Blue Darters, Mustangs hoping to bounce back from midseason losses

AP Poll: Apopka falls to #4, Wekiva receives votes

It was a rough week for Apopka football.

For the first time this season, both the Apopka Blue Darters and Wekiva Mustangs took a loss on the same night. The Blue Darters fell to the Jones Tigers 21-12, while Wekiva lost its second straight game to the Dr. Phillips Cougars 35-7.

Both Apopka and Wekiva are looking to bounce back this week with matchups inside their respective districts.

The Blue Darters, now 4-1 and ranked #4 in the Associated Press Florida High School 8A poll, will return to Apopka to host the West Orange Warriors for an 8A District 4 battle. The Blue Darters will play a Warrior squad that is riding a three-game winning streak and coming off a 20-19 win over Lake Mary. West Orange's record now stands at 4-2.

The Mustangs, who fell to 5-2, are also at home to face the Ocala Forest Wildcats in a 7A District 3 matchup. The Wildcats are 3-3 on the season and coming off a 12-7 victory over Pasco last week.

Both games (West Orange at Apopka, and Ocala Forest at Wekiva) kickoff at 7 PM tonight. And if you want to keep up with the scoring, but can't make the games, check The Apopka Voice Facebook Page for live updates, and final score alerts.

Here are the complete October 8th 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

South Dade, 6-0, 1

Seminole (Sanford), 6-0, 2

Bartram Trail, 6-0, 4

Apopka, 4-1, 5

Vero Beach, 5-0, 5

Western, 5-1, 6

Miami Palmetto, 5-1, 7

Columbus, 4-2, 8

Osceola (Kissimmee), 5-1, 9

Oakleaf, 5-1, 10

First Five Out: Steinbrenner, 6-0; Deerfield Beach, 4-2; Riverview (Sarasota), 4-2; Palm Beach Gardens, 5-1; Dr. Phillips 5-2

CLASS 7A

Rank, Team, Record, Previous Ranking

Lakeland, 7-0, 1

St. Thomas Aquinas, 5-0, 2

Armwood, 5-1, 4

Edgewater, 6-1, 3

Palm Beach Lakes, 5-0, 9

Plantation, 6-0, 8

Niceville, 7-0, 10

Bloomingdale, 5-1, NR

Tampa Bay Tech, 5-1, 5

Lincoln, 4-2, NR

First Five Out: Wekiva, 5-2; Atlantic (Delray), 3-2; Fleming Island, 5-0; Wiregrass Ranch, 5-1; Venice 3-3