Cleared for kickoff
Jones High receiver Eddie Kelly (2) leaps for the ball beside Bishop Moore defender Sam McMinn (5) Thursday night at Bishop Moore Catholic High School. Jones High was among 18 Orange County Public School teams cleared to kick off the 2020 after passing a round of coronavirus testing. More coverage,
By some, this might be remembered as the week COVID-19 tests stole the spotlight from seasonopening high school football matchups.
But after 18 of the 19 Orange County teams tested were cleared to play on Thursday the games have taken center stage .
Apopka, the No. 1 ranked team in the Sentinel Super 16 preseason rankings, found itself in a dogfight against underdog Ocoee. The Blue Darters survived, eking out a 15-13 win at home.
Ocoee, which is 0-14 alltime against Apopka, jumped out to a surprising 13-0 advantage. The Knights scored first on a fourth-and-2 play and increased their lead with double-pass trick play.
Apopka answered with two TDs and then scored on a safety to take a 15-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Area No. 2 Edgewater, playing on the road against national No. 1 IMG Academy of Bradenton, played the Ascenders to a 0-0 tie through one quarter but couldn’t maintain that momentum against a boarding school team loaded with major college prospects. IMG dominated the second half and scored a defensive touchdown on the game’s final play to win 48-7.
The game of the night may have been Lake Mary’s 15-14 comeback win against rival Lake Brantley. The Rams, ranked No. 13, rallied with two fourth quarter touchdowns and then played for the win. They succeeded on a two-point conversion try to prevail against the No. 14 Patriots.
Lake Mary quarterback Gunnar Smith passed to Sterle Scott for the gamewinning TD and then again for the crucial conversion. Earlier, Marquis Jones took a screen pass from Smith and took it 50 yards for a TD
Host Boone, the No. 15 team in the Sentinel Super 16, threw a scare into sixthranked Dr. Phillips. The Braves used big plays to jump out to 6-0, 13-6 and 20-13 leads in the first half.
The Panthers didn’t blink and were able to surge ahead.
An interception by Zion Trimboli led to a short DP
touchdown by Jaydan Taylor to give the Panthers their first lead of the night, 27-20, in the third quarter. Amir Johnson then set up a DP touchdown with a 65-yard scamper and then scored a TD on a 5-yard run. DP’s lead was 48-20 with 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Boone opened the scoring after Diego Rivera blocked a DP punt. Shambre Jackson, a 6 -4, 235-pound four- star prospect scooped up the ball and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown.
Boone added an 80-yard pass play from quarterback Casey St. John to his brother, Parker, and a 70-yard run by Jackevis Lovett for touchdowns.
No. 3 Jones opened up a 32-6 third quarter lead and hung on to win 32-26 against No. 12 Bishop Moore. Daquan Harris ran for three touchdowns in the early going for the Tigers. Jonathan Aleem Jr. forced a fumble took it 55 yards for a defensive score for Jones.
No 9 Wekiva turned on the running clock in a 46-7 win against East River at home. The Mustangs scored on five of their first six offensive possessions. Senior QB Junior Muratovic passed for three TDs in the victory.
No. 11 Winter Park also won big, 43-0, against Orlando University. Dakota Mitchell scored a Wildcats
touchdown on punt return.
Lake Nona rolled to a 42-0 win vs. Cypress Creek.
Two new head coaches debuted with victories. Oviedo won 28-6 over Colonial to welcome aboard coach Kolby Tackett. And Oak Ridge won 35-6 against Freedom in the first outing as a head football coach for Billy Owens, a longtime basketball coach.
Venice, regarded as a state title contender, looked the part in a 70-0 rout of host Lyman.
Coaches of Orange County Public School teams had an agonizing week with the school district checking athletes and coaches for the virus. But only Evans was not cleared to play due to positive tests.
The Trojans on Wednesday were flagged for five positive tests within its program. OCPS ordered the entire team, including players, coaches and trainers, to quarantine away from school. It canceled Thursday night’s scheduled season-opening Evans vs. West Orange game.
In a memo sent to parents late Thursday afternoon OCPS said 1,403 tests were administered with only five confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. That is a .0035% positivity rate. The district said testing was an effort to protect all of its high school students.
Olympia was the
a 65
yard
one
team not tested, because its campus has been closed to students for two weeks. The Titans opener vs. Windermere High was scrubbed after the district determined that more than 150 students and staffers at the school were exposed to COVID-19. Olympia students are set to return to school Monday and the Titans are scheduled to play at home next Friday night against Gateway.
OCPS will conduct another round of testing in two weeks.
OCPS also canceled a Thursday night girls JV girls volleyball match due to a positive COVID test. At least some members of the Boone JV squad were quarantined, according to a school district announcement.
A handful of Orlando area private schools played games over the past two weeks but Thursday marked opening night for public school teams in Orange, Seminole and Volusia County.
Teams in Osceola and Lake County will kick their 2020 seasons off next week.
The Orange County school district is not charging admission for games but limited tickets to two per player and one for faculty and staff members. Cheerleaders, bands and other groups that traditionally have performed at football games were not allowed to as a cautionary measure.
Most other schools also limited attendance and asked fans to wear masks and abide by social distancing guidelines. Compliance with those requests were mixed — just as they were in Weeks 1 and 2.
A marquee matchup pitting No. 4 Seminole at No. 5 DeLand was also canceled due to a coronavirus case. A DeLand assistant coach contracted the virus and the school decided to send close to 20 players and all of its football coaches home for a two week quarantine that ended Tuesday.
The Bulldogs were allowed back to school and practice on Wednesday and are scheduled to start their season next week at home vs. Deltona.
Seminole was able to land another opponent for Friday. The ‘Noles will travel to Gainesville’s Citizens Field to take on the Gainesville High Hurricanes (1-0), who played and won their opener last week.
Friday night lights
There is more football to come . The Friday night schedule includes a private school showdown matching reigning Sunshine State Athletic Conference champ The Master’s Academy against Class 2A power Foundation Academy in Winter Garden.
Orange City University, No. 16 in the Super 16, hosts Winter Springs to start the Titans’ first year of playing all home games on campus.
No. 4 Seminole at Gainesville, 7:30*
Winter Springs at No. 16 University (Orange City), 7
Deltona Trinity at Christ’s Church (Jacksonville)
Legacy Charter at Eagle’s View (Jacksonville), 7 Orlando Christian Prep at Faith Christian, 7 Central Florida Christian Academy at First Academy-Leesburg, 7
The Master’s Academy at Foundation Academy, 7
Mount Dora Christian at Orangewood Christian 7:30
Deltona at Seabreeze, 7*
Lake Howell at Tenoroc (Lakeland) (* Gainesville at Citizens Field; Seabreeze at Daytona Stadium).
Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.