Over the past few weeks, while many were on vacation for the holidays, the BCAA was in the spotlight – in a major way!

First of all, in Orlando's Citrus Bowl, the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders became the first Broward County football program to win a national championship. Something that we had predicted would happen as far back as August after the Raiders went to Ohio and beat Cincinnati Elder.

Having followed high school football in this state since the late 1960s, I can say without reservation that this was easily Broward's best ever football program. Not one time during the season did the Raiders come close to losing. No letdowns, no overlooking opponents or being too cocky from holding down that top spot for so long.

What St. Thomas did was dominate in every phase of the game, and while many tried hard to predict their demise, coach George Smith and his team never lost sight of the prize at the end of the season.

Dominating from start to finish, the Raiders headed to Orlando with plenty to play for, and while the opponent on the other sideline was the team that had given this team so many heartaches over the years, this was a time when all the past was put behind them and the Raiders went out and put away Lakeland – in a hurry.

While many want to match this year's team with the Miami Northwestern squad that had won the national title the year before, it was evident that we are talking about two different programs here.

Northwestern's 2007 team was all about prospects. Perhaps more college talent ever on one team, but to me, that never added up to being a better team. While St. Thomas cruised to 15 straight wins this year, the Bulls struggled at times last year, nearly losing against Homestead and then in Dallas against Southlake Carroll.

While St. Thomas has many of its own stars who will head off to colleges across the country, the reasons why they dominated in such an impressive fashion was a direct reflection on the coaching, gameplan each week and balance on offense. Defensively, this was one of the best teams the Raiders put on the field, and by the end of the season, when everyone looked back at the year, this was a unit that really improved a great deal from the year before when they had beaten Kissimmee Osceola in the 5A state title.

Led by senior quarterback Ryan Becker, St. Thomas Aquinas crushed Lakeland 56-7 in the Class 5A championship game en route to its second consecutive state title and the school’s fifth overall.
 
Becker completed 8-of-11 passes for 100 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, while also rushing for a score.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas, who averaged 43.8 points per game in the postseason, did not waste any time scoring as Becker hit Purdue-bound receiver Gabrison Holmes in stride for a 53-yard touchdown pass on the second play from scrimmage.
 
Senior linebacker Connor O’Neill, headed to the University of Wisconsin, led a Raider defense that recorded three sacks, forced two fumbles and one interception on the night.
 
The Raiders scored on their first three possessions, along with a 19-yard interception return by O’Neill, to take a convincing 28-0 lead over Lakeland with 3:12 remaining in the first quarter.
 
After Becker’s pass to Holmes, junior running back James White extended the lead 14-0 with a 45-yard run.
 
White led a ground game that amassed 313 yards and four touchdowns by rushing for 105 yards on four carries and a score.
 
On their next possession, Becker capitalized on a 57-yard run by freshman Dami Ayoola with a 1-yard touchdown run to take a 21-0 lead.
 
With less than two minutes remaining until halftime, Lakeland was forced to punt from its 12-yard line but fumbled the snap. The loose ball was recovered by the Raiders giving them a chance to add to their lead.
 
Becker capitalized off the turnover with a 12-yard touchdown pass to receiver Dwayne Difton with 1:34 remaining and increased the lead 35-0 by halftime.
 
In the second half, Lakeland showed signs of hope after quarterback Jarrod Haggins connected with receiver Javares McRoy for an 86-yard pass on their second play to cut the deficit to 28.
 
The Raiders responded with a 9-yard run by senior running back Beau Bucci.
 
Becker threw his third and final touchdown pass of the night, this time, a 6-yard toss to Ohio St.-bound receiver Duron Carter extending the lead 49-7 with 5:18 left in the third quarter.
 
ALL-STARS
While St. Thomas was celebrating throughout the holidays after winning that national title, which was the fourth (Lakeland twice and Northwestern) straight for the state of Florida, a number of local athletes took part in all-star events in Texas, South Carolina and here in Florida.

In South Carolina, Miramar receiver Stedmon Bailey and lineman Morell Pierre were involved in the Offense-Defense game.

In San Antonio, locals Brandon McGee from Plantation, who is headed to the University of Miami, and Ely defensive back Michael Carter took part in the prestigious Army All-American game. In that contest, Carter made his decision to attend West Virginia, where he joins Bailey and Eugene Smith of Miramar.

On Sunday night, Duron Carter had the opportunity to showcase his ability along with Hallandale's Ricardo Dixon and Victor Marc, who committed to the University of South Florida.

NEXT WEEK: It's the annual Miami-Dade vs. Broward game at Traz Powell Stadium, and we will have the preview for that game.

You can reach Larry Blustein via e-mail at FloridaKids1@hotmail.com. He can also be heard every Thursday night (9-10) on the Miami Dolphins High School Gridiron Report on WQAM (560 AM).