Apopka defense stuffs Seminole in region title win

Apopka’s defense was dominant in a Class 8A, Region 1 high school football championship win over top-seeded Seminole on Friday night in front of an announced crowd of nearly 5,000 in Sanford.

The visiting Blue Darters (11-1) recovered two fumbles and forced Seminole (11-1) to turn the ball over four times on downs during a 20-0 victory.

Apopka hosts Lutz Steinbrenner

(12-1) on Friday in its first trip to the state semifinals since winning the state title in 2014. Steinbrenner won 29-22 at Kissimmee Osceola (10-2) in the Region 2 final.

Apopka first-year head coach Jeff Rolson said he saw a quiet confidence from a defensive unit that adjusted with the flow of the game as the night went on.

“[Seminole] had a good plan and they did their thing, but our guys just responded,” Rolson said.

The tone was set early when Apopka sophomore Josiah Robinson jarred the ball loose from a Seminole ball carrier during a play that altered the complexion of the game. Anthony Fieldings scooped up the fumble and weaved his way 63 yards down the field to the 12-yard line. A pair of Seminole penalties followed before Akeem Brown rushed up the middle for a 3-yard score and an early 7-0 lead that would not be contested.

“We had a little crossblitz, and we don’t blitz much, but we were going to call it two or three times and see if we were going to get a play or two out of it, and we did,” Rolson said. “[Robinson] got in the backfield and hit him and he coughed it up. That was huge.”

Apopka quarterback Jaquan Lowman returned the opening kick of the second half to Seminole’s 26-yard line, setting up a touchdown four plays later on a sweep to the left side of the field Jackson.

The Blue Darters scored again on their next possession following a turnover on downs. That’s when Tramar Jackson rumbled up the middle for a 12-yard score with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.

Senior defensive lineman Jalen Carter was in on three sacks for Apopka in the win.

“We’ve had a good rhythm [as a defense] all season, but ever since the playoffs we’ve by

Jamarie gotten better with each game,” said Carter.

Seminole, which ended the regular season with the highest FHSAA Rating Percentage Index ranking among all teams in the state, entered the night ranked No. 1 in the Sentinel Super 16.

Apopka, a 54-21 winner at Seminole in a 2017 region quarterfinal, came in ranked No. 5 in the area.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL