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Prediction: St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) wins title No. 17

IMG_8358by:Andy Villamarzo07/15/25

Andy_Villamarzo

St. Thomas Aquinas - Florida High School Football
The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders celebrate their 34-0 victory over the Lakeland Dreadnaughts in the FHSAA Class 5A Football Championship on Thursday, December 12, 2024 in Miami, FL. (© Jeff Romance / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

The 2025 high school football season will be getting underway in less than six weeks, which means it’s officially preview season. Rivals is breaking down the nation’s top teams from coast-to-coast, and today we make to the Sunshine State and look at the 16-time state champion St. Thomas Aquinas. The Raiders have won six-straight state championships and have set their sights on notching a unprecedented seventh crown. With a roster that’s loaded with Power Four prospects, will St. Thomas Aquinas win it all come December?

Player Spotlight: WR Julius Jones

There are plenty of players we could have selected from for this spotlight, but we go with Julius Jones who heads into his third season as a wide receiver for the Raiders. Jones was a contributor as a freshman in 2023 and was one of South Florida’s top receivers again last fall. Already a two-time state champion, Jones hauled in 51 passes for 750 yards and scored six touchdowns in 2024. No matter who’s throwing the ball to him, look for Jones to break the 1,000-yard mark this season and help lift the Raiders to another state title.

Others to watch: CB Justice Fitzpatrick, OT Mark Matthews, OL Dylan Steen, CB Samari Howard, S Zayden Gamble, CB, Jaden Carey, QB Brady Palmer, QB Mason Mallory, WR Sean Thompson, LB Phillip Goodrich, OL Jayden Dean, RB Virgil Lemons

Season Prediction: 7-1

It looks as if St. Thomas Aquinas’ schedule is short a couple of regular season games and that’s probably because not many teams out there are looking to play a program that’s won six-straight state championships. Now when it comes to the top-tier games on the Raiders’ schedule currently, there’s only one game we see them dropping and that’s the opener against nationally-top ranked Mater Dei. The Massey Ratings don’t see St. Thomas Aquinas losing to any in-state opponents, and that includes Chaminade-Madonna and Plantation American Heritage. The prediction here is that Roger Harriott‘s crew wins state title No. 17 and runs away with the championship down at Pitbull Stadium.

Game-By-Game Predictions

Aug. 23 – at Mater Dei (Calif) Monarchs – L
This has become a little bit of a common theme for the Raiders to start the season. The Raiders have played in the last three Broward County Classic Showcases, with the last two being losses. Thing is, it hasn’t done anything to derail them in the postseason. Aquinas loses to Mater Dei here, but the goal is still in sight.

Aug. 29 – Boyd Anderson (Fla.) Cobras – W
If you thought the opening loss to Mater Dei would linger into the second game of the season, welp, think again. Blowout win for the Raiders in Week 2.

Sept. 5 – at Columbus (Fla.) Explorers – W
The first road test of the season goes the Raiders’ way as they roll to a 35-17 victory over the Explorers.

Sept. 12 – at Western (Fla.) Wildcats – W
Another tough away game doesn’t seem all that difficult as Aquinas cruises to a 41-14 win.

Sept. 19 – at McArthur (Fla.) Mustangs – W
That’s four victories in a row for the Raiders after the season-opening loss.

Oct. 10 – at Monarch (Fla.) Knights – W
St. Thomas Aquinas isn’t letting up as they head into the meat of its schedule. That’s five-straight dubs.

Oct. 24 – Plantation American Heritage (Fla.) Patriots – W
In a heavyweight tilt between two state championship programs, the Raiders narrowly edge out the Patriots at home.

Oct. 31 – Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.) Lions – W
This could easily be the game of the year down in South Florida. Both teams have multiple quarterbacks capable of starting and Power Four talent up and down the roster. The Raiders barely eke out a victory here in a 30-28 thriller against the Lions.