By John Peery
Apopka Chief Staff

October 22, 2004 Blue Darters home with Evans

Apopka vs. Evans conjures up images of a tight, hard-fought game, one that features strong and fast athletes in a game determined by one big play or a turnover. Well, it may still have lots of athletes, but it certainly wasn't close Friday, October 22, as the Apopka Blue Darters dominated Evans, defeating the Trojans, 21-0, in a District 6A-3 game that wasn't as close as the final score would indicate.

The victory, coupled with Edgewater's win over West Orange, secures a playoff berth for the Blue Darters as runner-up in District 3. The playoffs begin November 12. Apopka's opponent is not known, but the Darters will be on the road for the first playoff contest. Apopka threw down the gauntlet early, driving 87 yards and 88 yards for scores on its first two possessions, taking a 15-0 lead early in the second quarter.

"The first two drives were big and didn't give them (Evans) much hope. We hit them in the mouth early," said Apopka head coach Ty Ensor.
The head coach praised both his offense and defense, which put up impressive numbers against the Trojans. The Blue Darters rushed for 291 yards while holding Evans to 30 yards rushing and just 49 yards passing.

"The whole team's getting better," Ensor said. "If we keep playing well, we'll be alright."

The Darters were alright enough to own the lines of scrimmage on both sides of the ball from the opening whistle to the final buzzer. After returning the opening kickoff to their own 13, the Darters faced 87 yards of field, but negotiated the distance in nine plays with fullback Quentin Taylor bulling over from the 1. His 38 yard run from the Apopka 33 to the Evans 29 was the highlight of the drive. After an Evans penalty on the extra point try, the Darters went for the 2-point conversion and Tamaki Jackson easily ran it in to give Apopka an 8-0 lead with 7:15 left in the first period.

Apopka's defense forced a three-and-out for the Trojans and the Apopka offense went back to work from its own 12, driving the distance in 12 plays with Jackson scoring from the 8. Apopka's only pass completion of the night, a 20-yarder from Jonathon Maxwell to Ivory Lewis, was the biggest play of the drive. Robert Beary added the extra point to give the Darters a 15-0 lead with 9:33 remaining in the second period.

Evans, meanwhile, managed one first down on its next possession, but that was as a result of an Apopka penalty. The Trojans didn't earn a first down until less than 40 seconds remained in the second period when quarterback Brandon Mosely scrambled for 20 yards when Apopka was in a prevent defense.

Apopka's final score came quickly in the third period when Eric Sledge recovered an Evans fumble on the 31. After Maxwell picked up 13 yards on first down, Taylor rambled 18 yards for the score, running over an Evans would-be tackler at the goal line. The extra point was blocked, but Apopka led, 21-0, with 10:04 remaining in the third period.

The Blue Darters didn't score again, but still dominated play. The closest Evans got to Apopka's end zone was the 20 yard line and that was as a result of a questionable defensive pass interference call on the Blue Darters.