Football state finals (Classes 8A-4A)

All games are at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Admission is $14 in advance, $17 the day of the event via Ticketmaster.  

Webcasts

You can watch the games via stream through Spectrum

Class 7A

Tampa Bay Tech (14-0) vs. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (13-1), 7 tonight

How they got here: Tampa Bay Tech d. Largo 30-7; d. Palmetto 26-18; d. Wharton 42-6; d. Lake Gibson 42-24. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas d. Delray Beach Atlantic 43-7; d. Miramar 42-12; d. Homestead 56-7; d. Gainesville Buchholz 45-7.

Stat leaders

Category	Tampa Bay Tech	St. Thomas Aquinas
Passing yards	Xavione Washington, 2,238 (23 TDs, 8 INTs)	Zion Turner, 1,996 (23 TDs, 5 INTs)
Rushing yards	James Evans, 1,009 (15 TDs)	Anthony Hankerson, 931 (19 TDs)
Receiving yards	Greg Gaines III, 830 (10 TDs)	Camden Brown, 483 (7 TDs)
Tackles	Ed Gwinn, 94	Derrieon Craig, 85
Sacks	Keyon Clark 17	Michael Renoit, 6
Interceptions	Two players tied with three.	Two players tied with four.

Outlook

This has been a season of superlatives for Tampa Bay Tech. The Titans, ranked No. 2 in the class and No. 11 overall in the state by MaxPreps, went undefeated in the regular season for the first time and are making their first state championship game appearance. They earned the trip. All but one of Tampa Bay Tech’s games this season was against teams that made the playoffs.  The Titans’ offense, which relied primarily on a bruising ground attack early in the season, is now more balanced thanks to the emergence of quarterback Xavione Washington, who took over as the starter this season after transferring from Tampa Catholic. In the last seven games, Washington has thrown for a combined 16 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also has thrown for at least two scores in each of the last four games. In fact, the offense is now nearly in yards through the air and on the ground (2,463 rushing, 2,413 passing). The defense has usually played in the second half of games protecting a lead. That has allowed the line to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. Tampa Bay Tech has 44 sacks overall, led by Keyon Clark with 17. St. Thomas Aquinas has been in the state championship game 13 of the past 17 seasons and has won nine titles in that span, including the past two in 7A. The Raiders lost to Jesuit the second game of the season. St. Thomas Aquinas has not lost since, winning 12 straight. That streak helped the Raiders move up the rankings. They are now No. 1 in the class, No. 5 overall in the state and No. 11 nationally. Offensively, St. Thomas Aquinas is starting to click, scoring 40 or points in each of its last five games. Much like Tampa Bay Tech, the Raiders are fairly balanced (2,669 yards rushing, 2,158 passing). On defense, St. Thomas Aquinas has a pair of ball hawks in King Mack and Conrad Hussey, who each have picked off four passes this season. 

Key to the game

Tampa Bay Tech’s success this season is due in large part to getting off to fast starts, particularly in the playoffs. In four postseason games, the Titans have outscored their opponents in the second quarter by a combined 61-3. That has allowed the Titans to go into halftime in each of those games with a double digit lead. Jumping out to another big lead in the first might be tough to do considering St. Thomas Aquinas has a tendency for fast starts, too. 

Fun facts

• St. Thomas Aquinas tight end Mason Thomas is son of former Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, who was a six-time Pro Bowl selected and named the NFL defensive player of the year in 2006.

• Tampa Bay Tech tight end Mekhi Penix is the younger brother of former Titans quarterback Mike Penix, who spent the bulk of his college career at Indiana before transferring to Washington earlier this week. 

• Tampa Bay Tech receiver Greg Gaines III, an Iowa State signee, has already set the school record record for receiving yards in a season with 830.