Apopka High School
Sep 21, 2007
Blue Darters 36, Ocoee 0

By John Peery
Apopka Chief Staff

Following a pattern set in two of the first three games, the Apopka Blue Darters parlayed a strong second-half performance into a 36-0 victory over the Ocoee Knights Friday, September 21, at Roger Williams Field.

About 2,500 people saw the Darters score 29 points in the second half, breaking open a 7-0 game at halftime. The victory gives the undefeated Blue Darters a 4-0 overall record and a 1-0 mark in District 6A-4 action. Ocoee fell to 1-3 and 0-1.

“In the first half, we made too many mistakes,” said Apopka coach Rick Darlington. “In the second half, we came out and played a lot better.” But, Darlington also said Ocoee was better than its record, calling them a “good team.”

Apopka was led by defensive back Adarrius James, who had a dream game, picking off three Ocoee passes and returning two of them for touchdowns. His three interceptions gave him six for the season. As a team, the Blue Darters had five picks against Ocoee and now have 11 for the season.

“I think (defensive backs) coach (Tom) Paolucci is doing a great job preparing them,” Darlington said of the defensive backs.
James’ echoed that statement.

“We’ve been practicing hard and keeping ourselves focused,” the senior defensive back said. “We just read our keys. If you read your keys, the quarterback will take you there (where the ball is) all the time.”

While James had the three interceptions, it was a pick by sophomore linebacker Bradley Gallon that kickstarted the strong second half by the Blue Darters.

With Apopka nursing a 7-0 lead, Gallon, who returned a fumble for a touchdown in Apopka’s 24-20 over Dr. Phillips the week before, returned the interception 16 yards to the Ocoee 31 and, from there, the Apopka offense took over, scoring on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Caleb Nelson.

The eight-play drive included a fourth-down conversion when Jeremy Rouse ran 15 yards to the Ocoee 11. Rouse also ran in the two-point conversion to give the Blue Darters a 15-0 lead with 5:02 left in the third period.

On the next Ocoee possession, James scored the first of his two touchdowns when he returned an interception 30 yards for the score.

Jeremy Gallon, who led Apopka in rushing with 93 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, ran in the two-point conversion off a bobbled snap to give the Blue Darters a 23-0 lead with 2:26 remaining in the third quarter.

The third Blue Darter who had an interception was Derrick Clark and his pick in the end zone set up Apopka on its own 20. Eight plays later, the Darters scored on a 19-yard run by Jeremy Gallon.

Jon Beary’s extra point gave Apopka a 30-0 lead with 4:31 left in the fourth. The drive was highlighted by the second of two outstanding catches by wide receiver Carmeiras Stewart, who made a one-hand grab of a pass by Jeremy Gallon.

The final score for Apopka came when James hauled in an errant Ocoee pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown with less than a minute to go. Since that gave Apopka a 36-0 lead, the so-called mercy clock began running and the time ran out prior to the Darters attempting the extra point.

Apopka’s first score of the game came on its initial possession, as the Darters drove 76 yards in 11 plays. Jeremy Gallon scored on a 7-yard run, but 44 of the yards came on pass plays, including a crucial fourth-down conversion when Apopka faced a fourth-and-9 from the Ocoee 22. On the play, Stewart made the first of his two great catches on a pass from Jeremy Gallon, gaining 15 yards to the Ocoee 7-yard line.

For the game, Apopka was, once again, efficient and effect in its passing attack. Three different players combined for a 6-for-11 night for 103 yards for the Blue Darters. Apopka rushed for 229 yards on 37 attempts. The Knights had 143 rushing yards on 23 carries, while passing for 61 yards and completing 9-of-21.

When Beary kicked the extra point, it gave Apopka a 7-0 lead with 6:39 left in the first period, and that’s the way the scoring stood until the third period.

Ocoee thought it had scored in the second period when Knights quarterback Dustin Denman passed 40 yards to Rickeem Jackson. However, Jackson was called for offensive pass interference, nullifying the touchdown.