FORT LAUDERDALE — A South Florida powerhouse match-up between two of the top 10 high school football teams in the country didn’t disappoint the nearly 10,000 fans who watched a classic battle for the Class 2M state championship.

Miami Central edged American Heritage-Plantation, which includes Seminoles Gregory Xavier Thomas and Avery Bowers, 38-31, on Dec. 16 at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

Central entered the game ranked No. 3 in the nation by MaxPreps; Heritage was No. 10.

Central scored quickly and often in the first half, notching a field goal and four touchdowns on its first five possessions to take a seemingly comfortable 31-13 lead at halftime.

Heritage responded with a strong, determined effort in the second half and pulled to within a touchdown late in the game. The Patriots were marching toward a potential tying score but coughed up the ball on the Central 24-yard line with 1:17 left in the game. Central ran out the clock to cap its undefeated season (14-0). Heritage finished with a 13-2 record.

Thomas, a versatile back-up sophomore cornerback, played in nearly all special teams downs. It was a fairly quiet night on special teams for both sides with no long returns.

Thomas has two more years of being able to make runs at state championships, but that’s not the case for a large chunk of the squad who played their final high school game.

“All the returning players will use this as motivation and come back,” Thomas said. “Central is always going to be in our bracket. We want to get back and win for the 27 seniors who lost today.”

Aside from the final score, Thomas said he enjoyed being part of the state championship environment.

Unlike recent state championship games that often lacked an overall intense atmosphere being played in front of so many empty seats in a large stadium – the 65,000-seat Camping World Stadium in Orlando – this year’s switch to the 18,000-seat Fort Lauderdale stadium built for pro soccer provided a far more intimate and vibrant surrounding.

“It was fun. It was my first state championship game. It was a good experience,” said Thomas, who said he plans to train hard in the offseason and play 7-on-7 football in preparation for his junior season.

Bowers, a senior back-up lineman, did not see game action in his final game for the Patriots. He remained on the field after the game with plenty of other seniors as they soaked up their final moments in a Heritage uniform.

Bowers, who hadn’t played for a couple years, said he was glad he returned to football this season and had fun doing so.

“I missed it because I had stopped playing awhile back,” he said.

Similar to his teammate Thomas, Bowers said the state championship game experience was memorable.

“It was fun,” he said. “I was glad to be here.”