Folks throw the term "epic" around a lot in sports. Rarely does a game qualify as such. On Friday, though, football truly was epic.
Apopka and Dr. Phillips combined to score 110 points in a game decided in a fifth overtime. That’s a quintuple overtime, for those wondering. When the smoke cleared, the Blue Darters went home winners, 58-52, to advance to the Class 6A regional finals, where Apopka will face Treasure Coast.
In a game that lasted four hours, drama was not in short supply. It all started when Quay Barnes and Tom Smith combined for four touchdowns in the game’s first quarter to put Apopka ahead 26-14. That margin held up through a scoreless second quarter, and neither team scored in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Apopka recorded a safety to make it 28-14. Little did the Blue Darters know at the time that those points would pave the way to an incredible finish. The Panthers scored next to make it 28-21, and Dr. Phillips tied it late in the fourth quarter on Kenny Shaw’s 18-yard touchdown catch of a pass from Robbie Matey. Apopka answered with a field-goal try, but it missed the mark to send the game into a wild overtime.
First, Matey hit Shaw again to force Apopka’s offense to match the effort. Smith answered with a 9-yard touchdown run. Apopka earned the first possession in the second overtime, and quarterback Keon Brooks scored on a short run. Dr. Phillips responded with another Matey touchdown pass. Then, in the third overtime, Matey connected again with Shaw. Apopka answered with another score by Brooks. In the fourth overtime, Apopka appeared set for defeat when it settled for a 19-yard field goal. The defense, though, forced Dr. Phillips to kick it. The Panthers got a 23-yard field goal to send the game to the fifth and final overtime.
In the final period, Dr. Phillips failed to score. Apopka then sealed and celebrated after Brooks scored his third overtime touchdown on a 10-yard run. As one might expect, both sides filled out the stats sheet. Apopka rushed for nearly 500 yards. Smith had 215 yards, and Barnes added 173 yards on the ground. The loss was Dr. Phillips first. The Panthers finished the season 11-1. Apopka improved to 11-1. The Blue Darters’ lone loss was to Olympia, which Dr. Phillips defeated to reach Friday’s matchup with Apopka.
Bulldogs defeat Mainland
Drama also took center stage in Daytona Beach, where DeLand defeated rival Mainland for the first time in a decade and also made history. The Bulldogs, trying to avenge a 21-14 loss three weeks earlier, notched a victory, 26-0, to become the first team in the school’s 86-year history to reach the regional finals.
DeAnte Saunders, DeLand
File photo by Chad Pilster
DeLand’s defense recorded its eighth shutout of the season. Meanwhile, running back Shontrelle Johnson rushed for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns. All of Johnson’s runs came in the second half. In the first half, DeLand took a 7-0 lead on DeAnte Saunders’ 2-yard run. That score alone was enough for the Bulldogs, which shut down Mainland’s offense. Bucs quarterback Quinn Bell threw for 17 yards and Telvin Hooks, starting as the featured back because teammate Marlin Lane was out with an injury, had only 26 rushing yards.
The Bulldogs have officially declared the remainder of their season is in honor of quarterback Nick Ciciarelli, who is sidelined for the remainder of the season after complications from a blood clot that developed in his arm required hospitalization and surgery. Ciciarelli missed DeLand’s 46-0 drubbing of Orange Park in the first week of the playoffs, but he was on the sidelines for Friday’s game. DeLand, the runner-up to Mainland in its district, now must head to the road for the third straight week on Friday.
Winter Park marches on
In a far less dramatic affair, Winter Park defeated Seminole, last year’s state champs, 31-10, to earn a shot at DeLand. The Wildcats led 21-7 at the half thanks to Patrick Mfutu, who scored once in first quarter and once in the second quarter. Mfutu, who finished with 148 rushing yards. Seminole (9-3) managed only a third-quarter field goal. Winter Park (11-1) scored one touchdown in the waning seconds of the first half and another with seconds to play in the fourth quarter.
Other teams
Three other Volusia County teams also had playoff games last Friday, and two pulled out wins. New Smyrna Beach defeated Palm Bay 8-7 thanks to a two-point conversion off a fake extra-point attempt in the game’s final two minutes. Stephen Jackson carried the ball into the end zone to give the Barricudas the win. New Smyrna Beach (8-4) heads to the road Friday after hosting a pair of playoff games. The Barracudas face Dwyer, an 11-1 Palm Beach Gardens team that won 65-7 against Stranahan in Friday’s Class 4A regional semifinals.
In South Daytona, Warner Christian defeated Florida Air 16-12 at home to earn a spot in the Class 1B state semifinals. Breon Allen scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to put Warner ahead 14-12. Then the defense sacked Florida Air’s quarterback in the end zone late in the game. Florida Air recovered the free kick and drove across midfield before time expired. The Eagles head to the road to play Hawthorne, a 38-28 winner against Jefferson County. The winner will play the winner of the other state semifinal, which pits Out of Door Academy against Glades Day.
In Class 5A, Seabreeze lost 35-21 to Fleming Island. Meanwhile, Lakeland defeated Osceola 30-14 in a rematch of district rivals. The Dreadnaughts now travel to Fleming Island Friday in a regional final game.
Orlando Edgewater defeated Lake Gibson 17-14 to earn a regional final game against Tarpon Springs, a 35-28 winner against Gainesville. Lake Highland Prep lost 31-21 against Tampa Catholic in the 2B regional finals.
