5 takeaways from St. Thomas Aquinas' thrilling Class 5A state semifinal win over Manatee
BRADENTON, FLORIDA- There's plenty of history when it comes down to Manatee and St. Thomas Aquinas' football teams.
The last time these two teams met in Bradenton was back in a 2009 5A state semifinal, with the Hurricanes coming out on top. This time around, the Raiders nearly two decades later repaid the favor.
Taking advantage of three Manatee turnovers, St. Thomas Aquinas was able to come away with a narrow 16-13 victory at Hawkins Stadium on Joe Kinaan Field in a Class 5A state semifinal The Raiders advance to face Lakeland, a 34-33 overtime winner over Niceville.
High School On SI was on hand for the 5A state semifinal and gives you five takeaways from the contest.
1. St. Thomas Aquinas clinches seventh consecutive trip to a state championship game
St. Thomas Aquinas' heart of a champion was challenged last week against Delray Beach Atlantic and once again in Bradenton versus Manatee. Check that being back-to-back weeks where the Raiders answered the bell in pulling off a close win in the playoffs. With quarterback Andrew Indorf (19-of-27, 154 yards) being pressured constantly and the run game being bottled up for the most part, it would be a game altering play that changed the complexion of everything. Raiders' cornerback Zayden Gamble jumped a Andrew Heidel screen pass, setting Aquinas up near Manatee's redzone. It wouldn't be too long afterwards that the Raiders cashed in and took the lead. They never looked back and needing just one play showed the why they're heading back to the state championship game in 5A.
2. Turnover margin: Manatee 3, Aquinas 0
One of the biggest things coaches harp on to their respective teams is taking care of the football. Turnovers win or lose ball games and for Manatee, it proved to be the difference in why they won't be making the trip down to Pitbull Stadium next week. Aquinas ended up winning the turnover battle as they made no mistakes with interceptions or fumbles, with its opposition providing three extra opportunities. The biggesr being the interception in the second half that gave Aquinas the lead for good after trailing 13-9. When getting to the state semifinal stage of the playoffs, the room for error is very minimal and three giveaways will never help your cause.
3. Losing Kei'Shawn Smith hurt Manatee
Another reason why Manatee wasn't able to pull off the win was losing a main reason why they were winning for most of the game. Hurricanes' running back Kei'Shawn Smith had rushed for 99 yards on just eight carries before going out of the game with an arm injury. After that, Manatee wasn't able to amount much on the ground against Aquinas' front seven and resorted to throwing the ball a bit more. With Heidel rocking a knee brace and limited in his own running abilities, Green was a little handcuffed play-calling wise down the stretch.
4. Aquinas meeting Lakeland, like everyone projected
St. Thomas Aquinas will meet Lakeland for the Class 5A state championship next week on Thursday, just like everyone projected before the season ever started. Though, the way each club got here wasn't exactly a path anyone could've exactly guessed, especially when it came to the state semifinal round. With both teams taken to the brink in their respective semifinal, it was a tougher road back to the big dance than many would've ever imagined.
5. Football was alive and well in Bradenton on Friday night
Remember when within weeks of each other during the regular season when back-to-back hurricanes ravaged the state? The City of Bradenton was one that got hit pretty hard, with residents and businesses still trying to recover. For one chilly Friday night, however, the city came together and turned out for the Aquinas-Manatee state semifinal. It was a sign that high school football in the city is alive and well, despite everything the area has endured in recent months. A testament to the kind of program Jacquez Green has built at Manatee and brought it back to a state-championship competing team.
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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi