On Senior Night, with the Mayor’s Cup trophy waiting at midfield and a packed house of alumni spanning five decades watching, Apopka closed its season the way it wanted to — with a statement win. 

After a long, bruising year in which the Blue Darters had seen seven running clocks go against them, they finally flipped the script, rolling to a 35-0 shutout over cross-town rival Wekiva on Friday night. 

It was a reminder of what Apopka football still means in this city. 

“Next season starts tonight,” head coach Marcus Neeson told his team before kickoff. “We’re going 1-0.” 

And that’s exactly what they did. 

Apopka (2-7) opened the night by setting the tone on both sides of the ball. Senior quarterback Cody Owens, playing his final game, used his legs early to convert a pair of first downs, but the Blue Darters’ opening drive stalled on a fourth down catch just shy of a first down. Their defense however, immediately brought the energy. 

Wekiva (1-9) struggled with bad snaps all night, and its first drive ended quickly in a three-and-out. After a facemask on the punt return set up Apopka at the Mustangs’ 45, the Blue Darters turned to their power game behind Ja’Kayvion Kemp, grinding out 37 yards on a nine-play drive capped by a 1-yard keeper by Owens to take a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. 

The Mustangs’ lone offensive highlight came on the next drive when Chris Jones broke a tackle and sprinted 34 yards up the right sideline, but Apopka’s defense slammed the door again. 

On fourth and nine early in the second quarter, Apopka sent a blitz, and it paid off. The Blue Darters swarmed the backfield, forcing another turnover on downs and giving their offense prime field position. 

Owens made them pay. On a scramble left, he broke into open space for 22 yards, then moments later darted straight through the middle of the defense for a 13-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0 midway through the second quarter. 

Then came the knockout. 

Two plays into Wekiva’s next drive, another bad snap sent the ball bouncing behind the line. Apopka’s Sevenn Edwards burst off the edge untouched, scooped it up in stride, and sprinted 24 yards into the end zone. 

The home crowd erupted, with the defense celebrating in front of the student section as the scoreboard flashed 20-0. 

By halftime, Apopka had racked up eight first downs and over 100 yards of offense, their most in a half this season, while Wekiva’s mistakes continued to mount. 

In the second half, a 20-yard punt and short field gave Owens another opportunity, and he delivered again. On the first play of the drive, he hit Blake Childs in stride on a 25-yard streak up the middle for a touchdown, pushing the lead to 27-0 just three minutes into the third. 

Moments later, the heated rivalry boiled over. 

On a Wekiva run play up the middle, a Mustang lineman’s helmet popped off in the scrum. Words were exchanged, then a huge shove — and suddenly, chaos. A brawl broke out at midfield as the Wekiva sideline cleared onto the field. Apopka players stayed back as officials, coaches, and security rushed to separate the teams after a near 45-second scuffle. 

Following a five-minute delay and an on-field meeting between referees, coaches and athletic directors, order was restored. The Blue Darters returned to the field to a thunderous ovation from the home crowd, holding their 27-0 lead. 

Owens then connected with TJ Frazier for a gritty 14-yard gain to convert on third down, while the defense added two more sacks, one from senior Titus Martinez, and forced Wekiva’s fourth three-and-out of the night. 

The exclamation point came from Jakyvion Kemp. Awaiting a punt near midfield, Kemp fielded a short hop, darted between two defenders, and burst left into open space. With teammates blocking, he cut up field with one man to beat and sprinted into the end zone for a 47-yard punt return touchdown, sending the Apopka sideline into a frenzy. 

Owens capped it off with a tumbling two-point conversion run, diving across the goal line to make it 35-0. Finally, for the first time all year, it was Apopka’s turn to trigger the running clock. 

“It felt great,” Owens said after the game, his voice emotional. “I’m glad a lot of the younger guys got to be part of this so they can start out 1-0 next year. I was just emotional because it’s my last year — but I’m happy for them. This team’s going to do well next year.” 

Owens finished his final game 7-of-11 passing for 81 yards and a touchdown, adding 71 rushing yards, two scores, and a deflection on defense. Kemp totaled 38 rushing yards and the 47-yard punt return TD, while Edwards and Martinez led a defense that forced multiple fumbles and scored once. 

For Wekiva, Jones carried 15 times for 51 yards, accounting for half of their plays and most of their 64 total yards. 

As the clock ticked down, the Blue Darters gathered at midfield, hoisting the Mayor’s Cup trophy as cheers and celebration filled Roger Williams Field. The classic call from Steve Schwarze, “Darters win, Darters win, Darters win!” echoed through the stadium for the first time all season. Players hugged in jubilation, as the emotions of the final game began to set in.  

For Jeremiaha O’Hara, a senior defensive back, it was hard to put into words. 

“This is my family,” O’Hara said. “No matter where I go, I know I’ve got these guys’ backs, and they’ve got mine. Words can’t even describe it.” 

Coach Neeson saw more growth from his players. 

“Communication was key,” he said. “I had to pull the guys aside and tell them, ‘Hey, there’s a little too much talking,’ but that’s always a good sign that you have guys that are checking for the call and they’re relaying the call across the board. That’s what you want from your team, that’s growth.” 

Neeson said the win was a launching pad for the future. 

“It’s improving on us. I’m focusing on us. We’ve got a lot of sophomores and juniors returning,” he said. “We’re young, but we can only get better. We’re going to continue to grow.” 

After a tumultuous season, the team posed for photos with the trophy under the lights. And for one night, everything about Apopka football felt right again.