Top 4 teams answer the challenge
The top four teams in the Sentinel Super 16 high school football rankings won Friday, but it wasn’t easy on a night that featured comebacks and crucial conversion plays.
Tohopekaliga freshman phenom quarterback Sabby Meassick capped the weekend by throwing 7 touchdown passes in a Saturday morning homefield win against Ambassadors Christian (0-3) of Winter Haven. The Tigers are 2-0 and Meassick has 12 TD passes going into a Friday home game vs. St. Cloud (2-1).
Here are Friday’s highlights:
Seminole 41, Treasure Coast 22: Wide receiver Darren “Goldie” Lawrence returned to the lineup after missing two games and had a big night as the ‘Noles (3-0) protected their No. 1 area and state Class 4M (Metro) rankings with a hard-fought home win.
Lawrence scored 3 receiving touchdowns and added a 4-yard TD run.
Seminole quarterback Luke Rucker completed 19 of 22 pass attempts, 4 for TDs.
“Execution wise, I thought we were a little spotty,” Seminole coach Eric Lodge said. “The play-calling was good but we had a bad interception that they returned and those are things we have to clean up if we want to win a state championship.”
Edgewater 26, West Orange Edgewater’s defense showed that fresh bodies matter a lot in a comeback victory.
“We rotated 20-25 guys on defense, so it was a pure team effort,” Edgewater coach Cameron Duke said after his area No. 2 team improved to 3-0. “We were flying around making plays.”
Prized running back prospect CJ Baxter was held in check for three quarters before scoring TD on 49and 11-yard runs in the fourth to help the Eagles overcome the No. 8 Warriors (2-1).
“We found a way to gut out a win,” Duke added. “We take pride in trying to be a fourth-quarter team.”
Eagles QB Chase Carter threw a TD pass to AJ Howard in the first quarter and sealed the victory by scoring on a 1-yard keeper with 40 seconds to go.
West Orange lost starting QB Trever Jackson on its first drive of the game with a left shoulder injury after a big hit on a sack by Edgewater’s Cordell Lima.
Lake Mary 13, Oviedo 7: The No. 6 Rams relied on late-game heroics to top the No. 12 Lions and improve to 3-0.
Running back Manquez Lang scored 2 touchdowns to help the Rams rally. He finished with 94 yards on 16 carries and managed to atone for a third-quarter fumble.
“We kept self-destructing at the end of some of those drives. I knew if we could just finish the drive the way we were capable of, it would be a different story,” said Lake Mary coach Scott Perry. “I’m proud of the team; they never quit.”
Oviedo’s Omari Muhammad-Wyatt threw a 57-yard pass to Cameron Keels and that set up a TD
run by Wyatt for a 7-0 halftime lead.
Apopka 7, Dr. Phillips 6: An extrapoint kick by Hayden Kosicki and two big plays by linebacker Malachi Nicholsonmadethedifferenceasthe No.10BlueDarters(2-1)squeakedby the No. 16 Panthers (0-3).
Both teams waited until the fourth quarter to strike. Nicholson switched to offense and ran for a 6-yard touchdown with 1:20 remaining.
With 40 seconds to go, Nicholson’s tackle for loss helped ice the victory for the Blue Darters (2-1), costing Dr. Phillips (0-3) precious seconds.
“We’re just in a situation now where we’re having to have guys playing on both sides of the field,” Apopka coach Jeff Rolson said of Nicholson’s dual role. “He’s not the
only one. We have about six guys who are getting reps on offense. But it’s a team win no matter who’s out there, so it doesn’t matter.”
DP took the lead on a short TD run by Seven Moorehead with 10:28 to go. The extra-point attempt was blocked by Apopka defensive standout Kaven Call, a UCF commit.
Lake Minneola 30, Wekiva 27: An interception on the final drive saved No. 14 Lake Minneola from losing a 23-point lead in its 30-27 road win.
John Celestin scored the first 3 TDs for the Hawks (3-0), 2 on runs and another on a 56-yard screen pass from Quinn Niemann.
Wekiva (1-2) clawed its way back with quarterback Ty’ray Davis running 63 yards for a TD and then breaking tackles on a 12-yard TD carry. The Mustangs
pulled to within 30-27 and recovered an onside kick with 33 seconds remaining before falling short.
Harmony 13, Palm Bay 12: Chase Adams returned an interception 88 yards for the go-ahead TD and then knocked down a decisive two-point conversion pass attempt as the Longhorns went to 3-0 on with a dramatic home win.
“We made that one a little more exciting than we should have,” Harmony coach Don Simon said. “I will say this may have been one of the grittiest performances from a Harmony team since I have been here.”
Palm Bay (2-1) scored with 29 seconds remaining and played for the win with a pass to the back of the end zone. Adams batted the ball down to seal the victory.
Alex Tuyo made 42- and 39-yard field goals for Harmony to tie the game 6-6.
Six more at 3-0: Second-year Horizon routed Colonial 47-0 and is one of a dozen area teams at 3-0.
No. 7 Winter Park rolled to a 38-3 win over No. 5 Boone.
Jackson Bennett ran for 249 yards and 3 touchdowns as Windermere Prep crushed Melbourne Central Catholic 63-0.
Cypress Creek is 3-0 for the second time in its 32-year history after blanking Windermere 27-0.
Deltona, The First Academy and Legacy Charter also ran their records to 3-0.
Hagerty is 2-0 after beating Winter Springs 48-0.
Elsewhere
No. 9 DeLand (1-2) lost 21-16 at Lake City Columbia (1-2).
No. 11 Ocoee (2-1) won 34-0 against Evans.
No. 13 Timber Creek (2-1) improved to 11-0 against East River with a 31-14 win.