Florida Open Division Shocker: Lakeland Downs St. Thomas Aquinas in Overtime

Lakeland shocked top-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas in an overtime thriller to begin Florida Open Division play.

Lakeland Football | Lakeland High Football

On Friday night, Lakeland visited St. Thomas Aquinas as part of Florida's inaugural eight-team Open Division football playoffs. It turned out to be a hard-fought game that required overtime, with the Dreadnaughts shocking the No. 1 team in the nation with a 27-24 victory over the Raiders.

This highly-anticipated matchup was a rematch of last year's FHSAA Class 5A state championship game, where St. Thomas Aquinas shut out Lakeland 29-0. One year later, the Dreadnaughts got their revenge on the Raiders to begin Open Division play.

The game only required one OT period as Aquinas kicked a field goal to up by 3, but Lakeland responded when Kelin Hendrix connected with Joseph Howard Jr. for the 13-yard, game-winning touchdown. Hendrix had two rushing touchdowns for the Dreadnaughts earlier in the game.

The Raiders were able to tie it up on a late possession. Starting quarterback Blake Calixte got injured on the drive, but backup Jase Watkins got in the end zone with 37 seconds left in regulation.

However, it was Lakeland's defense that truly came to play, as they forced four turnovers, all on fumble recoveries.

Next week, Aquinas will look to bounce back when they visit Venice, while Lakeland will have momentum on their side when they visit Chaminade-Madonna.

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FINAL/OT
Lakeland 27, St. Thomas Aquinas 24

TOUCHDOWN! Hendrix rolls right and finds Joseph Howard Jr. in the end zone for the 13-yard go-ahead touchdown to win the game and shock the No. 1 team in the nation.

FIELD GOAL! Aquinas converts a 31-yard field goal to go up 24-21. Now it's Lakeland's time to score.

Aquinas gets the ball first to begin the first overtime.

END OF REGULATION
Lakeland 21, St. Thomas Aquinas 21

Lakeland takes a knee to run the clock out and end regulation, sending the game to overtime.

On the ensuing kickoff, the ball bounces and gets touched by Lakeland, but the Dreadnaughts still recover the ball at their own 6 to start the late drive.

TOUCHDOWN! On 2nd and goal, Watkins takes it in from one yard out. Aquinas ties it at 21-21 with 37 seconds left in regulation.

On 1st and 10 from the 29 with 1:18 left, Watkins runs right and gets tackled at the one-yard-line to set up 1st and goal.

UPDATE: Jase Watkins replaces Blake Calixte at quarterback.

Aquinas takes over at their own 20 with 3:28 left. On 2nd and 10 from their own 32, Calixte keeps it himself for a big gain up to the Lakeland 36.

Lakeland retakes the field at the Aquinas 25. The Raiders attempt a 39-yard field goal to go up by 10, but it's no good.

On the ensuing kickoff, the ball is muffed and recovered by Lakeland for ANOTHER takeaway. My goodness.

TOUCHDOWN! Cooper pushes in from one yard out for the short TD run. Lakeland now leads 21-14 with 5:47 left in regulation

Lakeland gets closer and closer to the end zone.

Lakeland takes over at their own 22. On 3rd and 7, Hendrix pitches left to Mitchell, who scampers down the sideline across midfield to the Aquinas 41.

On 3rd and 6 from the 31, Calixte checks down to Lemons who is able to pick up the first down, but loses the ball and the Dreadnaughts recover. Another takeaway.

On the first play of the quarter, Calixte uses his legs to pick up the first down at around midfield.

END OF 3RD QUARTER
Lakeland 14, St. Thomas Aquinas 14

Aquinas begins at their own 32. The clock runs out on the drive to end the quarter.

TOUCHDOWN! On 2nd and 4 from the 28, Hendrix keeps it himself and runs left to find the end zone for a 28-yard score. Lakeland ties it at 14-14 with 1:02 left in the third quarter.

Lakeland takes over at their own 35. Hendrix leads his team across midfield.

On 2nd and long from the 30, Calixte gets stripped of the ball, and Lakeland falls on it for the takeaway.

On 1st and 10 from the 35, Calixte ducks a defender and keeps on running for a gain of 11 and the first down.

Aquinas takes over at their own 33. A personal foul call moves the Raiders across midfield to the Lakeland 47.

Lakeland goes for it on 4th and 8 at the Aquinas 33, but Hendrix lobs his pass high and out of bounds. Turnover on downs.

Lakeland begins at their own 20. Mitchell pounds the rock to get his team across midfield on the drive.

