Lakeland on verge of undefeated state title run

LAKELAND, Fla. - Lakeland head football coach has seen it all over the years. 

"They all blend together," joked coach Bill Castle. 

Such is life when you've been a head coach for nearly five decades. 

"You go one game at a time and next thing you know it's been 47 years," explained Castle. 

But over those years, Castle swears, every team has its own unique personality. 

Bill Castle has been the coach of Lakeland High School's football team for 47 years. 

This year's personality for the Dreadnaughts might just be that of a team of destiny. 

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"The goal is to win a state championship, so it feels good to be one of the teams still standing," shared senior linebacker Rolijah Hardy. 

Undefeated (13-0) and ranked in the top 15 in the national polls, Lakeland now has a chance to win the program's eighth state title on Saturday. 

"It's an amazing feeling," said senior quarterback Zach Pleuss. 

"A lot of (teams) are at home getting ready for the next level and we're out here with the same group of guys that have been together since May."

Lakeland has a chance to win the program's eighth state title on Saturday. 

Meeting Lakeland in Saturday's state title game is Venice. 

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Over the years, these two teams have gotten to know each other very well on the field. 

The two played in a spring scrimmage in May. 

Who would have guessed that, months later, the same two teams would meet with a state title on the line? 

The Lakeland Dreadnaughts is trying to write its own legacy. 

The short answer is, they both had a pretty good guess. 

"Venice is always there," stated Castle. 

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"We figured when we played them in the spring if we held up our end of it, we felt pretty sure Venice would be there." 

So maybe the meeting between the Indians and Dreadnaughts was always written in the stars. 

But now, this Lakeland team is trying to write its own legacy. 

"It's a culture here in Lakeland. It's state championship or bust," Pleuss said. 

The Dreadnaughts and Indians meet for the FHSAA class 4S title in Ft. Lauderdale Saturday at 1:00 p.m.