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Marcus Benjamin @_benjaminreport
Orlando, FL – No matter what the ending, tonight we were going to have a repeat of history. Aquinas won the last time the teams met in the 7A final and the last time Lakeland won a championship, it was against St. Thomas in 2006. Lakeland and St. Thomas Aquinas are two of the most accomplished programs in South Florida and about 7,000 fans were in attendance to witness an instant classic. Lakeland was able to come out on top of this battle of blue bloods 33-20. Demarkus Bowman finished the game with 211 yards rushing averaging 9.6 a carry.
“Bowman showed up big tonight as well as the whole team,” said Heach Coach Bill Castle.
Junior Demarkus Bowman
The speed of running back Demarkus Bowman is unreal. The junior found a gap on the edge and blazed down the field for an 80-yard touchdown run. Bowman just could not be stopped all night. Raider defenders would converge on the 190 pound back and struggled to bring him down on several occasions.
“It was wide open and it felt like a long run,” said Bowman. “We kept fighting and it felt great we came ready.”
Lakeland was able to add a field goal by Jace Hohenthaner to add to their total right before the half.
It was the first time St. Thomas was shutout in the first half all season.
Curt Casteel did his best to lead his team back in the second half. He went 17 for 24 for 220 yards and a touchdown but was sacked four times.
Senior Curt Casteel
Bowman fumbled on Dreadnaught’s first possession which set up the Raiders at the Lakeland 32-yard line. Casteel would rush in from 15 yards to put the Raiders on the scoreboard for the first time in the game. On the ensuing kickoff, junior Fenley Graham returned a 99-yard touchdown that ignited the Lakeland faithful.
Junior Fenley Graham
Graham high fived with teammate Chris Howard just before crossing the goal line. They did draw an unsportsmanlike penalty for the gesture.
Casteel continued to battle back and found his go-to receiver junior Marcus Rosemy on a 44-yard pass play. The drive would end with a Daniel Carter five-yard touchdown rush. Daniel Carter had 15 rushes for 121 yards for and one touchdown.
Senior Daniel Carter
Lakeland’s running game would continue to pound Aquinas as they rushed for a total of 277 yards on 44 attempts. Dreadnaughts scored on three drives with two Jaharie Martin touchdown runs and a Hohenthaner field goal. The scores put Lakeland up 33-14 and the Dreadnaughts started to feel like that a championship could finally be theirs after 12 years.
Casteel drove his team down the field for another touchdown where he connected with junior The’andris Freeman for a 13-yard touchdown. St. Thomas attempted an onside kick but failed when recovered the ball out of bounds on the sideline.
This is the first time since the 05’ 06’ season that there is now a two year gap between championships for St. Thomas Aquinas This was their sixth meeting and Lakeland now claims seven state championships while St. Thomas Aquinas claims 10 state titles. Lakeland last won a state title in 2006 with a 45-42 OT win over St. Thomas. Lakeland won three straight championships from 04’ to 06’ and since that time St. Thomas has not allowed a two-year gap without a state title.
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