Lakeland Lost the Last Two State Finals to St. Thomas Aquinas by a Combined 63-0. It Won 27-24 in Overtime on Aquinas' Field

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Lakeland Lost the Last Two State Finals to St. Thomas Aquinas by a Combined 63-0. It Won 27-24 in Overtime on Aquinas' Field

Kelin Hendrix hit Joseph Howard for a walk-off touchdown in overtime and No. 5 seed Lakeland beat top seed St. Thomas Aquinas 27-24 in Florida's new Open Division.

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The last two times Lakeland and St. Thomas Aquinas met with a state title on the line, Aquinas won both and Lakeland did not score. The combined margin in those Class 5A finals was 63-0.

Friday night in Fort Lauderdale, on Aquinas' own field, Lakeland quarterback Kelin Hendrix threw a touchdown pass to Joseph Howard in overtime and the Dreadnaughts walked off with a 27-24 win. The Palm Beach Post and High School On SI both have the final.

Florida Open Division: No. 5 Seed Lakeland Over No. 1 Seed Aquinas

This was the opening night of pool play in the FHSAA's new eight-team Open Division. Aquinas was the top seed and came in ranked No. 2 in the USA Today Super 25. Lakeland was the No. 5 seed. Both teams are now 10-1.

Because it is pool play, nobody is eliminated yet. The top two teams in each four-team pool advance to the semifinals on Dec. 5.

How Lakeland Won It: A Lead, a Missed Kick, Then Overtime

Lakeland led 21-14 with under six minutes left and missed a field goal at the 3:29 mark that would have made it a two-score game. Aquinas used the opening. Jase Watkins scored from a yard out with 37 seconds remaining to tie it 21-21.

Aquinas had the ball first in overtime and settled for a field goal. Hendrix answered with the throw to Howard.

The Palm Beach Post's game story credits Hendrix with roughly 125 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 15 carries, plus 8 of 10 passing. Xavion Mitchell added 90 yards on 16 carries. The Post also counted at least six Lakeland sacks and four takeaways, one of them on special teams, and had Aquinas at about 100 rushing yards.

Aquinas' touchdowns before the late drive came from Zayden Gamble on a punt return and on a 54-yard catch from Blake Calixte in the third quarter.

Lakeland at Chaminade-Madonna, Aquinas at Venice on Nov. 20

Pool play continues Friday, Nov. 20. Lakeland travels to Chaminade-Madonna, and Aquinas goes to Venice needing a win to stay on track for the semifinals.

BallerTube previewed this game when the Open Division bracket was set. More Friday night coverage is on the BallerTube high school football page.