For nearly 10 hours inside the Apopka Bowlero, the sound of crashing pins and “Watch out for the Kool-Aid man, oh yeah!” echoed as the Apopka Blue Darters rolled through the district bowling tournament. 

The tournament featured 16 teams for both the boys and girls, who played three 10-frame games in the opening knockout round. The top four teams that accumulate the most points advance to the double elimination semifinal round to bowl Baker style.  

Apopka’s girls capped off a long day with a second-place finish, earning a trip to the FHSAA state tournament, while the boys battled through the opening knockout round to reach the semifinals. 

Boys make semifinal push 

The Apopka boys entered the tournament after a strong 9–1 regular season and kept that form going in the early rounds. They were nailing strike after strike, and you could hear it from the opposite side of the alley as they would yell their infamous Kool-Aid man line, each time. 

Behind big games from Angelo Mullica (639 total pins, third overall) and Bradyn Sowers (594, ninth), the Blue Darters totaled 2,713 pins across three qualifying games to finish fourth and reach the four-team playoff bracket. 

In the opening playoff series, Apopka ran into top-seeded Windermere and dropped three straight games. But in the losers’ bracket, the Darters regrouped and edged Lake Mary in a thrilling five-game series. After splitting the first four, Apopka exploded for 193 pins in the deciding game to keep their season alive. 

That set up a semifinal against Lyman for a chance to reach the district championship and earn a state berth. After dropping the first two games, the Darters stormed back with four early strikes in Game 3 to win 195–155 and force a fourth. They led late but couldn’t hold on, as Lyman’s anchor struck twice in the final frames to seal the series and end Apopka’s run. 

While the boys fell just short of advancing to the state tournament as a team, Mullica’s individual performance through both rounds earned him a state qualification spot. 

Girls battle for state berth 

The Apopka girls came out strong in the morning knockout round, they were in first through one game and finished fourth overall with a total of 1,902 pins. Senior Elizabeth Marshall led the way, finishing third among 82 individual bowlers with 533 total pins, followed by Samantha Carlisle and Madelynn Scofield, who placed 14th and 15th. 

Once the Blue Darters reached the playoff rounds, they caught fire. Facing top-seeded Windermere in the semifinal, Apopka rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five Baker match to tie the series, forcing a decisive fifth game. Marshall delivered in the clutch, rolling back-to-back strikes and an eight-pin finish to clinch the upset win, 133–122, and keep Apopka in the winners’ bracket. 

That win set up a showdown with Lake Mary, who beat them in the finals last year, and Apopka’s momentum continued. The Blue Darters dominated the first two games and survived a tense tiebreaker in the third to take a 3-1 victory — punching their ticket to the championship and a guaranteed spot in the state tournament. 

In the finals, Apopka met Lake Mary once again in a rematch that turned into a back-and-forth marathon. Because Apopka hadn’t lost yet, the Rams needed to win twice. The Blue Darters had a break after their last match that may have killed their momentum and energy for the finals.  

They dropped the first game 3-0, but the Blue Darters showed their grit, battling through late fatigue to keep every game close. Marshall’s strikes in the final frames kept Apopka within reach, but Lake Mary’s anchor responded each time. The Rams edged out Apopka 161–154 in the final game, winning the match 3-1 to take the title. 

Despite finishing as district runner-up for the second straight year, head coach Jason Ramos said he couldn’t have asked for more from his team. 

“I’m really proud of my girls,” Ramos said. “They did everything that they were supposed to do. Should we have picked up a couple of spares here and there? Maybe. But they gave it everything they had.” 

Ramos, who also praised senior leaders Hayden Smith and Elizabeth Marshall, said the team’s consistency all season was what made them special. 

“I’m proud to be the runner-up two years in a row to Lake Mary,” he said. “They have a great program, and we look forward to seeing them again next year.” 

As for what’s next, Ramos said the focus shifts to improvement at the state level. 

“Honestly, I’m looking forward to advancing further than we did last year,” he said. “We didn’t make the Baker format at states, so our main goal is to get through the 10-pin part and make it there.” 

The girls team ,along with Angelo Mullica, will travel to Boardwalk Bowl Entertainment Center on Oct. 29 for the state tournament. The girls begin the four-game qualifying round at 7:45 a.m., in hopes to make it to the championship bracket at 1:30 p.m. The boys individual first round starts at 5:20 p.m. 

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