola
MaxPreps.com
ORLANDO, Fla. – Led by quarterback Ryan Becker, St. Thomas Aquinas crushed Lakeland 56-7 in the Class 5A championship game en route to its second consecutive state title and the school’s fifth overall.
The Raiders, who locked up the No. 1 spot in the final MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard, became the first team from Broward County to finish the season 15-0. They also became the first team from Broward to be considered high school football's national champion.
“Unbelievable,” Becker said. “They beat us three times in the past four years and now we were able to get the monkey off our back. We had a great season but the true test for us was this game tonight, and we passed.”
Becker, a senior, completed 8-of-11 passes for 100 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, while also rushing for a score. The standout senior has a 4.7 grade point average and is considering Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Princeton and Penn State.
St. Thomas Aquinas, who averaged 43.8 points per game in the postseason, did not waste any time scoring as Becker hit receiver Gabrison Holmes in stride for a 53-yard touchdown pass on the second play from scrimmage.
Senior linebacker Conor O’Neill led a Raider defense that recorded three sacks, forced two fumbles and one interception on the night.
The Raiders scored on their first three possessions, along with a 19-yard interception return by O’Neill, to take a convincing 28-0 lead over Lakeland with 3:12 remaining in the first quarter.
After Becker’s pass to Holmes, junior running back James White extended the lead 14-0 with a 45-yard run.
White led a ground game that amassed 313 yards and four touchdowns by rushing for 105 yards on four carries and a score.
On their next possession, Becker capitalized on a 57-yard run by Dami Ayoola with a 1-yard touchdown run to take a 21-0 lead.
With less than two minutes remaining until halftime, Lakeland was forced to punt from its 12-yard line but fumbled the snap. The loose ball was recovered by the Raiders giving them a chance to add to their lead.
Becker capitalized off the turnover with a 12-yard touchdown pass to receiver Dwayne Difton with 1:34 remaining and increased the lead 35-0 by halftime.
In the second half, Lakeland showed signs of hope after quarterback Jarrod Haggins connected with receiver Javares McRoy for an 86-yard pass on their second play to cut the deficit to 28.
The Raiders responded with a 9-yard run by running back Beau Bucci.
Unfortunately, the Dreadnaughts realized that this was a different team than the group they defeated in three of the previous four 5A title games.
Becker threw his third and final touchdown pass of the night, this time, a 6-yard toss to receiver Duron Carter extending the lead 49-7 with 5:18 left in the third quarter.
Ronnie Kennedy, who starts at defensive back, plays running back and returns kicks, sealed the win with an 8-yard touchdown run with four minutes remaining in regulation.
“Our guys knew that no matter what we did or who we beat this season, it wouldn’t matter unless we won this game tonight,” St. Thomas head coach George Smith said. “Our goal wasn’t to beat Lakeland or to be the top team in the country; it was to win the Class 5A state championship. When we learned that we’d be facing them in the title game again, we knew that this would be a defining moment in our season.”
