Apopka High Blue & White Game

[DarterBlue]

Tonight, was the annual Apopka Blue & White inter-squad scrimmage. There was a good crowd in attendance, I would estimate well over a thousand individuals. Notable alumni there included Martez Ivey of UF. The format was five quarters of football with the 1st, 3rd & 5th devoted to Varsity and the 2nd and 4th to the JV team. Notable changes to the rules were: No kickoffs or punts. Instead the other team got the ball at the 30 for kickoffs and the 35 for punts. Last year's Varsity kicker (he was a freshman in 2017)  kicked extra points and field goals for both teams. His range has improved; however, work needs to be done on his accuracy. Final scores in the two games were: Varsity Blue team 14 White team 6. JV Blue team 6 White team 0.

Things of Note: 1. Apopka returns pretty much all of its offensive skill players. In addition there were two new (or relatively new in the case of one) guys who played wide-out in addition to defensive back in Fred Young and Wayne Gibson. Both looked good to me.  2. For the spring game at least, Apopka threw the ball more than is its wont. Jackson Darlington took snaps for the white team and Jacoryan Davis-Hamilton for the blue team. 3. The defense at this stage is ahead of the offense. This on the face of it may seem surprising. However, Apopka is replacing the majority of its offensive line including two North Carolina commits. So, it is not that surprising when you think about it. 4. If Apopka can find two or three athletic offensive linemen that can be taught to block effectively, the offense is going to be very good. Should they decide to throw it some, this will make it even more dangerous. For while I don't think either Darlington or Davis-Hamilton play QB at the college level (I could be wrong), both have decent arms and can run the ball when necessary. In the case of Davis-Hamilton, he has filled out quite a bit, but is still a smooth runner who is deceptively fast. In this game, he also demonstrated an ability to get some of the tough yards running between the tackles. At the next level I think he plays receiver. 5. Despite losing a lot on the defensive line, I think it will be fine. Expect Jalen Carter who played mostly offense last year to move primarily to the DLine this year. The best way to describe this kid is a 6 ft 4 in, 255 pounder without an ounce of fat on him. Last year in addition to blocking he demonstrated an ability to both catch and run the ball effectively on offense. To my way of thinking, should he not get injured and work to improve himself, he has as much chance of playing in the NFL as any Apopka high schooler I have ever seen. 6. While Apopka also lost quite a bit of its secondary, I think that they will be fine in this area as well. In addition to Anthony Fielding returning, Lohman looked goods as did several other kids. In fact Lohman took an interception over 70 yards down to the Blue teams 2 yard line which set up the White team's only score of the game. 

What are my Expectations: If Apopka can find a couple offensive linemen, I think this team has great potential. It is experienced, yet young, as it is junior heavy. Should the team bond and remain relatively healthy, a run at the Class 8A, State Title is within the realm of possibility. 

[RedZone]

Thought out and informative football posts look funny here at this forum.

Stop it.

Seriously. Apopka has always been a solid program.

[DarterBlue]

19 minutes ago, RedZone said:

Seriously. Apopka has always been a solid program

Darlington is a very good coach. And though Apopka is  part of Metro Orlando, it still has a semi-rural, small town feel to it. Last night there were about 1,400 on hand to watch an inter-squad scrimmage. Not many if any other Orlando area team would draw that kind of crowd for a like event.

That alumni of the program come back for an event like this says something about what it's like to be an Apopka Blue Darter! 

[Rufus69]

1 hour ago, DarterBlue said:

Darlington is a very good coach. And though Apopka is  part of Metro Orlando, it still has a semi-rural, small town feel to it. Last night there were about 1,400 on hand to watch an inter-squad scrimmage. Not many if any other Orlando area team would draw that kind of crowd for a like event.

That alumni of the program come back for an event like this says something about what it's like to be an Apopka Blue Darter! 

I actually liked Shrek when he was up in South Georgia.

I was in the minority..........

 

 

Rufus>>

[DarterBlue]

17 minutes ago, Rufus69 said:

I actually liked Shrek when he was up in South Georgia.

I was in the minority..........

 

 

Rufus>>

The Sexy Beast has a strong personality and is who he is. From my perspective, I like him though I would sometimes like to see him pass the ball more. He instills discipline in his players regardless of whether they are stars or just role players. For that reason there have been a few players and parents that have moved on. However, my take is that he always does what he thinks is best for the TEAM. 

His coaching has won three state titles at Apopka. Before he took over the program, the best the Darters ever did was a State Semi Final appearance. I think his record at Apopka speaks for itself. 

[Rufus69]

15 minutes ago, DarterBlue said:

The Sexy Beast has a strong personality and is who he is. From my perspective, I like him though I would sometimes like to see him pass the ball more. He instills discipline in his players regardless of whether they are stars or just role players. For that reason there have been a few players and parents that have moved on. However, my take is that he always does what he thinks is best for the TEAM. 

His coaching has won three state titles at Apopka. Before he took over the program, the best the Darters ever did was a State Semi Final appearance. I think his record at Apopka speaks for itself. 

I pretty much agree with everything you posted...but that don't make us kin.

(Smile)

 

 

Rufus>>

[Prog8r]

I cant remember the year but it seems like maybe 7 ago that Apopka was supposedly the team.  They took an OOS game and got utterly embarrassed.  Was it GA or MISS team that blew them up?

[DarterBlue]

Just now, Prog8r said:

I cant remember the year but it seems like maybe 7 ago that Apopka was supposedly the team.  They took an OOS game and got utterly embarrassed.  Was it GA or MISS team that blew them up?

If you are talking about the South Panola game, they were not embarrassed. SP was on an 80+ game winning streak, Apopka went to their house and lost the game 28-18. It was closer but SP extended their lead in the final minutes of the game. 

