Was it a classic case of looking ahead for both the Apopka Blue Darters and Wekiva Mustangs last week?
Apopka jumped to a 21-0 lead over Dr. Phillips midway through the second quarter, and then held on for a 21-13 victory, while Wekiva took a 14-0 lead over Ocoee, and also held on for a 14-13 victory.
Not as impressive as previous weeks, but for both teams "a win is a win".
The Blue Darters, now with a 3-0 record and ranked #3 in the Associated Press Florida High School 8A poll, will return to Apopka to host the Lake Brantley Patriots for a 8A District 4 battle tonight in their homecoming game. The Blue Darters will play a Patriots squad coming off a 40-19 win over Gainesville Buchholz. The Patriots record now stands at 3-1.
The Mustangs, off to a 5-0 start and ranked #5 in the 7A poll, travel to Orlando to face the Edgewater Eagles in a matchup that should decide the 7A District 3 title. The Eagles, also 5-0 and ranked #3 in the 7A poll, are coming off a 52-28 victory over Winter Park last week. Wekiva defeated Winter Park 35-21 to open its season.
Both games (Lake Brantley at Apopka, and Wekiva at Edgewater) kickoff at 7 PM tonight. And check The Apopka Voice Facebook page for live updates, and final score alerts.
Here are the complete September 24th Associated Press rankings as voted on by a panel of state newspaper sportswriters. Teams are listed with first-place votes in parentheses, records, rating points and their ranking from the previous week:
CLASS 8A
Rank, Team, Record, Previous Ranking
1. South Dade, 5-0, 1
2. Seminole (Sanford) 4-0, 2
3. Apopka, 3-0, 3
4. Bartram Trail (St. Johns), 5-0, 4
5. Vero Beach, 3-0, 5
6. Western, 3-1, 6
7. Miami Palmetto, 4-1, 7
8. Columbus, 2-2, 8
9. Osceola (Kissimmee), 3-1, 9
10. Oakleaf (Orange Park), 4-1, NR
First Five Out: Deerfield Beach, 3-2; DeLand, 2-1; Steinbrenner, 5-0; Riverview (Sarasota), 3-2; Palm Beach Gardens, 3-1.
CLASS 7A
Rank, Team, Record, Previous Ranking
1. Lakeland, 5-0, 1
2. St. Thomas Aquinas, 3-0, 2
3. Edgewater, 5-0, 3
4. Armwood, 3-1, 4
5. Wekiva, 5-0, 7
6. Tampa Bay Tech, 4-0, 8
7. Atlantic (Delray), 2-1, 6
8. Plantation, 4-0, 9
9. Palm Beach Lakes, 4-0, 10
10. Venice, 2-2, 5
First Five Out: Niceville, 5-0; Wiregrass Ranch, 5-0; McArthur, 2-1; Fleming Island (Orange Park), 4-0; Lincoln, 3-2.
