Sanford Seminole marches past Oviedo in District 8A-2 tilt

SANFORD, Fla. — Seminole High School scored early and often Friday evening advancing to a perfect (7-0) on the season as the Noles crushed the Oviedo Lions, 49-22. All 49 points came from three sole Noles: Tulane commit quarterback Kaylan Wiggins, UCF commit tight end Gabriel Davis, and running back DJ Hampton. The three combined for over 500 yards of offense through the air and on the ground and the Seminoles won easily in their final home game of the season.

THE INFO: It didn’t take long for the Seminoles to put points on the board. After a four minute drive from Oviedo, the Noles wasted no time scoring as senior running back DJ Hampton went 78 yards in 15 seconds. Minutes later, after another lackluster drive by the Lions, Gabriel Davis found the back of the end zone as quarterback Kaylan Wiggins tossed the pigskin 88 yards. The UCF commit scored and despite only being on offense for a total time of 37 seconds, Seminole led 14-0 over the Lions.

On his third drive of the game, Oviedo quarterback Morgan Mitchell finally found success. The sophomore connected with Tolbert Alexander for a 36-yard passing touchdown and the score was now 14-7 at the 4:19 mark of the first quarter. However, the Noles jumped back on offense and Wiggins found his favorite target of the night: Gabriel Davis. This time, Davis scored on a 47-yard reception and at the end of the first quarter, the Noles led 21-7 over the Lions..

PHOTO GALLERY: Check out all the action from the game in photos

Hampton picked up where he left off in the first quarter to start the second quarter. The senior broke free for a 45-yard rush down to the Lions’ one-yard line just short of his second touchdown of the night. The very next play, Hampton breezed right in and the lead was extended to three touchdowns, 28-7 with just over 10 minutes left in the second quarter.

Mitchell and the Lions, however, did not give up just yet. Oviedo drove the ball down the field and after a big penalty against the Noles, the Lions found themselves inside the red zone. On 3rd and goal from the five-yard line, pass interference was called on Seminole, and the Lions were awarded an automatic first down. The very next play, Mitchell decided to take it himself and give life to Oviedo. With 7:04 left in the first half, the Lions only trailed 28-14 on the road.

Oviedo was able to score one final time as backup quarterback Marco Weimer ran it in himself to set the final score at 49-22 after the two point conversion for the Lions.

KEY PLAY OF THE GAME: After the Mitchell quarterback-keep scoring play, the Seminoles were set to receive. The crowd roared as the ball was sent through the air and landed in the hands of DJ Hampton. His eyes were set on one thing: the end zone. The senior had strong blocking up the left side, found a hole and was gone. Hampton sprinted down the sidelines for an 88-yard kickoff return. The Noles led 35-14 and Hampton’s night was over at halftime.

STARS OF THE GAME: Before halftime, Kaylan Wiggins ran the ball himself scoring on 42 rushing touchdown capping off a 54-yard drive that lasted only one minute and nine seconds. At the start of the third, Wiggins found Davis one final time, 59-yard touchdown pass extending the Noles lead to 49-14. The stars of the game are the three name plastered all over the stat sheet: Gabriel Davis, Kaylan Wiggins, and DJ Hampton. Wiggins threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns, all to Davis. As for the running back, Hampton finished the night off with 145 yards on the ground and three total touchdowns despite sitting for the majority of the second half.

DID YOU KNOW: This is the first time since 2008 that a Seminole team has defeated the Oviedo Lions or as head coach Don Stark put it after the game, “most of this year’s team was in the 4th grade last time we won”. Not even in their 6A state title season in 2008 did the Noles start the season off (7-0).

QUOTABLE: “I knew if we came out and played the way we were capable of playing, we would win. Oviedo is a good team and our defense really stepped up and to keep those guys to 14 in the first half, that’s quite an accomplishment. It was just another week for DJ (Hampton), that’s what he does and I am glad we don’t have to play against him. Our offensive line did a great job. Don’t get me wrong, DJ (Hampton) makes people miss but there were 10 other guys on the field doing their job which allows him to do what he does,” said Seminole head coach Don Stark.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Oviedo Lions (2-5 overall, 1-3 in 8A-2) host the Lake Brantley Patriots in an important 8A District 2 matchup. The Patriots (4-3 overall, 2-2 in 8A-2), are fresh off of a 35-7 blowout win over Lyman. As for the Seminoles (7-0 overall, 5-0 in 8A-2), they travel for the remainder of the season and play the Winter Springs Bears next week. The Bears (2-5 overall, 1-3 in 8A-2) were embarrassed Friday evening, losing to Orange City University, where the Titans (5-2 overall, 2-2 in 8A-2) won easily 41-3.