Publisheded on Friday December 19, 2008 in The Miami Herald
St. Thomas Aquinas prepares for dreaded rival Lakeland
BY MIKE PHILLIPS
Rivalry? What rivalry?
Lakeland who?
Don't laugh -- that's the party line this week at St. Thomas Aquinas, where they can exorcise all their demons of the past, end the greatest season in Aquinas' storied history and win a mythical national title.
All the Raiders have to do is beat Lakeland.
Sounds easy enough for a team that has made a joke of its last 13 games. Sure, that road trip to Cincinnati back in August and that come-from-behind victory over nationally-ranked
Elder was tough.
But since then Aquinas has outscored everyone else 604-86 -- and most of that occurred with a running clock rule in the second half.
And while the clock was running Aquinas was climbing -- right up the charts. The Raiders enter Friday's Class 5A state title game in the Citrus Bowl against Lakeland ranked No. 1 in the nation in the National Prep poll, ESPN and USA Today rankings.
Is this the greatest team in Aquinas history?
''Absolutely,'' said Deerfield Beach coach Art Taylor. ``They've had great teams before, but this one is their best. They are going to be the national champions.''
Taylor knows first hand. His Bucks were unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the state's 6A poll and in the top 10 in the nation when Aquinas beat them 65-10 on national TV.
''We might have been lucky it wasn't worse. This team has everything,'' Taylor said.
Well, everything except a victory against Lakeland.
Lakeland is to the Raiders what the Yankees once were to the Red Sox, Friday Night Lights' answer to the Evil Empire.
BIGGEST NEMESIS
Lakeland is 4-0 in state title games against Aquinas, winning it all in 1996, 2004, '05 and '06 in a double-overtime 45-42 heartbreaker.
So where is the hate and cries for vengeance? Where is the wrath and indignation? Where is all the talk of redemption?
It's not to be found.
''There is a history and everything that goes with that,'' said Aquinas quarterback Ryan Becker. ''But none of that really affects us. This team hasn't played Lakeland. The way we see it, they are the team we have to face Friday. Our goal is to win the state title and we have to beat them to do that.
'That's what the game means. All of the other talk is coming from the student body and fans and the media. But we're not looking at it that way.''
And this from senior defensive lineman William Nesselt:
''They have six kids from that '06 Lakeland team left,'' he said. 'It's a new Lakeland team.
It's a new St. Thomas team.''
In effect, this is a business trip. Aquinas goes up to Orlando Friday, plays the game, and comes home Friday night. With their attitude, the kids might as well wear three-piece suits to the game.
That's George Smith football. Smith, in his 32nd year at Aquinas, runs one of the most disciplined teams anywhere, and part of that is buying into the program and ignoring the hype.
The players know what a victory over Lakeland (14-0 and ranked as high as sixth nationally) would mean to those seeking revenge.
''I've talked to some guys from the '07 graduating class, and they're excited about this game,'' Becker said. 'They want us to beat them pretty badly.''
Smith just wants to win his fifth state title.
''It's been a long season with a lot of twists and turns,'' he said. 'After Friday night we will know where we are.''
Few expected this when the season started, especially not Smith, who believes this team -- one of his youngest -- grew up together.
''We tell them to play as you are coached, to play as hard as you can and to take care of each other,'' Smith said.
'They have done that. Every coach might want that, but he can't control that. That's controlled by them. The team has to buy into each other.''
GROWING UP TOGETHER
That's why these kids aren't looking at history as much as they will be looking toward each other Friday night.
''It's been that way all year,'' Nesselt said. 'Our slogan for the South Fork playoff game was
`I got your back,' and that's the way this team is. We have come a long way, and we've done it together.''
''We grew up a lot,'' Becker said. ``When we went to the Elder game we were just football players on a field, but we came back from that game a team.
''It's been like that [for the past 13 weeks] and now we are where we wanted to be, in the state title game. We're playing Lakeland, but for us it wasn't going to matter who we played.''
WHEN AQUINAS PASSES
Ryan Becker (116 of 180 for 1,927 yards) set school season and career passing records, and he tossed 27 touchdowns, averaging one every 4.3 passes. Duron Carter (37 catches for 726 yards and 13 touchdowns) averaged 19.6 yards a catch, and Dwayne Difton (31 catches for 529 yards and five touchdowns) averaged 17 yards per catch.
Advantage: St. Thomas Aquinas
WHEN AQUINAS RUNS
Giovanni Bernard sat out most of the second half and still averaged 101.6 yards per game (152 carries for 1,474 yards) and 9.69 yards per carry. He scored 18 touchdowns, and James White (123 carries for 863 yards) scored 17 more for an offense that averaged 409 yards, including 255 on the ground, per game.
Advantage: St. Thomas Aquinas
WHEN LAKELAND PASSES
Jarred Haggins (68 of 120 for 1,206 yards) has 13 touchdowns, but he has been sacked 16 times and has thrown four interceptions. Aquinas' Cody Riggs has eight interceptions, including three in the playoffs. Big-play man Javares McRoy has 20 touchdowns (13 by air) and has caught 42 passes for 914 yards and a 21.3 average.
Advantage: St. Thomas Aquinas
WHEN LAKELAND RUNS
Three backs have combined for 1,853 yards: Aaron Truedell (115 carries for 710 yards and 17 touchdowns), Steward Butler (66 carries for 587 yards and a 8.8 average) and Rodney Watson (113 carries for 556 yards and eight touchdowns). Haggins has rushed for 295 yards on 94 carries.
Advantage: St. Thomas Aquinas
SPECIAL TEAMS
Aquinas kicker Mike Palardy (68 of 70 on PATs and 3 of 6 on field goals) is an ex-quarterback who threw for a two-point conversion. Benjamin Turk averaged 39.4 yards per punt and put 13 of 25 inside the 20. Ronnie Kennedy had 399 yards on 28 punt returns and 195 yards on six kickoff returns. For Lakeland, kicker Aaron O'Brien (43 of 51 PATs) is just 1 of 5 in field goal attempts with a successful 33-yarder. Punter Jamian Mathis is averaging 35.0 yards per punt and has put 10 of 35 inside the 20. McRoy has 155 yards in nine kickoff returns.
Advantage: St. Thomas Aquinas
COACHING
FHSAA Hall of Fame coach Bill Castle is in his 33rd year at Lakeland, where he has won two national titles (2005, 2006) and five state titles. He won his first one in 1996 against Aquinas and is 4-0 against Aquinas coach George Smith, a Hall of Fame coach in his 32nd year at a program that is a reflection of the man -- quiet, poised, classy, first-rate and demanding. His teams are as disciplined as they are talented.
Advantage: St. Thomas Aquinas
RECENT HISTORY
Aquinas is making its 12th trip to the title game in 18 years. It has won four times, including last year. But Lakeland has won four title games against Aquinas -- 67-40 in 1996, 31-7 in 2004, 39-10 in 2005 and 45-42 in double overtime in 2006, when Aquinas fell a yard short in one of the great comebacks in title game history.
Advantage: St. Thomas Aquinas
PREDICTION
St. Thomas Aquinas 42, Lakeland 14
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