With 2:12 remaining in the third quarter of the 2017 Super Bowl, the Atlanta Falcons led the New England Patriots 28-3. For all intents and purposes, the game seemed to be decided.
No one had ever rallied from such a deficit before in a Super Bowl - until they did.
The Patriots, led by their sure-to-be Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, scored 25 straight points to tie the game at 28-28. Then, in overtime, New England's James White scored a touchdown to give the Patriots a 34-28 victory.
Would history repeat itself in Apopka?
With 2:29 left in the third quarter, The Apopka Blue Darters trailed the Wekiva Mustangs 28-9. Their crosstown rivals controlled the entire game and seemed unbeatable. Playing for their playoff life, the Mustangs took a 14-3 halftime lead, then added two third-quarter touchdowns while the Blue Darters watched as their playoff hopes seemed to be slipping away.
And although Tom Brady retired in Tampa in 2021, he was nowhere to be found in Apopka on Friday night.
But what the Blue Darters did have was Nathan Jenkins III.
The senior running back led a furious fourth-quarter rally with three touchdowns, including a 27-yard touchdown run with 4:05 left in the game to give Apopka its first lead 29-28. The Blue Darters held their breath as Wekiva's 44-yard field goal effort fell short with 41 seconds left in the game.
The loss ends Wekiva's season at 4-6. They did not qualify for the playoffs.
The win propelled Apopka to a 7-3 record, which includes wins in its final two games and four of its last five. The Blue Darters surge into the playoffs as the #3 seed in 4M Region 1, where they will host the #6 seed Orlando Evans Trojans on Friday night.
Evans is 5-5 on the year after beating Lake Nona 28-14 to close out its regular season. Apopka defeated Evans 33-13 in Orlando just ten days ago.
This will be the 24th straight year Apopka has qualified for the postseason. In three of the last four years, they advanced to the state championship.
