Mustangs defense delivers
Wekiva victory avenges its only defeat
Wekiva avenged its only loss of the season in dominant fashion Friday to secure its first trip to the FHSAA football state semifinals — adding that to a string of firsts the Mustangs have accomplished this year.
The visiting Mustangs (12-1) forced six turnovers and rushed for 246 yards in a 33-6 win over top-ranked Winter Park (12-1) in the Class 8A, Region 1 title game at Showalter Field. The Wildcats won the regular-season meeting 10-6.
Wekiva, ranked No. 2 in the Sentinel Super 16, hosts No. 3 Dr. Phillips (11-2) next week in a state semifinal. The Mustangs ended a 143-game scoring streak for the Panthers when they shut DP out 14-0 in October.
Dr. Phillips won 28-19 at Sarasota Riverview in the Region 2 final.
“Defense has been playing great all season, and we knew this was going to be a tough task. Winter Park is one of the best offenses we’ve played,” said second-year Wekiva coach Rich Bedesem. “Up front we just dominated and they couldn’t run the ball and they had to go to pass, and when you get them one-dimensional it works out.”
Wekiva opened a 16-0 advantage late in the third quarter following a quiet first half for both teams. Quarterback Brandon Williams connected with Terrance Moore Jr. for a 64-yard score before rushing four yards for a touchdown on back-to-back possessions.
Winter Park cut the deficit to 16-6 on the next play from scrimmage when Malik Tolbert snuck through the secondary and hauled in a pass from Cameron LeGree for 77 yards.
But that was all the Wildcats could muster. They turned the ball over four more times from there against a suffocating defense that caused disruptions in the backfield all night. Winter Park, which ends its season in the region finals for the second straight year, was intercepted five times and held to 193 yards in the loss.
Sophomore Erick Collington intercepted two passes, the second of which led to Wekiva’s first TD of the night early in the third quarter.
“This is exciting, it’s something Wekiva has never done, and everything we’re doing is history,” Collington said.
Wekiva previously won its first football district title and first playoff game since the school opened in 2007.
Williams had the hot hand early as the senior rushed for 67 yards in the first half and finished with 105 yards on 26 carries. But the Mustangs had nothing to show for it after turning the ball over on downs twice.
The defense came through after a 12-play, 61-yard drive stalled when Williams was stuffed short of moving the sticks inside the five. A.J. Sinclair and Jarvis Hanks were in a group of defenders who teamed up to record a safety on the next play to give Wekiva a 2-0 lead at the break.
Birthel Bridges led all players with 142 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
“We try to motivate each other with every little thing,” Bridges said of the offense and defense thriving off the play of one another. “As we started hitting them in the mouth and running the same plays over and over, I don’t think they wanted anymore pressure from us.”
It was the fourth meeting between the teams the past two seasons. Wekiva won in the regular season last year 35-7 before falling to the Wildcats in the first round of the playoffs 30-21.