Hawks bring home first ever district title
Timber Creek’s Jake Johnson and Apopka’s Jaquan Lowman both accounted for four total touchdowns on Friday night.
Osceola’s Dewayne McGee found the end zone four times, Lake Minneola’s Keyandre Magloire rushed for three scores, and Winter Springs senior quarterback Luke Morgan and junior Ayron Rodriguez rushed for two TDs apiece.
Those efforts helped secure high school football district championships and home-field advantage for the first round of the Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs. Postseason play begins Friday, Nov. 8.
“This is a big jump for us; this is history today,” Magloire said after helping secure Lake Minneola’s first ever district title.
The host Hawks (6-3) held off a late rally by previously unbeaten Spring Hill Springstead (8-1) for a 26-21 win in Class 6A, District 5. Magloire finished with 187 yards on 18 carries and Steven Peterson intercepted a pass in the end zone in the final moments.
Winter Springs (5-4) completed an improbable turnaround after going 0-10 in 2017 and 1-9 last season to claim just its second district title in program history. The Bears, who last won a championship in 2013, forced five turnovers to prevail 40-13 in a must-win game at East River (5-4) for the 7A, District 4 crown.
Morgan ran for 145 yards on 16 carries and Rodriguez rushed 32 times for 120 yards.
“It just goes to show that if you get the right people around you and the kids believe, anything can happen,” said secondyear Winter Springs coach Steve Mikles.
Osceola (8-1), ranked No. 4 in the Sentinel Super 16, extended its district dominance to 42 consecutive league wins and nine titles in a row with a convincing 35-17 win in 8A-6 vs. No. 13 Lake Nona (6-3).
McGee, who finished with 262 all-purpose yards, caught a pair of passes for touchdowns from Davon Wells and rushed for two more scores to put the Kowboys in front 28-3 in the third quarter.
“Dewayne really went off tonight,” said Osceola coach Doug Nichols. “He worked so hard this summer on his pass-catching skills and it’s really paid off.”
No. 5 Apopka (7-1) claimed its first district title since 2016 under first-year coach Jeff Rolson with a 45-11 win over No. 11 Lake Mary (5-4) in 8A-4. Lowman gave the Blue Darters an 18-3 advantage early in the second half after scoring on a pair of 48-yard runs and a 31-yard TD pass to Jadon Harrington. He also connected with Christian Bevelle for a 10-yard score.
No. 12 Timber Creek (8-1) snapped a three-year district title run by No. 9 Winter
Park (6-4) with a thrilling 35-28 home win that wrapped up the Wolves’ first championship since 2015. Johnson, who missed last season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, had a season-best night while going 17-of-20 passing for more than 250 yards and three touchdowns.
Johnson also scored on a short reception from Mookie Elmahmoud late in the second quarter. Elmahmoud then hauled in the go-ahead TD pass from Johnson with 2:11 to play and Isaiah Cintron intercepted a Winter Park pass with 25 seconds left to secure the outcome.
“I’ve been telling Jake, ‘This is why you’re here, to make these kinds of plays,’” said Timber Creek coach Jimmy Buckridge.
Gierke reaches 300: In a matchup of likely Class 2A postseason teams, longtime area coach Bill Gierke became just the sixth Florida high school football coach to reach 300 wins in his career as Orangewood Christian (5-4) won 39-21 over visiting Deltona Trinity (3-6).
Around the area: Dr. Phillips (8-2) extended its regular-season win streak against district opponents to 49 by prevailing 42-6 at Oak Ridge (1-8). The Panthers, ranked No. 6 in the Sentinel Super 16, last suffered a district loss at Boone, 14-13, on Nov. 2, 2007. The streak includes five wins in 2010 that were later forfeited due to an ineligible player.