Hagerty wins district, tops No. 1 Edgewater

Hagerty hit the football trifecta Friday night.

The Huskies, in a deep hole in the Class 7A FHSAA playoff power rankings, celebrated homecoming and senior night by winning the District 4 championship and securing a spot in the postseason with a 31-15 upset of Edgewater, the No. 1-ranked team in the Sentinel Super 16.

Hagerty (6-3, 5-1) scored touchdowns on its first three drives for a 21-7 halftime lead and finished with more than 300 yards rushing while limiting opportunities for the Eagles (8-1, 5-1) on offense.

“Our game plan was to control the clock. I did not want the ball in the hands of their quarterback [R.J. Harvey] because I know the kind of speed they have over there,” Hagerty coach Phil Ziglar said. “It’s a prime example of if you have a team that sticks together no matter the situation, you can beat anybody on a Friday night.”

The Huskies entered the game needing a win to qualify for the playoffs as they ranked 16th out of 20 teams in 7A, Region 1 with just 33.6 power points. They’ll host a first-round playoff game Nov. 9. Edgewater, ranked fourth in the region with 39.3 points, will likely settle for one of four wild card spots and play on the road.

“I told the kids that those are the rules and you’ve got to go by the rules of life,” Ziglar said of the power rankings, which awards points for wins and losses based on opponent’s strength of schedule. “I don’t like [the playoff system], but I told them it’ll still come down to beating Edgewater to deserve to go to the playoffs. And if you don’t, then you shouldn’t have gone anyway.”

Hagerty got contributions from several players out of the backfield as Sammy Cordero, Ian Watts, Jordan Gilbert and Ethan Lopez each rushed for touchdowns. Watts set up the game’s first score with an interception, one of two turnovers forced by the Huskies in the win.

Deciding districts: Wekiva created a three-way tie atop Class 8A, District 4 by rolling to a decisive 35-0 win over visiting Apopka to maintain possession of the Mayor’s Cup in the annual neighboring rivalry.

Larry Preston threw for 184 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 73 yards and another score for the Mustangs. Supreme Richardson added a gamehigh 112 yards rushing on 20 carries and Brandon Hill returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“I had to lead my team and put up points on the scoreboard, and let the defense do what they do,” Preston said.

The Mustangs (8-1, 2-1) entered the game with a slim advantage over Apopka (6-3, 2-1) in power points (42.3-42) for the top spot in Region 1. They’ll likely strengthen their hold at No. 1 in the region in power points following Friday’s season finale at Lake Nona (6-3). The FHSAA points system will serve as the tiebreaker. Wekiva has the advantage over both Apopka and West Orange (6-3, 2-1) and is positioned to claim the district title in back-toback years.

Osceola (8-1, 4-0 in Class 8A-5) made it eight straight district titles with a 42-14 win over visiting Lakeland George Jenkins. Dwayne McGee surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the season by tallying 105 yards and reaching the end zone in the third quarter for his 14th touchdown of the year.

Within reach: Seminole kept its postseason hopes alive in a showdown of county rivals currently on the playoff bubble in Class 8A, Region 1. The Seminoles (7-2) intercepted a pass inside the final minute to hold off a late rally by host Lake Mary (5-4) for a 17-10 win.

Lake Mary entered the game less than a point shy (38) of the eighth and final wild card spot in the region behind West Orange (38.7) with Seminole not far behind with 37 points. Both teams face tough challenges to close out the regular season while in pursuit of the playoffs as the Rams travel to Winter Park (8-1) and the Seminoles host Bishop Moore (6-3).

Liberty (7-2) improved its chances at reaching the postseason for the first time as a wild card team in Class 7A following a convincing 62-28 win Thursday at Lake Nona (6-3). But with a game Friday against winless Eagle Lake Lake Region (0-9), the Chargers could be left out when the final points are tallied.

Liberty entered the week with 36.5 points in Region 2, within striking distance of Winter Haven (37.9), Kathleen (37.6) and Sickles (37.4) for one of the final three spots. Lake Nona (38.8 points) will likely remain in the playoff picture no matter how it

Week 10

fares against Wekiva.

Big wins: The postseason hopes are over for both Lyman and Colonial, but each has plenty to be proud of following Week 10 wins.

Lyman (4-5) celebrated homecoming with a 34-14 win over Class 8A, District 2 champion Oviedo (7-2) behind big games from Vincent Thomas and Nate Jefferson. The seniors combined to score four touchdowns for the Greyhounds. Oviedo entered the night ranked No. 8 in the Sentinel Super 16.

Colonial (4-4) broke a string of 14 straight losses to Boone for its first win in the series since 1994 — the year Lake Nona coach Anthony Paradiso played quarterback for the Grenadiers.

Alex Diaz passed for more than 200 yards and three scores and ran for a touchdown midway through the first quarter in the 56-41 win.