St. Thomas Aquinas asserted its dominance on Friday night, powering past Riverdale 45–13 in the Class 5A State Semifinal to secure their eighth consecutive state championship game. The Raiders set the tone immediately and never wavered, delivering a complete performance marked by explosive offense, relentless defense, and total control from the opening whistle.
Aquinas stormed out to a 38–0 halftime lead, overwhelming Riverdale with efficiency and big-play execution. Quarterback Mason Mallory was sharp throughout the night, tossing three touchdown passes and directing an offense that moved the ball with ease both through the air and on the ground. The run game provided its own fireworks, highlighted by a long touchdown burst from Jaden Desir, who helped the Raiders maintain balance and tempo.
Defensively, STA was equally imposing. The unit shut down Riverdale’s early efforts, forced key mistakes, and added points of its own with a fumble return touchdown during the second quarter surge. The combination of pressure, discipline, and opportunistic play left Riverdale searching for answers as the score widened.
With the commanding 45–13 victory, St. Thomas Aquinas advances once again to the state championship game, continuing its pursuit of a Florida record seventh consecutive state crown.
The state championship game will be played at Pitbull Stadium on Thu., Dec 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Miami, Fla. Tickets will be available on gofan.co and the game will be broadcast on the NFHS Network.
