Apopka head coach Ty Ensor summed it up succinctly right after his team was dismantled 35-8 by East Ridge Friday, October 21, in a battle of previously unbeaten District 6A-4 teams. “They’re good; we were bad,” the head coach said.

From the first three-and-out for the Blue Darters to the final East Ridge touchdown midway through the fourth quarter that gave the Knights a 35-0 lead and caused the start of the mandatory running clock, it was not a good night for the Darters at Homecoming 2005 at Roger Williams Field. The victory gave the Knights (8-0 overall, 4-0 in District 6A-4) the district championship, putting them in the playoffs. On November 11, East Ridge will host this week’s Edgewater-Winter Park loser in the first round of the playoffs.

For Apopka, the loss makes it simple as the Blue Darters will host the West Orange Warriors today, Friday, October 28, in a winner-take-all battle for the District 6A-4 runner-up spot. Both teams are 3-1 in district play and the team that ends up 4-1 in the district will hit the road to face the Edgewater-Winter Park winner in the first round of the playoffs. The Apopka-West Orange loser will pack up its gear following the November 4 regular-season finale.

East Ridge’s offensive numbers weren’t huge as the Knights rushed for 130 yards and passed for 169, but they dominated with time-consuming drives, limiting Apopka to just 33 offensive plays, 21 rushes and 12 passes. Prior to the loss to East Ridge, Apopka averaged 36 rushing plays per game. Apopka ended the game with 157 yards rushing and 10 yards passing.

Apopka’s best drive of the game was a non-scoring march that covered 74 yards, but ended at the East Ridge 23 when a quarterback sneak by Cedric Bryant came up short on fourth-and-1. On the play prior to that one, Bryant had run the ball on an option keeper and had run into a pile of players at the 23 yard line. He bounced off the pile and looked as if he kept his balance and ran to an opening in the defense toward the goal line, but the officials blew the whistle as Bryant bounced off the pile, saying his knee touched the ground.

Apopka coaches thought Bryant kept his balance, but it didn’t matter at that point as the officials had blown their whistles. The non-scoring drive started at the Apopka 3 after Derrick Clark intercepted a pass from East Ridge quarterback Steven Batman. With East Ridge leading 7-0, the Knights’ march covered 12 plays, but it was the last good thing to happen for Apopka when the game was still in doubt.

Following the stalled drive, East Ridge took advantage, marching 77 yards in 14 plays as P.J. Perry broke a tackle and reversed his field to run 11 yards for the touchdown with 1:52 left in the second period. Apopka was still in the game emotionally, but the Knights quickly doused any Apopka hope on the ensuing kickoff as the Darters allowed a sky kick by the Knights to hit the ground and bounce to the 5 yard line where the Knights recovered.

Two plays later, Batman sneaked over from the 1 and the Knights took a 21-0 lead and Apopka’s will into halftime.
East Ridge added two second-half touchdowns before Bryant found a hole in the Knights’ defense and ran 58 yards for Apopka’s only score late in the game.

Cody Jones added the two-point conversion.
The touchdown was scored with about 2:50 left in the game, but was the final play from scrimmage as East Ridge’s fifth touchdown had given the Knights a 35-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter, meaning the mandatory running clock, or so-called mercy clock, began.