MIAMI — St. Thomas Aquinas took the field Thursday night with an energetic entrance as the Raiders aimed to break a major state record.

“St. Thomas — number seven — already in the works,” fan Tai Goodrich said.

A win would give the Raiders not only seven consecutive state championships but also a program record of 17 total titles, the most in Florida high school football history.

“We’re setting history right now,” Goodrich said. “We have our standard and we’re setting history so people can come chase us.”

Fans in the stands felt the excitement early. “It feels so electric out there — of course it is, I mean seven, come on,” said Aniya Harriott. St. Thomas was the first team to put points on the board.

But supporters knew the Raiders would first have to get past the Lakeland Dreadnaughts, an equally skilled team from Polk County that lost last year’s matchup.

“We’re gonna give it to them tonight,” Lakeland fan Pridgy Spencer said. Reflecting on last year, she added, “We got outplayed. This year, different team, different mindset.”

The passion ran deep among both fan bases, but only St. Thomas entered the game chasing history.

In the end, the Raiders delivered with a blowout win, continuing their historic streak. Championship T-shirts and sweatshirts were already printed and selling fast.

“We’re excited — we’re happy for our team,” one girl said. Another added, “Yeah, I think this is so lit.”