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Wekiva at Apopka


DarterBlue2

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It was not perfect due to the large number of penalties, but Apopka played its best game of the season tonight. The final score was 34-0. Things of note: 1. Wekiva did not get a first down till more than halfway through the third quarter; 2. Apopka recorded three interceptions and a fumble recovery; 3. Apopka found itself a kicker that can actually put the ball into the back of the end zone (Vasquez). I am guessing he came up from the freshman or JV team; 4. Given the fact that 8A has no dominant teams, if Apopka can sustain tonight's performance into the playoffs and remains relatively healthy, it could make a credible run. 

I revise my opinion of the defense, it is not top third, it is top 20% of all the Apopka defenses I have seen over the past 21 seasons. Regarding the offense, it is still a work in progress, but showed signs of life tonight. 

Other matters: 1. Davis-Hamilton was on hand for the senior night activities, and was on the sidelines to support his former teammates. If he were healthy and still a part of this team, it would have made a heck of a difference to the offense. 2. I did not see the backup QB, Joey McCann dressed out. If he is no longer with the team, that would be unfortunate as aside from the starting QB, Lohman, he is the only player I have seen that can throw the ball effectively. To go deep in the playoffs, this Apopka team needs a passing game. 

Anyway, Go Blue Darters, prove this skeptic wrong!

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3 minutes ago, DarterBlue2 said:

It was not perfect due to the large number of penalties, but Apopka played its best game of the season tonight. The final score was 34-0. Things of note: 1. Wekiva did not get a first down till less than halfway through the third quarter; 2. Apopka recorded three interceptions and a fumble recovery; 3. Apopka found itself a kicker that can actually put the ball into the back of the end zone (Vasquez). I am guessing he came up from the freshman or JV team; 4. Given the fact that 8A has no dominant teams, if Apopka can sustain tonight's performance into the playoffs and remains relatively healthy, it could make a credible run. 

I revise my opinion of the defense, it is not top third, it is top 20% of all the Apopka defenses I have seen over the past 21 seasons. Regarding the offense, it is still a work in progress, but showed signs of life tonight. 

Other matters: 1. Davis-Hamilton was on hand for the senior night activities, and was on the sidelines to support his former teammates. If he were healthy and still a part of this team, it would have made a heck of a difference to the offense. 2. I did not see the backup QB, Joey McCann dressed out. If he is no longer with the team, that would be unfortunate as aside from the starting QB, Lohman, he is the only player I have seen that can throw the ball effectively. To go deep in the playoffs, this Apopka team needs a passing game. 

Anyway, Go Blue Darters, prove this skeptic wrong!

Great win bro I’m proud of y’all 

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7 minutes ago, badbird said:

Apopka’s defense is really good.  I said that early on.  However if they give up 21 will the offense be able to win it for them.  It is so wide open they could lose first round or make a really deep run.  8A will be interesting but it’s not the best football I’ve seen for sure

Defense is very good, I agree. Offense is average for an Apopka team, but looked good last night. Not sure if that means it's improving or says more about Wekiva's defense. 8A has several solid teams, but unless relatively untested Steinbrenner or Vero Beach for that matter is better than I think they are, I agree 8A does not have anywhere near the best football this year.

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7 hours ago, DarterBlue2 said:

Defense is very good, I agree. Offense is average for an Apopka team, but looked good last night. Not sure if that means it's improving or says more about Wekiva's defense. 8A has several solid teams, but unless relatively untested Steinbrenner or Vero Beach for that matter is better than I think they are, I agree 8A does not have anywhere near the best football this year.

Steinbrenner lost to a 6-4 Chamberlain last night 26-20.

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1 hour ago, HornetFan said:

Steinbrenner lost to a 6-4 Chamberlain last night 26-20.

I saw that after I made my post. I would still be cautious about using that against them as, historically, sometimes the final game of the regular season yields strange results especially when it involves a team that has already locked up its district.

Still, it is not a good omen to lose just before playoffs begin and spoil an undefeated season.  

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12 hours ago, DarterBlue2 said:

I saw that after I made my post. I would still be cautious about using that against them as, historically, sometimes the final game of the regular season yields strange results especially when it involves a team that has already locked up its district.

Still, it is not a good omen to lose just before playoffs begin and spoil an undefeated season.  

It was probably a fluke. Their points for and against are ridiculously lopsided. I would expect them to do very well in their regional.

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2 minutes ago, HornetFan said:

It was probably a fluke. Their points for and against are ridiculously lopsided. I would expect them to do very well in their regional.

Hard to say, but it may well have been that they were resting guys for round 1. Their loss cost Plant the 8th seed in the region which went to Lake Nona instead. 

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Just now, DarterBlue2 said:

Hard to say, but it may well have been that they were resting guys for round 1. Their loss cost Plant the 8th seed in the region which went to Lake Nona instead. 

I think Lake Nona deserved it over Plant. Bishop Moore drew Jones in the first round this coming Friday. I was hoping that was going to be the regional final, but to move out of regionals, they were going to have to face Jones eventually.

