Apopka High School
Sep 28, 2007
Blue Darters 32, Edgewater 40

By John Peery
Apopka Chief Staff

Last year, Apopka nipped Edgewater 9-6 in an epic battle of defenses and special teams. This season, the offenses took over as Edgewater outlasted Apopka, 40-32, Friday, September 28, in a Metro Conference contest before 5,000 fans at Apopka’s Roger Williams Field.

The Eagles and Blue Darters combined for 909 yards with nearly 90 percent of Apopka’s yardage coming on the ground and most of Edgewater’s coming through the air.

“We made too many mistakes to win,” said Apopka head coach Rick Darlington. “In the first half, we didn’t cover (the long pass), in the second half, we didn’t tackle (well). It’s disappointing we were up 26-7 and let them come back and beat us.”

For Edgewater coach Bill Gierke, it was a hard-fought victory.
“This was a great high school football game,” he said. “People got their money’s worth.” That they did, but despite all the offense, it was a defensive touchdown that ultimately made the difference.

With the Eagles (3-1) clinging to a 33-26 lead and Apopka (4-1) on its own 25 late in the game, a mix-up on a handoff ended up on the ground and Edgewater’s Brian Hill scooped up the loose pigskin and rambled 20 yards untouched for the score, giving Edgewater a seemingly safe 40-26 lead with 3:01 left in the fourth period.

But, Apopka wasn’t through. On first down after the kickoff that went into the end zone, Apopka senior wingback Jeremy Rouse dashed 75 yards to the Edgewater 5 before being dragged down from behind. Rouse scored the touchdown on fourth down from the 1-yard line with 1:24 left in the fourth. The extra point was blocked and left Apopka trailing, 40-32.

Apopka thought it had recovered the onside kick, but the Eagles came out of the pile with the ball and the victory.

For Edgewater in the first half, it was the passing game that kept the Eagles in the game despite an incredibly strong Apopka rushing attack.

Edgewater senior quarterback James Morgan threw just six passes in the first two quarters, but he completed four, three of them for long touchdowns, all to senior wide receiver Nakeem Pittman. Morgan hit Pittman with touchdown strikes of 64 yards, 57 yards, and 65 yards.

On the first two scoring pass plays, Pittman got behind the Apopka defenders, while on the third he caught a short pass, broke three or four tackles and raced to the end zone. Morgan ended with a 10-of-15 night for 265 yards and the three scores. He threw one interception.

He was never sacked, being protected well by Edgewater’s massive offensive line that averages nearly 290 lbs. and is anchored by all-everything lineman Mike Brewster.

Apopka, meanwhile, was doing its damage on the ground. The Blue Darters gashed the Edgewater defense time after time in the first half, rushing for 307 yards and three touchdowns in the first two quarters alone. Quarterback/wingback Jeremy Gallon scored all three rushing touchdowns for the Darters in the first half.

For the game, the Blue Darters rushed 44 times for 413 yards and four touchdowns. Rouse was the leading rusher, as the wingback tallied 202 yards and a score on just 11 attempts. Among his runs were dashes of 75 yards, 40 yards, 28 yards, and 16 yards. Gallon, meanwhile, rushed for 149 yards, all but 1 yard in the first half.

Apopka jumped out to a 14-0 lead, dominating the first quarter.
The Blue Darters opened the game with an 81-yard drive that took nine plays and 5:02 off the clock. The touchdown came on a third-down pass play from Caleb Nelson to Carmeiras Stewart, who caught the 4-yard touchdown in traffic. Jon Beary’s extra point gave Apopka a 7-0 lead with 6:58 left in the first quarter.

The Darters ended the night with 55 yards passing on a 3-of-5 night. Stewart led the Darters with two catches for 34 yards and the one score.

After the Apopka defense forced a three-and-out on Edgewater’s first possession, the Darters took advantage of a short punt to go 41 yards for the next score. The drive was a quick one, taking just three plays and 1:11 off the clock when Gallon found daylight for a 30-yard touchdown run. Beary’s extra point gave Apopka a 14-0 lead with 3:53 still left in the first period.