Apopka High School
September 8, 2006
Blue Darters 17, Dr. Phillips 0

By John Peery
Apopka Chief Staff

It certainly was nothing fancy on either side of the ball, but the Apopka Blue Darters were solid in all aspects of the game, downing the Dr. Phillips Panthers, 17-0, on Friday, September 8, in front of about 3,000 fans.

Apopka utilized two first-half touchdowns and a bend-but-don’t-break defense to defeat the Panthers at Apopka’s Roger Williams Field.

“We played a very smart, fundamental football game against a very talented team,” said Apopka coach Rick Darlington. It was Apopka’s third straight game without a turnover. It also was a typical Apopka rushing game against a good opponent as the Blue Darters rushed for 209 yards on 40 attempts and four Darters rushed for between 41 yards and 62 yards.

The Apopka defense, meanwhile, allowed the Panthers into scoring territory twice, but pushed them back both times. The Blue Darters sacked two Dr. Phillips quarterbacks seven times, allowing the Panthers just 23 net rushing yards on 25 attempts.

The first venture for Dr. Phillips deep into Apopka’s territory came with Apopka ahead 14-0 midway through the second period. The Panthers found themselves with a first-and-goal from the Apopka 7 after a 36-yard pass play from quarterback Chris Wilkes to Gabe Simmons.

But, the Apopka defense would bend no more as, after a one-yard gain on first down, and recorded a pair of sacks by Brian McCullough and Adarrius James. That left Dr. Phillips with a fourth-and-goal from the 27. A fourth-down pass fell harmlessly to the ground.

The Panthers’ next-best scoring opportunity came on the first possession of the second half as Dr. Phillips drove to the Apopka 25 before a pair of sacks – one by McCullough and one by Tim Davis -- and an incomplete pass forced a punt. Apopka got its offense going on its second possession, driving 85 yards in seven plays. Travelle Davis got the score, bulling in from the 2 with 1:44 left in the first.

Three big plays made the difference in the drive, including the first, which was a 41-yard gain on a screen pass from quarterback Andy Summerlin to Davis. Then, three plays later, the Darters were faced with a fourth-and-5 from the Dr. Phillips 39 when Derrick Rouse scampered 14 yards to the 25.

On the next play, Summerlin found Derrick L. Clark over the middle and the play gained 23 yards to the 2. Davis scored on the next play. Robert Beary’s extra point gave the Darters a 7-0 lead late in the first period.

After a three-and-out for Dr. Phillips following Apopka’s kickoff, the Blue Darters put up another touchdown, driving 44 yards in seven plays as Rouse found his way around left end for a 20-yard scoring run.

Once again, Apopka converted a fourth down, this time a fourth-and-4 on the Dr. Phillips 38. Davis gained 13 yards, setting up Davis’ score three plays later. Beary’s extra point gave the Darters a 14-0 lead with 8:43 left in the second period.

The final score of the game came from Beary’s foot early in the fourth period when the Darters drove 76 yards to the Dr. Phillips 2. The senior nailed the 19-yard field goal to give the Darters a 17-0 lead with 10:15 remaining in the fourth period.

Darlington said he considered going for the touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 2, but that getting the three points to make it a three-score difference was important.

“Of course, you want to do the macho thing and go for the touchdown, but we needed the three points to make it a three-score game,” he said.