Despite a phenomenal run in the regular season, the Winter Park Wildcats couldn't carry that success into this playoff game. They took a 29-16 hit to the loss column at the hands of Mandarin on Friday. Winter Park's defeat signaled the end of their nine-game winning streak.
Aaron Williams threw for 86 yards on ten of 18 attempts. Evan Van dyke was his top target, picking up 80 receiving yards. On the ground, Joseph Goho rushed for 34 yards and two touchdowns.
Mandarin's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tiant Wyche, who rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries. Another player making a difference was Tramell Jones, who rushed for 21 yards and a touchdown.
Another reason for the win was Mandarin's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for eight sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Jackson Copeland and Desean Hall who racked up four sacks between them.
Winter Park's defeat dropped their record down to 9-1. As for Mandarin, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-3.
Winter Park does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Mandarin will head out on the road to face off against Lake Mary at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given how much these teams ran in their prior games.
