By Marshall Tempest
Reporter
Today, the Apopka flag football team hosts the Mandarin Mustangs for the second round of the state championship tournament. Last week, the Apopka flag football team advanced to the Regional Semifinals of the 4A 2025 FHSAA Girls Flag Football State Championship Tournament after shutting out West Port, 41-0, in the quarterfinal round.
After their win over West Port, the Blue Darters are 14-1 and ranked 15th in the state and the nation. Apopka is on a nine-game win streak and needs to extend it by just three more wins to make the state championship game.
The Blue Darters have been dominant in their last nine games, outscoring their opponents 245-70 and shutting out four opponents in their previous nine wins. The team has shown they can not only score at will on their opponents but also keep them contained.
Apopka vs. West Port
The Blue Darters commanded the game from the very start, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter. Apopka outscored the West Port Wolves 14-0 in the first quarter and did not slow down. The team scored another 14 unanswered points before heading into the locker rooms for halftime up 28-0.
Despite the big lead, the Blue Darters didn’t take their foot off the gas after the break. Apopka scored seven points in the third quarter and six in the second to win the game 41-0. Apopka showed no weaknesses in this game, with their offense and defense in perfect rhythm.
Leading Apopka in the win, and all season, was quarterback Jhenelle Francis. Francis tallied 173 passing yards and three touchdowns, connecting on 6 out of 10 passing attempts for an average of 28.8 yards per completion. She also collected 172 rushing yards on 17 carries for an average of 10.1 yards a carry.
Kimora Polynice and Anabela Hart brought in the three touchdown passes for Apopka. Hart collected 120 yards on three receptions, two of which went for touchdowns. Polynice grabbed two receptions for 33 yards and a touchdown. Mackenzie Myerer brought in the only other reception for the team, which went for 20 yards.
The stout Apopka defense collected 27 tackles, one sack and one interception. Asia Jones, Francis, Sariyah Spain and Nashielys Vega each made five tackles to lead the defensive effort. Spain also logged one sack for a loss of seven yards.
Apopka’s Mikayla Wiggins collected the sole interception for Apopka but only got two yards before her flag was pulled.
Apopka vs. Mandarin
Today, Apopka hosts the Mandarin Mustangs for the second round of the state championship tournament. The Mustangs come into the game with a 13-5 record, ranked 62nd in the state and 66th in the nation. They are currently on a four-game win streak and have outscored their opponents 76-24 in those four wins.
Mandarin is a very strong offensive team, even stronger than Apopka on paper. Still, they don’t have the same level of defense. Apopka has scored 366 points and allowed 141 for a positive scoring differential of 225 points. Mandarin has scored 307 points and allowed 176 for a positive scoring differential of 131 points.
Apopka’s offense is very balanced and effective. The Blue Darters are averaging 105.5 passing yards and 118 rushing yards per game.
The Blue Darters will look toward Francis to lead them to the win from the quarterback position. Francis is second in the nation in rushing this season with 1,733 yards, 157.5 a game. She also has collected 1,527 passing yards for an average of 138.8 yards per game in 11 games.
The Blue Darters will need to focus on shutting down the passing game and force Mandarin to win on the ground. The problem for Apopka is that Mandarin has put up crazy numbers this year and has shown its ability to explode on the scoreboard. The Mustangs have three receivers averaging 195.9 yards between them and a running back averaging 50 yards a game. Mandarin is averaging 253 passing yards and 56.7 rushing yards per game.
While its defensive numbers don’t match Apopka’s, Mandarin does have some impressive defensive statistics. The Mustangs have collected 313 tackles, 29 sacks, 26 interceptions and have defended 72 passes this year.
A win over Mandarin would mean Apopka is just two more wins away from taking part in the state championship game. If the Blue Darters defeat Mandarin in the next round, they will either face Timber Creek or Spruce Creek (Port Orange) in the region one championship of the state championship tournament.
