By: Ross Van De Griek
On Friday night, the Apopka Blue Darters (10-1) will travel to Seminole County & take on the Seminole (Sanford) Seminoles (11-0) in the HSSportsFlorida "Central Florida" Game of the Week.
How did Apopka get here? In the regional quarterfinals, they defeated Flagler Palm Coast 42-25 & in last week's regional semifinals, they defeated Bartram Trail, 34-13. Apopka head coach Jeff Rolson took over this offseason for Rick Darlington who left the program, to takeover as the head football coach at Enterprise High School in Alabama. The Blue Darters are back in the regional final for the first time since 2014, where they went onto win the state championship. A name to keep an eye on for the Apopka offense, will be junior running back Jaquan Lowman who leads the team, with 1105 rushing yards, on 191 carries (5.8 yards/carry) & has 18 rushing touchdowns this season. Senior wide receiver Jalen Williams is the team's leading receiver, who has just 226 receiving yards & five receiving touchdowns on the season. Sophomore linebacker Travion Barnes leads the team with 87 total tackles this season, while sophomore linebacker Josiah Robinson has 77 total tackles.
How did Seminole get here? In the regional quarterfinals, they defeated reigning Class 8A state champs Mandarin, 59-32. In the regional semifinals, they defeated Timber Creek, 17-10. Seminole has not reached the state semifinals since 2016, which was also head coach Don Stark's first season at the school. This is a rematch of the 2017 regional quarterfinals, where Apopka routed the Noles' 54-21, when current quarterback Timmy McClain started as a freshman. However, junior quarterback Timmy McClain is having his best season yet as he has thrown for 2295 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes & just three interceptions. Senior running back Diautri Robinson leads the team, with 523 rushing yards & just five rushing touchdowns this season. Senior wide receivers Josh Guilford & O'shae Baker will be a big impact for Seminole in the receiving game.
Who will the winner face? Steinbrenner/Kissimmee Osceola in next Friday's state semifinal
Score Prediction: Apopka 35, Seminole (Sanford) 28
Joe Pinko's Florida HS Football Projection: Apopka wins by 8