Road to Glory: 2A/5A Championship Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The brightest stars shine on the biggest stage! Here are the standout performances from Thursday's thrilling state championships.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Thursday Night State Championship Standouts</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cocoa: Three-Peat Complete</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers cemented their dynasty with a third straight state championship, led by a dominant performance from their stars:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1573238' first='Brady' last='Hart']</strong> (QB, Texas A&amp;M commit): Cocoa's all-time passing leader threw multiple touchdowns and sealed the game with a goal-line rushing score. The latest in Cocoa's elite QB lineage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='953682' first='Jayvan' last='Boggs']</strong> (WR): The Florida receiving leader was simply unstoppable, proving once again why he's one of the state's best.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>Latrison Lane</strong> (RB): Punched in two crucial touchdown runs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='833761' first='Nicholas' last='Teeter']</strong> (WR): A reliable slot option who delivered in the clutch, including a huge 3rd-and-13 catch to the goal line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>DL Hardison</strong> (WR): Came up with some critical receptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>Quincy Guilford</strong> (DB): A game-changer—recorded his first interception since returning from injury, blocked an extra point, and kept the game close.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>Marcus</strong> <strong>Trout</strong> (K): Saved a touchdown with a crucial kick on a bad snap and delivered solid kickoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>Nycere Jacobs (LB)</strong>: Tackle machine, making key stops to prevent big plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gadsden County: Battles but Falls Short</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Though they came up just short, Gadsden's stars left it all on the field:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>Kemarrion Battles</strong> (RB, #3): The engine of the offense, scoring multiple touchdowns and keeping the ground game alive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1581853' first='Daylen' last='Green']</strong> (LB): All over the field defensively and delivered a game-saving 55-yard touchdown on 4th-and-7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>Tristen Davis</strong> (RB, #4): Provided a bruising ground-and-pound</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1022363' first='Byron' last='Jackson']</strong> (DE, #11): A force off the edge in the second half, trying to spark a comeback.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1684048' first='Jeremiah' last='Thomas']</strong> (WR, #1): Made key plays for the offense as a reliable target.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='827391' first='Kelvin' last='Crawford']</strong> (DT): Dominated in the second half, creating havoc at the line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lakeland vs. St. Thomas Aquinas: Raiders Make History</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Thomas Aquinas claimed their <strong>16th state title</strong> and an unprecedented <strong>sixth straight championship</strong> with a dominant win over Lakeland in the 5A final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='830603' first='Chance' last='Washington']</strong> (RB, STA): The senior RB powered the Raiders' offense with 70 rushing yards and two touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1322329' first='Andrew' last='Indorf']</strong> (QB, STA): Efficient and mistake-free, throwing for nearly 200 yards and a touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1127045' first='Keon' last='Young']</strong> (DB, Lakeland): Ended his high school career with an interception before heading to Ole Miss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>• <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1581905' first='Jadarius' last='Dobie'] </strong>(RB, Lakeland): Finished leading the team in rushing and will return next year as a valued senior. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->