Friday night's 35-20 Class 5A state title win against Osceola might not have erased those defeats, but it made sure the seniors on St. Thomas Aquinas would be remembered not for championship disappointment, but for winning the fourth state football title in school history.
''We all feel the load off of our shoulders,'' running back Jeremiah Harden said. ``It means so much to me and the senior class. For three years we came up short, but we claimed it.''
Harden, who has been on the team all four years, said although last year's loss was a driving force for him and his teammates, the Raiders' motto for the season was ``Don't Look Back.''
' `Don't Look Back' means exactly that. What's in the past is in the past. We don't talk about any of it,'' Harden said.
Whether it was Harden's 84-yard touchdown run to start the game, or Philip Pierre-Louis making two catches for first downs, the seniors on St. Thomas Aquinas did everything possible to make sure their final game was something to look back upon.
''It's a great feeling. We've been working so hard for this for four years now,'' Pierre-Louis said.
During the four years this senior class was on the roster, the Raiders went a combined 49-6, setting a Broward County record for consecutive state championship appearances. Friday's win gave the school its first state title since 1999.
''This one was very special. This is a great group of guys, and we've been very fortunate. They are just a great group of human beings,'' Raiders coach George Smith said.
``I'm very happy for them. A lot of these guys road the bus up to Gainesville [for the 2004 state championship] when they were freshman. They got moved up to JV and to the scout team, and it's a great deal for all of them.''
Throughout the game, the play of the seniors was key for the Raiders. Linebacker Christian Thompson, a two-year starter, was one of the most effective players for the Aquinas defense, coming through with nine tackles and a key sack in the fourth quarter.
Later in the quarter, with the Raiders needing one more stop to seal the win, it was senior defensive back John Carr who came through with the game-ending interception.
''Everybody stepped up. We all did exactly what we needed to do, the seniors and everybody else,'' Pierre-Louis said.
Although the seniors came through all game for Aquinas to end their career with their first state title, it was the junior class that made some of the biggest plays of the game. Linebacker Conor O'Neill ran a kick back for a touchdown, and quarterback Ryan Becker earned MVP honors, throwing for 170 yards and three touchdowns. Junior receiver Duron Carter caught two of those.
''We just took our game to the next level. When the playmakers step up, good things happen,'' Becker said. ``The next few years, this will be amazing. The players we have coming back, the junior-varsity squad, all of them are going to be great.''
