The 2014 season will be one to remember for not only area fans but statewide fans as two local young men chase state career records, while Apopka and Mainland and maybe a surprise team try to get back to the state finals.
Going Deep
Back for his fourth and final season, Lake Nona senior quarterback Tucker Israel has already seen his share of awards and accolades but this season has his sights on even bigger records.
Israel, who recently committed to Clemson, was named to the Orlando Sentinel 2013 All-Area first team offense, the Orlando Touchdown Club’s Offensive Player of the Year and the runner-up in the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 7A Player of the Year voting.
He began his career as a freshman throwing for 2,924 and 30 touchdowns, 10 of which came in one game and followed that up as a sophomore crushing the Orange County Metro Conference passing record with 3,685 yards and 36 touchdowns, which he broke again.
Last season he threw for 3,979 yards, 40 touchdowns, while rushing for 456 yards and 8 touchdowns to bring his career total to 10, 588 yards and 106 touchdowns.
By his first game, Israel should pass former Bishop Kenny great John Wolford (10, 661) for career passing yards, needing only 74 yards to over take Wolford as the states all-time career passing leader.
By game four or five, he should pass Wolford record of career touchdown passes of 126, needing only 20 more to tie.
Moving Over
For three years, the name Jacques Patrick has terrorized area defensive coordinators.
Unfortunately for them, he is back again for a fourth and final year and on pace to break several local and state records.
Since rushing for more than a 1,000 yards as a freshman at Orlando East River and since transferring to neighboring Timber Creek as a sophomore, the senior tailback has piled up huge numbers.
He’s already the Orange County Metro Conference’s all-time leading rusher with 5,402 yards and he’s looking for more this year.
Patrick needs 2,540 yards to become Central Florida’s all-time leading rusher, which would pass former Kissimmee Osceola great Willie Green.
He’s looking to join the exclusive club atop the state’s all-time chart, led by former Yulee great Derrick Henry (12,124), former Glades Day great Kelvin Taylor (12,121) and former Pensacola Escambia legend Emmitt Smith (8,804).
Passing the 8,000-yard mark is realistic if all of the cards fall in place, but passing Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, would certainly be a huge accomplishment. Patrick would need 3,403 yards as a senior to pass Smith.
Bucking Their Way
There is no other program in the area with the consistency of Mainland.
The Buccaneers have made 20 consecutive playoff appearances, including 21 out of 22 years, yet have only won one state title.
Over the last three years, the Buccaneers have made at least third round of the playoffs, including the state semifinals two of the last three years.
Three years ago, the Buccaneers lost a close one to eventual state champion Miami Central, two years later last season the Rockets did it again on their way to another state title.
Will this be the year the Buccaneers make it to Orlando and win their second state title ?
Seeing Blue
Next to Mainland, the only other area team with that success is Apopka, which has made the state playoffs 14 consecutive years, including winning two state titles (2001, 2012).
Two years ago, the Blue Darters started the season 1-2 with losses to Dr. Phillips and Olympia, but steered the ship in the right direction rolling off 12 straight wins including a revengeful win over Dr. Phillips in the state semifinals on its way to a 53-50 win over Cypress Bay in the Class 8A title game.
Apopka entered the 2013 season ranked No. 1 in the preseason but saw its season blow up when quarterback Zack Darlington was lost for the season in the season opener at Byrnes with his second concussion in recent months.
Despite the loss of its leader, the Blue Darters again steered the program back in the right direction reeling off nine consecutive wins to win the district and make its 14th consecutive playoff trip.
Along the way, Apopka out scored its opponents 493-124, posting four shutouts in the remaining nine games. Wins over University (77-21), Winter Park (31-7), First Coast (42-20) and Tampa Plant (45-29) put the Blue Darters back in the state finals.
Apopka was heavily favored to win its third overall state title and its second straight going up against newcomer South Dade in the title game.
South Dade scored twice early punching Apopka in the gut to put the Blue Darters in an unfamiliar position of playing from behind. A Blue Darter that scored a single state record 752 points and had won 25 of its last 26 games, struggled offensively and fell 41-28 to South Dade.
With several startes returning, expect the Blue Darters to be highly motivated to get back to Orlando and competing for another state title.
Seeing Is Believing
Since the Florida High School Athletic Association started the current playoff system in 1963, the Orlando area has been well represented at the state finals winning seven state titles, while 20 have finished as state runner ups.
Despite being one of the largest metropolitan areas, the tri-county area of Orange, Seminole and Volusia has struggled to make it to the state finals.
Things changed though beginning in 2001, when Apopka rolled Northwestern 34-16 in the Class 6A Final in Tallahassee, while Edgewater followed that up with three consecutive trips and losses in the 6A finals (2002, 2003, 2004).
Since 2001, the area has put at least one team in the finals, including 11 of the past 13 years.
The Orlando area teams who have won state titles are:
Bishop Moore (1970)
Eustis (1983)
Evans (1991)
Kissimmee Osceola (1998)
Apopka (2001, 2012)
Sanford Seminole (2008)
Mainland (2003)
