Lakeland pulled off a major upset in the 2026 high school football season by defeating St. Thomas Aquinas 27-24 in overtime.
The game took place Friday, Nov. 13, at Brian Piccolo Memorial Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to Yahoo Sports.
The Dreadnaughts secured the victory when Kelin Hendrix threw a touchdown pass to Joseph Howard.
This dramatic finish occurred just three plays after the Lakeland defense held the Raiders to a field goal during the opening possession of overtime.
Hendrix initiated the scoring for Lakeland with a 48-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
St. Thomas Aquinas responded before halftime when Zayden Gamble, a Notre Dame commit, returned a punt for a touchdown.
The Raiders took their first lead of the contest in the third quarter after Blake Calixte connected with Gamble for a 54-yard scoring strike.
Lakeland managed to reclaim a 21-14 lead with 5:47 remaining in regulation.
However, Jase Watkins scored a walk-in touchdown with 37 seconds left to force the game into overtime, as reported by The Ledger.
The FHSAA Open Division pool play format was introduced for the 2026 season.
Despite the loss, St. Thomas Aquinas remains in contention for the postseason.
The Raiders are scheduled to continue their pool play schedule on Nov. 20 and Nov. 27.
If the team advances, the Open Division semifinals are set for Saturday, Dec. 5.
The matchup featured a high-stakes environment as the Raiders entered the contest ranked No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports Super 25, per USA TODAY Sports.
Lakeland had previously missed a field goal opportunity with 3:29 left in the game that would have extended their lead to two scores.
The final outcome was confirmed by social media updates from Nick Wilson, who noted the intensity of the overtime victory.
The game concluded the latest round of playoff action under the new Florida High School Athletic Association tournament structure.