Continuing to battle penalties and turnovers, the Apopka Blue Darters nonetheless also continue to win. The third victim of the season was Dr. Phillips as the Blue Darters used a strong second half to defeat the Panthers, 23-13, Friday, September 9, at Dr. Phillips' Bill Spoone Stadium.

Apopka scored two touchdowns in a 66-second span of the early third quarter to take control of the game and build a 16-6 lead over the Panthers. "We got a little better in the second half, at least," said Apopka head coach Ty Ensor. "We've still got too many penalties."
In fact, the 15 flags the Darters faced against Dr. Phillips were the most in this penalty-plagued season. Apopka had 24 combined penalties in the first two games.

While the Darters lost just one fumble, there were two other fumbles that caused a loss of yardage and there were a handful of busted plays as the Darters flip-flopped quarterbacks, using both senior Cedric Bryant and junior Daniel Lewis in trying to kick start the offense. "We've got people we're counting on and they need to step up," Ensor said.

Stephen Joseph was once again the workhorse on the ground for the Blue Darters as he gained 118 yards on 15 carries, including a 40-yard run that helped clinch the victory. As a team, Apopka rushed for 198 yards on 32 attempts. The big run came with Apopka nursing a 16-13 lead late in the game. After forcing a Dr. Phillips punt, the Darters had the ball on their own 49 with 4:01 left in the game, needing at least two or three first downs to run out the clock. Instead, they got a 10-yard run by Joseph, then the 40-yarder where he broke at least two tackles. Apopka fans and coaches thought Joseph crossed the goal line, but he was ruled down at the 1 and after a Dr. Phillips offsides penalty, Bryant sneaked over for the TD, clinching the victory for the Blue Darters.

Apopka got on the scoreboard first when Robert Beary nailed a 47-yard field goal with 6:32 left in the first quarter. The kick got some help from a north wind provided by Hurricane Ophelia, which hovered off Florida's coast, but Beary's kick would have been good from at least five more yards.

The Panthers quickly answered with a score of their own, driving 80 yards in 10 plays. The extra point was no good and Dr. Phillips led, 6-3, with 1:12 remaining in the opening period. That was the way the score stood until early in the third quarter when the Darters scored two quick touchdowns.

The Apopka defense got the ball rolling by forcing Dr. Phillips into a fourth-and-15 from its own 14-yard line on the first possession of the third period. Then, a shanked punt that went just two yards gave the Darters a first down at the Dr. Phillips 16. An illegal procedure penalty moved the Darters back five yards, but on third-and-2 from the Dr. Phillips 8, Nico Stanley found the end zone with 8:14 remaining in the third period. Beary added the extra point and Apopka led, 10-6.

The Panthers returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, but a holding penalty on Dr. Phillips negated the score. Apopka also had a penalty for a late hit on the kickoff and the Panthers ended up with the ball on their own 25. On second-and-10, Joe Shuler gave Apopka a 10-point cushion when he picked off a Chris Wilkes pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was no good and Apopka led, 16-6, with 7:08 left in the third period.

The Panthers pulled to within three points when Thomas Shuler bowled over from the 3 with 10:55 left in the game. The teams traded punts until Joseph's 40-yard run set up Apopka's final score, clinching the victory.