When a 4-0 football team loses its first game, it’s unusual to hear the coach say that his team played its best game of the season in the loss.
But that’s exactly what happened after the Apopka Blue Darters dropped a 32-13 decision to the unbeaten and state-ranked Edgewater Eagles Friday, September 23, before about 5,500 fans at Apopka’s Roger Williams Field.

Apopka head coach Ty Ensor acknowledged that, despite the loss, his team performed at a higher level than it did in its first four games, all victories. “We probably played our best game and got beat by 19 points,” Ensor said after the game.

One of the most telling points of improved play was the lack of penalties called against the Darters. Apopka was assessed 30 yards on five penalties in the loss to Edgewater. In the previous four victories, the Darters had amassed an average of 13 penalties per game for nearly 92 yards. In addition, the Apopka offense had its best outing against what is likely the top defense in Central Florida and beyond. The Darters didn’t pile up big yards against the Eagles, but did have 200 total yards and 14 first downs, just one less than Edgewater.

Included in Apopka’s total yardage was 73 passing yards, not a huge number, but it certainly was the most production out of the passing game this season. However, it was the Edgewater passing game that was the difference in the game.

Junior quarterback Robert Arnheim, playing for the first time in three weeks because of illness, was spectacular against the Darters. He ended the night with a modest 8 completions in 12 attempts, but five of those completions went for touchdowns to two different wide receivers. Greg Mathews caught just four passes, but three went for touchdowns of 74, 14, and 10 yards. Fellow senior receiver Bobby Rauh, who has been a thorn in Apopka’s side for three straight years, snared three passes, two for scores of 42 yards and 41 yards. Arnheim ended the night with 204 yards passing. “I thought we stopped their running game, but we couldn’t stop the pass,” Ensor said.

Both of Apopka’s touchdowns came on solid drives, something that has eluded the Blue Darters this season. The first Apopka score came in the opening quarter on a 41-yard drive when Reggie Haynes recovered a Robert Beary punt that bounced and touched an Edgewater player.
The Darters ground out the yardage in nine plays with fullback Nico Stanley plowing over for the score from the 2 with 4:47 left in the first period. Stanley did most of the work on the drive, carrying the ball seven times for 27 yards. The extra point was wide left and Apopka held a surprising 6-0 lead.

Edgewater tied the game two possessions later early in the second quarter as Arnheim, facing a 3rd-and-11 from his own 26 found a streaking Mathews down the middle of the field and hit him perfectly for a 74-yard touchdown pass. Edgewater also missed the extra point, tying the game at 6-6 with 11:05 left in the second quarter.

Apopka’s only fumble of the game came on its next possession and Edgewater recovered on the Apopka 33-yard line. Once again, Arnheim and Mathews converted on 3rd-and-long for a touchdown, this time from 14 yards out. The two-point conversion try failed, but Edgewater took a 12-6 lead with 5:04 left in the second quarter.

A 24-yard punt put the Eagles in good shape on their next possession and Arnheim didn’t wait until third down to find an open receiver, hitting Rauh for a 41-yard touchdown pass on the next play. Edgewater missed another extra point kick and took an 18-6 lead at halftime.

For all practical purposes, Edgewater shut the door on the Darters with its opening possession of the second half, marching 62 yards in nine plays for a score as Arnheim hit Mathews on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 7:08 left in the third period. The extra point was good and the Eagles led, 25-6.

It would have been easy for the Darters to fold at that point, but with Carl Randolph at quarterback for the first time in three games, Apopka was in a catch-up mode and began throwing the ball, but it was the traditional running game that got Apopka’s second score of the evening as Steven Joseph found a wide-open space in the middle, running 25 yards for the touchdown with 4:59 left in the third period. Beary’s extra point was good to pull Apopka to within 25-13.

That gave the Apopka sideline and stands some life, but one of three Edgewater interceptions very late in the third period ended the next Apopka threat. Edgewater began trying to run out the clock, but another 3rd-and-long play resulted in the final TD pass of the night from Arnheim to Rauh. This one covered 42 yards with 3:57 left in the game.