[Prog8r]

It was BYRNES that killed them.  I had to go back and check.  While I was going through the schedules...  I can't believe how often Edgewater has been a thorn in the Blue Darters side.  What happened to that school?

[golfaddict1]

15 hours ago, DarterBlue said:

Tonight, was the annual Apopka Blue & White inter-squad scrimmage. There was a good crowd in attendance, I would estimate well over a thousand individuals. Notable alumni there included Martez Ivey of UF. The format was five quarters of football with the 1st, 3rd & 5th devoted to Varsity and the 2nd and 4th to the JV team. Notable changes to the rules were: No kickoffs or punts. Instead the other team got the ball at the 30 for kickoffs and the 35 for punts. Last year's Varsity kicker (he was a freshman in 2017)  kicked extra points and field goals for both teams. His range has improved; however, work needs to be done on his accuracy. Final scores in the two games were: Varsity Blue team 14 White team 6. JV Blue team 6 White team 0.

Things of Note: 1. Apopka returns pretty much all of its offensive skill players. In addition there were two new (or relatively new in the case of one) guys who played wide-out in addition to defensive back in Fred Young and Wayne Gibson. Both looked good to me.  2. For the spring game at least, Apopka threw the ball more than is its wont. Jackson Darlington took snaps for the white team and Jacoryan Davis-Hamilton for the blue team. 3. The defense at this stage is ahead of the offense. This on the face of it may seem surprising. However, Apopka is replacing the majority of its offensive line including two North Carolina commits. So, it is not that surprising when you think about it. 4. If Apopka can find two or three athletic offensive linemen that can be taught to block effectively, the offense is going to be very good. Should they decide to throw it some, this will make it even more dangerous. For while I don't think either Darlington or Davis-Hamilton play QB at the college level (I could be wrong), both have decent arms and can run the ball when necessary. In the case of Davis-Hamilton, he has filled out quite a bit, but is still a smooth runner who is deceptively fast. In this game, he also demonstrated an ability to get some of the tough yards running between the tackles. At the next level I think he plays receiver. 5. Despite losing a lot on the defensive line, I think it will be fine. Expect Jalen Carter who played mostly offense last year to move primarily to the DLine this year. The best way to describe this kid is a 6 ft 4 in, 255 pounder without an ounce of fat on him. Last year in addition to blocking he demonstrated an ability to both catch and run the ball effectively on offense. To my way of thinking, should he not get injured and work to improve himself, he has as much chance of playing in the NFL as any Apopka high schooler I have ever seen. 6. While Apopka also lost quite a bit of its secondary, I think that they will be fine in this area as well. In addition to Anthony Fielding returning, Lohman looked goods as did several other kids. In fact Lohman took an interception over 70 yards down to the Blue teams 2 yard line which set up the White team's only score of the game. 

What are my Expectations: If Apopka can find a couple offensive linemen, I think this team has great potential. It is experienced, yet young, as it is junior heavy. Should the team bond and remain relatively healthy, a run at the Class 8A, State Title is within the realm of possibility. 

Sorry DB, I had to give you a 9.5 on this interesting read... had you added their 4x100 time of 41.92 you would have had a Comenici!   

 

[DarterBlue]

1 hour ago, Prog8r said:

It was BYRNES that killed them.  I had to go back and check.  While I was going through the schedules...  I can't believe how often Edgewater has been a thorn in the Blue Darters side.  What happened to that school?

Byrnes did not kill Apopka either. The game was also within a touchdown when early in the fourth quarter disaster struck and we lost our QB for the game, and the season. Zack Darlington was never the same after absorbing the hit. With him out of the game, what had been a back and forth affair, turned into a relatively easy 51-36 Byrnes victory. The truth is, both teams had serious difficulty stopping the offenses of each team. 

[DarterBlue]

48 minutes ago, golfaddict1 said:

Sorry DB, I had to give you a 9.5 on this interesting read... had you added their 4x100 time of 41.92 you would have had a Comenici!   

 

Apopka's fastest sprinter is rising senior tailback, Neal Williams. He is lightening fast but his career, both track and football, has been plagued with hamstring injuries. 

[DarterBlue]

1 hour ago, Prog8r said:

It was BYRNES that killed them.  I had to go back and check.  While I was going through the schedules...  I can't believe how often Edgewater has been a thorn in the Blue Darters side.  What happened to that school?

A few years  ago Edgewater dropped us from their schedule as what used to be the game of the regular season here if Central Florida had become an Apopka rout. Edgewater's decline began with the departure of the Gierke brothers. When they were there, they got a lot of talent from Jones and Evans, in particular. Edgewater's natural boundaries does not have enough state caliber talent. But if you get four or five kids from talent rich areas to join the team, it makes a really big difference.

On the subject of Edgewater, look for them to rebound this year, as they had several talented underclassmen last year. I could easily see them going two or three rounds deep in the 7a playoffs. While a far cry from what they used to do, it would be a lot better than they have been doing recently. 

[Pipe Dreams]

.

[Pipe Dreams]

Great write up... Apopka is definitely a contender in 8A alongside Wekiva, Dr. Phillips, Seminole and Miami Southridge. 

[DarterBlue]

2 hours ago, Pipe Dreams said:

Great write up... Apopka is definitely a contender in 8A alongside Wekiva, Dr. Phillips, Seminole and Miami Southridge. 

I watched the Boone/Olympia game last night. It's been awhile, but I would say Boone is back. At least for this year. Although they line up mostly in the "I" they run the option out of it. And their QB is the perfect option quarterback, quick, decent arm, and fast in the open field. The rattled off 31 unanswered points after falling in a 14 - 0 hole. And the game was really not that close.