5 takeaways from St. Thomas Aquinas' thrilling Class 5A state semifinal win over Manatee

The Raiders clinch their seventh straight trip to the FHSAA state championships
St. Thomas Aquinas defeated the Manatee Hurricanes 16-13 on Friday night, in Bradenton to advance to state championship.
St. Thomas Aquinas defeated the Manatee Hurricanes 16-13 on Friday night, in Bradenton to advance to state championship. / Thomas Bender / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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 Chance Washington (#21) and Cedric Wyche
St. Thomas Chance Washington (#21) and Cedric Wyche (#4) celebrate the three-point win. St. Thomas Aquinas defeated the Manatee Hurricanes 16-13 on Friday night, in Bradenton to advance to state championship. / Thomas Bender / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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

St. Thomas Aquinas defeated the Manatee Hurricanes 16-13 on Friday night, in Bradenton to advance to state championship.
St. Thomas Aquinas defeated the Manatee Hurricanes 16-13 on Friday night, in Bradenton to advance to state championship. / Thomas Bender / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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

Manatee's Kei'Shawn Smith (#1) scores an easy touchdown. St. Thomas Aquinas defeated the Manatee Hurricanes 16-13 on Friday n
Manatee's Kei'Shawn Smith (#1) scores an easy touchdown. St. Thomas Aquinas defeated the Manatee Hurricanes 16-13 on Friday night, in Bradenton to advance to state championship. / Thomas Bender / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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' Carter Eurice
St. Thomas' Carter Eurice (#41), off camera, kicks an onside kick during the first play of the game as St. Thomas took possession of the ball. St. Thomas Aquinas defeated the Manatee Hurricanes 16-13 on Friday night, in Bradenton to advance to state championship. St. Thomas Aquinas defeated the Manatee Hurricanes 16-13 on Friday night, in Bradenton to advance to state championship. / Thomas Bender / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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

St. Thomas Aquinas defeated the Manatee Hurricanes 16-13 on Friday night, in Bradenton to advance to state championship.
St. Thomas Aquinas defeated the Manatee Hurricanes 16-13 on Friday night, in Bradenton to advance to state championship. / Thomas Bender / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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


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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.