St. Thomas Aquinas was in a position on Friday night that they are not very familiar with. The Raiders, the five-time defending state champions, trailed 21-0 in the first quarter. They trailed 28-14 at halftime and 35-21 nearly halfway through the fourth quarter. Despite dealing with serious adversity, STA did not panic.
“We kept the same mindset we have the whole season,” senior QB Andrew Indorf told the Sun Sentinel. “We weren’t going to lose this game.”
Indorf was correct. STA stormed back to force overtime, and eventually, defeat Atlantic 49-42 in double overtime to advance to the FHSAA 5A State Semifinals.
Indorf led the charge, with over 200 yards passing and three touchdowns in the second half alone. Senior running back Cedric Wyche led the way on the ground while sophomore wide receiver Ah’mari Stevens caught the game-tying touchdown on 4th down with under a minute left in the fourth quarter.
In double overtime, Indorf found Wyche for a 15-yard touchdown pass to make the score 49-42. Needing just one stop to complete the comeback, the Raiders defense recovered a fumble to secure the victory.
It was an incredible display of perseverance from the Raiders. With the game teetering on the edge multiple times, they pulled themselves from the jaws of defeat to keep their season alive.
STA faces Manatee at 7:30 p.m. on Friday for a chance to advance to the State Championship game.
