It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but West Orange had no problem doing just that on Friday. They won a contest that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by the Apopka Blue Darters 20-19. That result was just more of the same for these two, as the Warriors also won the last time the pair played back in September.
The critical scores for West Orange came from Ryne Brown, Jayden Ammons, and Brian Dillard.
One reason for the win was West Orange's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for ten sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Logan Hartman and Dashon Lemons, who racked up 5.5 sacks between them. Lemons also set a new season high mark in total tackles with ten. Another thorn in Apopka's side was Bryson Furrey, who picked up 1.5 sacks and made six total tackles (3.0 for loss).
When it comes to explaining why Apopka lost, don't look at Tyson Davison. Despite the final result, he threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 151 yards on only 15 carries. Those 151 rushing yards gave Davison a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Elijah Frazier, who picked up 119 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
West Orange pushed their record up to 9-2 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 11.8 points per game. As for Apopka, they have been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-6 record this season.
West Orange and Plant City are set to duel on Friday. Plant City knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past eight matchups -- so hopefully West Orange likes a good challenge. Apopka does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
