Apopka Blue & White Game

[DarterBlue2]

Tonight, was the annual Apopka Blue & White inter-squad scrimmage. There was a good crowd in attendance, I would estimate well over a thousand individuals. Notable alumni there included Martez Ivey of UF. The format was five quarters of football with the 1st, 3rd & 5th devoted to Varsity and the 2nd and 4th to the JV team. Notable changes to the rules were: No kickoffs or punts. Instead the other team got the ball at the 30 for kickoffs and the 35 for punts. Last year's Varsity kicker (he was a freshman in 2017)  kicked extra points and field goals for both teams. His range has improved; however, work needs to be done on his accuracy. Final scores in the two games were: Varsity Blue team 14 White team 6. JV Blue team 6 White team 0.

Things of Note: 1. Apopka returns pretty much all of its offensive skill players. In addition there were two new (or relatively new in the case of one) guys who played wide-out in addition to defensive back in Fred Young and Wayne Gibson. Both looked good to me.  2. For the spring game at least, Apopka threw the ball more than is its wont. Jackson Darlington took snaps for the white team and Jacoryan Davis-Hamilton for the blue team. 3. The defense at this stage is ahead of the offense. This on the face of it may seem surprising. However, Apopka is replacing the majority of its offensive line including two North Carolina commits. So, it is not that surprising when you think about it. 4. If Apopka can find two or three athletic offensive linemen that can be taught to block effectively, the offense is going to be very good. Should they decide to throw it some, this will make it even more dangerous. For while I don't think either Darlington or Davis-Hamilton play QB at the college level (I could be wrong), both have decent arms and can run the ball when necessary. In the case of Davis-Hamilton, he has filled out quite a bit, but is still a smooth runner who is deceptively fast. In this game, he also demonstrated an ability to get some of the tough yards running between the tackles. At the next level I think he plays receiver. 5. Despite losing a lot on the defensive line, I think it will be fine. Expect Jalen Carter who played mostly offense last year to move primarily to the DLine this year. The best way to describe this kid is a 6 ft 4 in, 255 pounder without an ounce of fat on him. Last year in addition to blocking he demonstrated an ability to both catch and run the ball effectively on offense. To my way of thinking, should he not get injured and work to improve himself, he has as much chance of playing in the NFL as any Apopka high schooler I have ever seen. 6. While Apopka also lost quite a bit of its secondary, I think that they will be fine in this area as well. In addition to Anthony Fielding returning, Lohman looked goods as did several other kids. In fact Lohman took an interception over 70 yards down to the Blue teams 2 yard line which set up the White team's only score of the game. 

What are my Expectations: If Apopka can find a couple offensive linemen, I think this team has great potential. It is experienced, yet young, as it is junior heavy. Should the team bond and remain relatively healthy, a run at the Class 8A, State Title is within the realm of possibility. 

[Dan in Daytona]

Nice informative recap Darter. Coach D will always find a way to put points on the board. And with athletes aplenty he'll find some new young defensive stoppers. The Apopka Blue rolls on.....

[TitanUp]

Great recap!! Hopefully you guys don't find those oline guys before the 24th, lol!!! Seriously though I'm looking forward to us playing, you really find out a lot about your team when you play the state's best. Best of luck this year!!

[DarterBlue2]

2 hours ago, TitanUp said:

Great recap!! Hopefully you guys don't find those oline guys before the 24th, lol!!! Seriously though I'm looking forward to us playing, you really find out a lot about your team when you play the state's best. Best of luck this year!!

Best of luck to Orange City U, too. I know the effort you all put into that program.