TOUCHDOWN! On 2nd and 7, Calixte fakes the handoff and finds a wide open Gamble deep downfield as he waltzes into the end zone for the 54-yard score. Aquinas now leads 14-7 with 11:06 left in the third.

Aquinas receives the second half opening kickoff and begins at their own 43.

HALFTIME
Lakealnd 7, St. Thomas Aquinas 7

With 1:00 left in the half, Aquinas begins at their own 28. Calixte connects with Levi Thomas for a huge gain over midfield. On the last play of the half, Aquinas attempts a Hail Mary, but Calixte's deep pass is intercepted at the 15, ending the first half.

Lakeland takes over at their own 34. Aquinas' defense forces another stop. Punt.

Aquinas retakes the field at the Lakeland 39. On 4th and 5, Calixte is pressured hard and throws the ball away. Turnover on downs.

After a surprise onside kick that was recovered by Aquinas too early, Lakeland begins at their own 36. On 2nd down, Hendrix tries pitching the ball before getting sacked, but it's loose on the ground and recovered by Aquinas at the 39.

TOUCHDOWN! On the punt return, Zayden Gamble evades multiple defenders for a huge 50-yard score. Aquinas ties it up at 7-7 with 6:13 left in the half.

After a penalty, Lakeland begins further back from their own 19. But they go nowhere and have to punt.

Aquinas begins from the Lakeland 41. On 3rd and 2, Virgil Lemons gets the handoff, but he fumbles the ball, and Lakeland recovers at their own 32.

After a holding call on the punt, Lakeland begins from their own 9. Aquinas' defense forces a three-and-out and a punt.

END OF 1ST QUARTER
Lakeland 7, St. Thomas Aquinas 0

The quarter ends.

Aquinas begins from their own 32. On 3rd and 6 from midfield, Calixte scrambles around to the left, buys time, and eventually connects with Kai Starks in the end zone. However, an offensive holding penalty negates the play. They go three-and-out and punt.

Lakeland begins at their own 24. Hendrix and Ahmarri Cooper each use their legs to pick up back-to-back first downs past midfield. However, they go three-and-out and have to punt.

Aquinas goes nowhere after the forward pass call, as they go three-and-out and have to punt.

After the ensuing kickoff goes out of bounds, Aquinas begins from their own 35. On the very first play, quarterback Blake Calixte fakes the handoff, keeps it himself to the left, then throws a short pass to Chirstopher Coleman who races down the sideline for a huge gain into Lakeland territory. However, Calixte was over the line-of-scrimmage, ruling it a forward pass.

TOUCHDOWN! On 2nd and goal from the 2, Hendrix keeps it himself for the 2-yard score. Lakeland leads 7-0 with 8:33 left in the first quarter.

On 3rd and 3 from their own 27, quarterback Kelin Hendrix keeps it himself, runs left down the sideline deep into Aquinas territory at the 28. That was a 48-yard run.

Lakeland receives the opening kickoff and will begin from their own 20. On the first play, Xavion Mitchell took the pitch and picked up a ton of yardage. But the play was called back, due to a holding penalty.

Lakeland wins the coin toss and elects to receive.

15 minutes until kickoff.

30 minutes until kickoff.

45 minutes until kickoff.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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Preview

Who: Lakeland vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
When: Friday, Nov. 13 - 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Brian Piccolo Memorial Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Live Stream: NFHS Network

St. Thomas Aquinas Enters Pool A as Top Seed

St. Thomas Aquinas enters the Open Division playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed in Pool A. First, the Raiders will host the Dreadnaughts on Friday, followed by Venice and Chaminade-Madonna over the next two weeks.

Aquinas will return home to face Chaminade after their lone road assignment against Venice. Beating Lakeland first will prevent the Raiders from needing consecutive wins against Venice and Chaminade just to reach two victories.

Aquinas has a storied football history with 17 state championships in Florida. In fact, the Raiders have won seven consecutive state titles since 2019, as they look to claim their eighth in a row this year.

Lakeland Seeks Revenge for Last Year

Meanwhile, Lakeland enters Pool A in the Open Division as the No. 5 seed. The Dreadnaughts begin with a revenge game against Aquinas, followed by Chaminade again on the road, and then Venice at home.

Even if Lakeland loses to the top-seeded Raiders, they can still beat Chaminade and Venice. That way, the Dreadnaughts could finish as the outright runner-up, avoiding a tiebreaker.

Lakeland has won nine football state championships in FHSAA history, with the last title coming in 2023.