Published on Sunday December. 21, 2008 in The Miami Herald
St. Thomas Aquinas considered among Broward's best ever
BY MIKE PHILLIPS
The best.
The best ever.
That's the label this St. Thomas Aquinas team carries with it, and if anyone wants to argue the point, meet the Raiders in the end zone.
That's where they spent most of this remarkable, unforgettable season.
What a ride.
The Raiders capped off a perfect 15-0 season with a resounding 56-7 victory over Lakeland Friday to win their second consecutive Class 5A title and fifth in the storied history.
That victory alone will stand the test of time at Aquinas, but the Raiders also made history by becoming the first Broward team to win a mythical national title.
They are the consensus national champs, finishing first in all three rankings: the National Prep poll, where they have been No. 1 for 14 weeks, ESPN and USA Today.
They clearly leave in their wake a new standard for teams in Broward.
''They are the best team I've ever seen out of Broward County,'' said the Orlando Sentinel's
Buddy Collings, who has been covering high school football in Florida for 40 years.
''That's one of the most complete teams I've ever seen in Florida,'' he said. ''They are the total package. I would say they have to be one of the top 10 teams in the state all-time.''
Larry Blustein, who has been covering high school football for 38 years, had the same opinion.
''Without a doubt, the best ever from Broward,'' he said. ''And top 10 in the state all time.
Broward has had some really good teams. Dillard had some great teams and Chaminade had the best team in the state in 2003.
''But no one has had a team like this one,'' he said. ''St. Thomas has had some great teams in the past, but this is the best one they've ever had.''
NUMBERS DON'T LIE
It would be foolish to argue, especially with any investigation of the season's statistics:
• Aquinas scored 49 points or more in nine of its 15 games, and then won the state title by 49 points.
• The Raiders beat teams by an average of more than 40 points per game.
• The Raiders beat five playoff opponents by a combined score of 231-46.
• After beating nationally ranked Elder 35-24 in Cincinnati to open the season, the Raiders' defense gave up only four touchdowns over the final nine games of the regular season.
• They outscored those nine opponents 429-43. It could have been worse: They had a running clock in eight of the nine games.
• They blew out everyone they played, and were their best against the best. They beat both
Miramar and Deerfield Beach, which met in the state semifinals, and were the two best Class 6A teams from Broward.
Aquinas beat those two by a combined score of 114-12.
• They played three nationally-ranked teams -- Elder, Deerfield and Lakeland -- and won by a combined score of 156-41.
''That's not only the best team ever from Broward,'' said Deerfield Beach coach Art Taylor.
''That's the best team I've ever seen in my 24 years of coaching.''
''I've never seen any team click like they did: offense, defense, special teams. They had everything. They beat us 65-10, and it might have been worse.''
Taylor's Bucks lost to Miami Northwestern in the state semifinals last year and Northwestern went on to win the mythical national title. So who was better, the '07 Bulls or the '08 Raiders?
''This year's St. Thomas team would beat last year's Northwestern team,'' Taylor said.
Aquinas' final argument was Friday against their nemesis, Lakeland, which was 4-0 against the Raiders in state title games, including a three-year run from 2004 through '06.
Aquinas not only avenged those losses, the Raiders handed Lakeland, which was unbeaten and ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation, the worst playoff loss in Lakeland's history.
It was also the second most lopsided win in a state title game behind Venice's 77-14 laugher over Dwyer in 2000. But that game didn't use a running clock.
HUMBLING EXPERIENCE
The final insult to injury for Lakeland was the new mercy rule had to be applied, and the officials used a running clock in the fourth quarter to keep the score down.
''It was a humbling experience,'' said Lakeland coach Bill Castle, whose team won national titles in 2005 and '06. ''They deserve to be the national champions.''
It was a perfect ending to a perfect season, one that will never be forgotten by Aquinas.
Or anyone else in Broward County football.
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