Yes, St. Thomas Aquinas is a high school football powerhouse. That’s stating the obvious when you’re talking about a program that has just won its sixth straight football state championship.
The first of the six was in 2019, when St. Thomas Aquinas defeated Edgewater 28-23.
That was followed by state titles in 2020 (St. Thomas Aquinas 31, Edgewater 21), 2021 (St. Thomas Aquinas 42, Tampa Bay Tech 14), 2022 (St. Thomas Aquinas 38, Homestead 21), 2023 (St. Thomas Aquinas 31, Homestead 28) and 2024 (St. Thomas Aquinas 34, Lakeland 0).
To understand the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders’ football success is to understand where it all starts, well before the first practice of each new season begins.
Raiders head football coach Roger Harriott loves talking about the blueprint that has brought success to this South Florida power, but if you think it’s just about football, you’re in for a surprise.
“People are always asking me about our success here, and when I try to define to others about what we do here and how we do things, I try to explain how it becomes much more than just about football,” Harriott said. “First of all, we are fixated on our players becoming champions of their life: their personal life, their social life, and their activities of choice, including football. Our approach is strategic.”
That approach has worked well for Harriott, starting with the freshmen and other faces who are new to the Raiders’ football program.
Harriott acknowledged how new players can be a bit overwhelmed and wide-eyed when arriving on campus for the first time.
“The atmosphere here can be intimidating because of the expectation for success, and that’s just human nature, especially when it comes to the younger guys new to our program,” Harriott said.
Harriott explained how the process of introducing new players to his program and easing them in works.
“The acclimation process is a bit different here than most other programs,” he said. “We really focus on individual development. We take a parental approach, where our focus is to inspire our student-athletes to become the best possible version of themselves.”
Harriott said that if the inspiration requires a bit of tough love, then so be it.
“I don’t coddle them,” he said. “It’s important for them to learn how to manage their life and how that impacts others. I always remind our players that everything you think, say, or do affects everyone you are affiliated with, every single person that you are around, so they can be a benefit and a blessing to them.”
Harriott said he gives his seniors and upperclassmen much of the responsibility of bonding with and helping to mold the younger players.
“When a new player transfers in, we like to match them, or connect them, with a personality in the program that we feel will be conducive to their success, so our acclimation process is more of a big-brother-type process,” Harriott said. “We do that because these young, impressionable players look up to the older upperclassmen who have already been through the process.”
Harriott Looks to Seniors to Lead by Example
Once players have gone through the St. Thomas Aquinas football program and ascended to their final season of high school, they are required to take ownership of their team and support their teammates. Harriott requires all rising seniors to go through a Senior Leadership program before the start of the season.
“We do something in the offseason with our rising seniors where they learn to become leaders,” he said. “They learn to set the right precedent for the younger underclassmen. We have classes they take that really focus on specific character traits, and we talk to them about those traits and if they are applicable in football and in life.”
At the completion of the program, Harriott said he then expects the seniors to share what they have learned with the underclassmen.
“I want the seniors to feel a sense of obligation to not only give their best effort during the games, but to also set the example for the younger guys wherever they go,” he said.
Harriott said he continues to reinforce to the seniors the importance of setting an example for their teammates.
“After every practice, I say, ‘Seniors, take your team,’ because I want them to feel an obligation to not only win the game, but to take ownership and set the example for the younger guys on the team,” he said. “We rely on the seniors a lot, and our younger guys buy in because they understand.”
A Zen-Like Approach
Harriott’s approach may be different compared to the approach of other football coaches, but before you start thinking of Harriott’s style as too zen-like, consider the results. Winning a football state championship is difficult. Winning six straight football state titles is almost unheard of.
The 2024 season was not a dominant, bulldozer-type of season for the Raiders, not by St. Thomas Aquinas’ standards anyway.
The Raiders actually lost three regular season games, which one can argue actually helped Harriott’s squad when playoffs rolled around. The three defeats came against two defending state champions and a current state champion.
St. Thomas Aquinas opened the 2024 football season against California’s Bishop Gorman, a team that was coming off of an undefeated 2023 season that saw them win the California Class 5A state championship. St. Thomas Aquinas fell to Bishop Gorman 29-21.
After six straight wins, St. Thomas Aquinas suffered their second loss of the season to another defending state champion, Chaminade Madonna, in another close contest 29-22.
St. Thomas Aquinas’ final loss of the season came against rival American Heritage, who went on to win the 2024 FHSAA Class 4A state title.
Despite falling to American Heritage 42-38 in the regular season finale, St. Thomas Aquinas reset and won their first-round playoff game against North Miami 58-0.
Following a second-round win over Blanche Ely 53-32, St. Thomas Aquinas was tested in two close playoff games, including a 49-42 overtime win over Atlantic and a 3-point win over Manatee 16-13.
When it was time for the three-loss St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders to meet the powerful and undefeated Lakeland Dreadnaughts, the odds seemingly favored Lakeland.
The Dreadnaughts were looking for their third straight state championship, their 14th straight victory in 2024, and their 19th consecutive win dating back to the prior season, in which they won their final six contests.
Lakeland also had history on their side. This would be the seventh time the two schools had faced each other in the state championship game, with Lakeland claiming five of the previous six title contests.
A win was shaping up to be a tall order for the Raiders.
This time, however, things went in their favor. A 34-0 shutout gave St. Thomas Aquinas the 2024 FHSAA Class 5A state title and was the Raiders’ most dominant win of their six straight state championships.
The win also set two Florida high school state records: one for the most total state titles, with this being number 16 for the St. Thomas Aquinas football program, and another for most consecutive state titles.
Those on the outside looking in at St. Thomas Aquinas may wonder how something as hard as winning six consecutive football state titles is possible. Sure, you have to have great talent, but the high school landscape is filled with talented teams and successful programs. According to Harriott, it’s not that difficult to understand.
“It starts with learning to be a winner through life, and ultimately they become a champion,” Harriott said. “That is what separates us from everyone else.”
