National champs are dethroned.

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<EMBED SRC=http://vmedia.rivals.com/flash/contentheadlines.swf?h1=No.+1+is+done%3A+St.+Thomas+Aquinas+falls+to+Manatee+&h2=&lwidth=620&lheight=60&lshadow=1&sFontColor=000000&sLink= WIDTH=620 HEIGHT=60 SALIGN=lt QUALITY=best SCALE=noborder wmode=transparent ID=rvflash NAME=rvflash BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF allowscriptaccess=always TYPE=application/x-shockwave-flash PLUGINSPAGE=http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash></EMBED></OBJECT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT></P>Gone is the 37-game winning streak.

And the chance for a third straight Florida state title.
And a second straight national title.
And ... well, a sense of dominance and invincibility. Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St


For the school, it was a stunning 28-20 loss to Bradenton (Fla.) Manatee High in Florida 5A semifinals.

"We never thought it would end like this," St. Thomas running back James White told the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel (read its game story here).
High school sports have burst onto the national scene in recent years, making heroes out of players and machines out of programs.
Perhaps lost is that these are still high school teams filled with young teen-age players.
Expect the unexpected. Even a loss by a team consider one of the best ever in a state known as a national leader in the sport.
"They controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the night," St. Thomas Aquinas coach George Smith told the Sentinel. "We thought they were very good and they did a heck of a job."
Throwing the RivalsHigh 100 football rankings in an uproar in the process.
The No. 3 team, Huntington Beach (Calif.) Edison also lost, falling to Servite, 16-6.
The No. 4 team went down as well, as Warner Robins (Ga.) Northside was pounded by Camden County, 31-3.
The biggest winner? That may have been No. 2 Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep - which didn't even play. It already wrapped up its 13-0 season with a state title. And while Bosco has some impressive out-of-state victories, the level of play in New Jersey is not considered to be as strong as it usually is.
So who will take over the top spot?
Manatee star receiver Ace Sanders immediately began pushing his team - even though it still has one more game left.
"This means to me we are the No. 1 team in the nation," he told the Sarasota Herald Tribune (read its game story here). "We can't be stopped."
It showed that Friday night. From the start.
Manatee jumped on an Aquinas mistake to get the first score, converting on a 27-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Nicholas Tankersley a few plays after recovering a muffed point.
The Manatee offense should its strength in the second quarter, going 87 yards on eight plays and scored when Ace Sanders took a pitch on a wide receiver reverse and got into the end zone for a 10-0 lead.
Aquinas, facing its biggest deficit of the season, responded before halftime.
Kenneth Hankerson blocked a punt down, which was recovered on the Manatee 3. White scored on a 1-yard run with 1:32 left in the quarter to make it 10-7.
Manatee added the only points of the third quarter, increasing its lead to 13-7 on a 21-yard field goal by Tankersley on its first drive.
Then came the fateful fourth quarter.
On the first play of the quarter, Manatee extended its lead on a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown by Davian Evans. Manatee got the two-point conversion to increase the lead to 21-7.
Aquinas attempted to rally, scoring on a 25-yard passing play by Jacob Rudock to Phillip Dorsett. But its point-after attempt was blocked, making it 21-13.
Manatee responded with Mike Blakely connecting with Sanders on a 40-yard score to increase the lead to 28-13.
The team's efforts did not surprise head coach Joe Kinnan.
"Our kids rose to the occasion," he told the Sarasota paper. "They were not intimidated. Our defense played marvelous.
"They just played one snap at a time, they played fast and they played hard."
They hung on in the end.
Aquinas scored once more - Roduck connecting with Dorsett on another 25-yard touchdown pass with 2:13 left - but Manatee recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.
The Hurricanes (13-1) will be playing in the state final for the first time since 1993 and bidding for their first state title since 1992.
According to the Sarasota report, the fans from the home stands stormed the field, chanting, "Man-a-tee, Man-a-tee."
Some even yelled, "We're going to Disney World."
Orlando, at least. Manatee's next game is the 5A State title against Tampa (Fla.) Plant, a 20-0 winner over Lakeland next Friday.
"This ain't nothing, though," running back Mike Blakely told the Herald Tribune. "Come see us next Friday. We're going to put on another show for ya'all."
Kinnan, however, wasn't thinking ahead. He was too busy taking in Friday night's accomplishment. "What an atmosphere," he said. "To play in front of a crowd like this in a game with a lot of meaning."
 

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