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1 minute ago, HornetFan said:

I think Lake Nona deserved it over Plant. Bishop Moore drew Jones in the first round this coming Friday. I was hoping that was going to be the regional final, but to move out of regionals, they were going to have to face Jones eventually.

I am glad Lake Nona made it. I saw them in the spring game against Timber Creek. They had some nice, tall receivers. Plant which had a losing record, did not have much basis to stake a claim. 

Regarding the Bishop Moore draw, that is tough luck and one of the defects in the new system, in my opinion. A district rematch should not take place till at least the second round. 

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Just now, DarterBlue2 said:

I am glad Lake Nona made it. I saw them in the spring game against Timber Creek. They had some nice, tall receivers. Plant which had a losing record, did not have much basis to stake a claim. 

Regarding the Bishop Moore draw, that is tough luck and one of the defects in the new system, in my opinion. A district rematch should not take place till at least the second round. 

 

Just now, DarterBlue2 said:

I am glad Lake Nona made it. I saw them in the spring game against Timber Creek. They had some nice, tall receivers. Plant which had a losing record, did not have much basis to stake a claim. 

Regarding the Bishop Moore draw, that is tough luck and one of the defects in the new system, in my opinion. A district rematch should not take place till at least the second round. 

I figured BM would have to go through Jones, Vanguard, and Dunnelion anyway. It's a real tough 5A region.

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2 minutes ago, HornetFan said:

 

I figured BM would have to go through Jones, Vanguard, and Dunnelion anyway. It's a real tough 5A region.

It is a tough region. But I feel Bishop Moore would have a better chance against either Dunnelion or Vanguard. I just feel they would be better matchups. If I am right and they faced Jones in the third round instead, who knows what the result would be? Sometimes teams go in different directions during the playoffs. 

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5 hours ago, DarterBlue2 said:

It is a tough region. But I feel Bishop Moore would have a better chance against either Dunnelion or Vanguard. I just feel they would be better matchups. If I am right and they faced Jones in the third round instead, who knows what the result would be? Sometimes teams go in different directions during the playoffs. 

Since their loss to Jones in the 4th game of the season, they have been steadily improving and have a 6 game winning streak, though against lesser competition. The first 4 games on the schedule were brutal. Their offense is now playing strong, both running and passing, and putting up over 40 points a game. Their defense was weak early with a secondary that gave up way too many long passes; they were too small and too slow. The D-Line was thin and regularly tired mid-3rd quarter because starters were going both ways. They made big changes to their secondary and started giving playing time to a couple of junior defensive linemen. The long completions have been greatly reduced and the D-Line plays strong well into the 4th quarter now. We're even getting some additional sacks from the improved D-line. I'm not saying we beat Jones, but if they're a little off, they could possibly get surprised.

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1 minute ago, HornetFan said:

We're even getting some additional sacks from the improved D-line. I'm not saying we beat Jones, but if they're a little off, they could possibly get surprised.

If successful, the early, brutal schedule may have helped. If nothing else, it exposed weaknesses that needed to be addressed. BM has a very tough first playoff game. If somehow, they beat Jones, then they would have as good a chance as any in the region to make the semifinal. 

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Just now, DarterBlue2 said:

If successful, the early, brutal schedule may have helped. If nothing else, it exposed weaknesses that needed to be addressed. BM has a very tough first playoff game. If somehow, they beat Jones, then they would have as good a chance as any in the region to make the semifinal. 

The brutal early schedule definitely identified weaknesses that had to be corrected. Adjustments were made and I think BM put a running clock on almost all of their last 6 opponents. They also used a lot of subs in the 2nd half of those games, so a lot of kids got game experience. That can't hurt in the playoffs. Still, it's Jones, a team that wouldn't surprise me to see them win state. I think the winner of the BM-Jones game wins their region, whichever team wins.

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1 minute ago, HornetFan said:

I think the winner of the BM-Jones game wins their region, whichever team wins.

I am inclined to agree. They would also have a great shot at winning the semifinal. Unfortunately, the state game would see either against: American Heritage or Miami Northwestern. Both of those teams would be very difficult to beat. 

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Just now, DarterBlue2 said:

I am inclined to agree. They would also have a great shot at winning the semifinal. Unfortunately, the state game would see either against: American Heritage or Miami Northwestern. Both of those teams would be very difficult to beat. 

The bottom half of the 5A draw is deeper than the top half, and their finalist should be favored in championship game, but unexpected things can happen. BM won a state title 4 years ago; it's not impossible as long as you're still in the bracket.

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1 minute ago, HornetFan said:

The bottom half of the 5A draw is deeper than the top half, and their finalist should be favored in championship game, but unexpected things can happen. BM won a state title 4 years ago; it's not impossible as long as you're still in the bracket.

That's the value of playing an Edgewater or Archbishop Spaulding. You may lose those games, but it gives you a shot when the playoffs come for you have seen teams that could win a state title already. BTW, that was a special BM team that won in 2015. It benefited from LMP shutting down its football program to a degree. 

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