Aquinas (8-0) hosts St. James (5-4) Friday night at 7 p.m. in the regional round of the state playoffs, in a rematch of their Week 6 meeting.
In Week 6 at home, Aquinas beat the Thunder, 28-21, intercepting St. James' in the final seconds in the red zone.
Aquinas has never lost to St. James (5-0), including a playoff win in the 2015 season.
"This game is another step we have to take to reach our ultimate goal," said coach Randy Dreiling. "We're ready to meet the challenge. Our team has a great opportunity this Friday to represent our school, our community, our program against St. James."
The Week 6 matchup came down to the final drive of the game. St. James used 15 plays to move from its own 16-yard line to the Saints' 31. But sophomore safety Dajni Brooks intercepted the ball on the 15-yard line with eight seconds remaining to clinch the win.
Senior defensive back Terrence Collins also had an interception early in the second half on the Aquinas goal line, stopping a Thunder drive.
The offense also made some big plays. In the final 2:28 of the first half, junior quarterback Blake Anderson threw two touchdown passes, 58 yards to Finn Barnett and 30 yards to Isaiah Gavin as the clock expired, building a 21-7 halftime lead.
The Saints' final score was a 69-yard run early in the fourth quarter by junior fullback Tyron "Tank" Young.
"Certainly we have to take care of the football," said Dreiling. "That's always key for us. But most importantly we need to do our jobs each play and be physical, fast, and focused."
The Saints out-gained St. James, 370-323, and the Saints' Young rushed for a game-high 199 yards, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. On defense Michael McNamara, Caden Reeves, and Sa'o Siavi'i led the tackle chart.
EKL Schedule This Week - Regionals
Class 5A Playoffs
St. James at St. Thomas Aquinas
Olathe West at Mill Valley
Blue Valley Southwest at Schlagle
Class 6A Playoffs
Blue Valley North at Gardner-Edgerton
Blue Valley at Olathe East
Blue Valley West at Shawnee Mission Northwest
Class 4A Playoffs
Bonner Springs at Bishop Miege
Class 5A East Brackett
No. 1 De Soto vs. No. 8 Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights
No. 4 Mill Valley vs. No. 5 Olathe West
No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. No. 7 St. James
No. 6 KC Schlagle vs No. 14 Blue Valley Southwest
