Special teams touchdown the difference
Blocked punt return lifts Wekiva
The defensive battle was expected, but the difference — a blocked punt returned for a touchdown — was the surprise in Wekiva’s 14-7 victory on Friday night over hometown rival Apopka.
With just 57 seconds to go before halftime and the teams locked in a 7-7 battle, Wekiva’s Tamareon Foster broke through and blocked Apopka’s punt, and teammate Luther Johnson returned it 12 yards for the Mustangs touchdown.
The victory gave Wekiva the coveted Mayor’s Cup as presented after the game by Apopka mayor BryanNelson.
Through the second half, both teams moved the ball at times but couldn’t put any points on the board asWekiva (4-3), ranked No. 15 in the Sentinel’s Super 16, defeated the No. 10 Blue Darters (5-3) for the fourth time in their past five showdowns.
Apopka won the first 10 meetings from 2007 through 2016.
“Our offense has been carrying us for the past couple of weeks, so I told our defense we needed to step it up,” said Wekiva coach Rich Bedesem. “With both teams being so familiar with each other, I figured it would be a lowscoring game.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Wekiva quarterback Junior Muratovic scrambled 12 yards for the initial scoreof thegameon the first play of the second quarter, giving the Mustangs a 7-0 lead just nine seconds into the period.
Apopka answered less than two minutes later on a third-and-four from its own 30 when quarterback Jaquan Lowman found Javen Robinson just beyond the pulled-in defense, tossing him a short pass that Robinson took the distance to tie the game.
Throughout the contest, bothteamsmovedthe ball some, but both defenses held stiff in the red zone.
Wekiva rushed for 61 yards. Apopka managed 108 yards on the ground, all but18 of it in the second half.
Muratovic was 12-of-17 passing for 124 yards for Wekiva while Lowman was 5-of-8 for 99 yards but was intercepted twice, including late in thegameon a desperation pass.
Next Friday, Wekiva travels toMelbourne High to face the Bulldogs in a Class 7A play-in game.
Apopka drewa bye and, on Nov. 20, will face the winner of the Winter Park-East Ridge contest in 8A.