PLANTATION, Florida, Oct. 24 — It took nearly the entire first quarter, but St. Thomas Aquinas finally gets the scoring started and leads American Heritage, 3-0.

PREVIEW

By any measure, it’s been a disappointing season for the American Heritage [Plantation, FL] Patriots, who entered the 2025 season ranked in the national Top 10.

After an epic rally from a 28-0 deficit to beat the St. Joseph’s Prep [Philadelphia, PA] Hawks, 31-28, on opening night, they faltered in a 28-24 loss to the Chaminade-Madonna [Hollywood, FL] Lions just one week later. That was followed by 24-17 road loss to the Top 25 Edna Karr [New Orleans, LA] Cougars and a 31-21 loss to the Central [Miami, FL] Rockets, effectively ending any chance of a Top 25 finish, let alone the national title the Patriots figured to be in the running for prior to the season.

A 13-10 loss to the Archbishop McCarthy [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Mavericks last weekend underscored what a challenging season it’s been for the Patriots, but with one game left in the 2025 regular season, they have one more opportunity to make a statement that would resonate on the national scene. Their game against the SN No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders Friday night could knock the visitors out of the national title picture, heading into Florida’s FHSAA playoffs. 

WATCH: SN No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas [FL] at American Heritage [FL]