Apopka High School
Oct 5, 2007
Blue Darters 57, Wekiva 3

By John Peery
Apopka Chief Staff

When a powerful state-ranked team faces a first-year squad with no seniors, a lopsided game is likely to ensue. That’s just what happened Friday, October 5, when the Apopka Blue Darters whipped the Wekiva Mustangs, 57-3, at Roger Williams Field in a steady rain.

But, for Wekiva High, a relief school for Apopka High, the loss, as difficult as it was, can be used as a teaching tool. “I think it was a great learning experience for us,” said Wekiva head coach Ty Parker, who was an assistant coach for the Darters for the past six years. “I was encouraged by it, if you can be encouraged by a 57-3 loss. I was actually more pleased coming out of that game than I was coming out of West Orange or Evans because we tried and we learned a lot.”

For Apopka (5-1, 2-0 District 6A-4), it was a District 6A-4 victory and a solid win following the previous week’s loss to Edgewater.
“I thought we got better, especially on offense. Our offensive line keeps getting better,” said Apopka coach Rick Darlington.
“We jumped on them pretty quickly.”

That’s an understatement. When the long first quarter finally ended, the Blue Darters held a 37-3 lead as Apopka rushed for three touchdowns, passed for one, and returned an interception for a score.

It was a three-touchdown burst in 91 seconds in the middle of the first period that gave Apopka a comfortable lead.

Following Kyle Magee’s 28-yard field goal for Wekiva (0-5, 0-2 District 6A-4) to pull the Mustangs to within 8-3, Jeremy Rouse returned the kickoff to the Wekiva 35 and five plays later, Rouse scored from the 3-yard line. A two-point conversion run by Travelle Davis gave Apopka a 16-3 lead with 5:49 left in the first period.

Then, on third down following Apopka’s kickoff, Danny White and Donte Williams hit Wekiva freshman quarterback Keyon Brooks as soon as he released the ball and it fluttered into the waiting arms of defensive lineman Jon Beary, who ran 17 yards for the touchdown. He then kicked the extra point to give Apopka a 23-3 lead with 4:55 left in the first period.

Then, Apopka caught the Mustangs unaware, recovering an onside kick. Two plays later, Jeremy Gallon scampered 52 yards for the Apopka touchdown. Beary’s kick with 4:18 left in the first quarter gave the Blue Darters a 30-3 lead.

“I just wanted to do it,” Darlington said of the onside kick. “It wasn’t (meant) to be disrespectful.”

On the second play following the next kickoff, Apopka recovered a fumble on the Wekiva 28 and took four plays to score with the touchdown coming on a 23-yard pass play from Gallon to Caleb Nelson. Beary’s extra point gave the Darters a 37-3 lead with 1:45 left in the first period.

After another three-and-out forced by the Apopka defense, the Darters quickly put up another touchdown on a 36-yard run by Gallon. Beary’s extra point gave Apopka a 44-3 lead with 9:52 remaining in the second period.

In the second half, with a running clock, Apopka scored once in the third quarter and once in the fourth. Davis scored on a 20-yard run with 6:18 left in the third period. The two-point conversion failed following a high snap.

The final TD of the night came when Nelson ran up the middle for 56 yards with 5:10 remaining. Beary’s extra point was the final margin.

The first score of the game for Apopka came on its first possession on an 18-yard run by Gallon. Pooh Bear Mars ran in the two-point conversion to give the Darters an 8-0 lead with just 1:58 gone in the first period.

Wekiva got its points when James Owens returned the kickoff to the Apopka 6-yard line. The Darters didn’t allow the touchdown, but Magee’s 28-yard field goal with 8:11 left in the first period trimmed Apopka’s lead to 8-3.