Vinnie Cammarano
Key Points
After another lightning delay pushed kickoff back more than an hour and a half, the Apopka Blue Darters football team finally took the field at 8:35 p.m. Friday – and left with their first win of the season.
“We got a little off schedule, off script, and we saw what happens when we divert from the plan,” Apopka head coach Marcus Neeson said. “We got back on schedule, and we’re able to put some more points on the board, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Apopka defeated Olympia 21-7 behind a dominant rushing performance from junior running back Jakyvion Kemp and a defense led by his senior brother Jakendall that repeatedly came up with big plays to keep the Titans out of the end zone.
The Blue Darters wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.
After Olympia went three-and-out on its opening possession, Apopka took over at its own 47-yard line. Kemp broke loose for a 29-yard run before receiving a swing pass from Kai Goodling on the second play and fighting through multiple defenders for a 24-yard touchdown, giving Apopka a 7-0 lead with 8:57 remaining in the first quarter.
Apopka’s defense quickly forced another Olympia punt, and the Blue Darters kept their foot on the gas pedal.
Jaylen Laster broke off a 24-yard run to set Apopka up at the Olympia 8-yard line. Kemp carried to the 2 before quarterback Kai Goodling finished the drive with a quarterback sneak. The extra point gave Apopka a 14-0 lead with 5:01 left in the first quarter.
The Titans struggled to generate consistent offense throughout the first half as Apopka’s defense repeatedly disrupted their drives.
Jakendall Kemp and Marcus Young combined to bring down the Olympia quarterback for a loss on a third-down play early in the second quarter, forcing another punt.
Later in the quarter, Kamron Medina delivered a big hit on an Olympia receiver, while David Wemberly stopped the Titans on a fake field-goal attempt, ripping the ballcarrier out of bounds to end the threat.
Olympia had another opportunity late in the half, but Apopka’s defense held firm. Jakyvion Kemp recorded a sack, and the Blue Darters took possession with 18 seconds remaining before running out the clock.
After Apopka seemingly let off the gas at the end of the half, Olympia came out of halftime with a quick answer.
On Apopka’s first play of the third quarter, Goodling’s pass over the middle was intercepted and returned to the 1-yard line. The Titans scored on the following play to cut the deficit to 14-7 with 11:48 remaining in the third quarter.
Olympia then recovered an onside kick at the Apopka 38, putting the Titans in position to potentially tie the game.
Instead, Apopka’s defense had the answer.
Jakendall Kemp recorded a sack during the drive, and Olympia eventually missed a long field-goal attempt, keeping the Blue Darters ahead by seven.
Apopka leaned on his brother again on the ensuing possession. He broke off a 15-yard run and later converted a fourth-down opportunity, but the Blue Darters ultimately turned the ball over on downs.
The defense responded with another stop, and Laster provided a spark on special teams when he returned a punt deep into Olympia territory before a block in the back brought the play back.
Apopka entered the fourth quarter still holding a 14-7 advantage.
After forcing another Olympia punt, the Blue Darters finally delivered the play that would put the game out of reach.
Kemp took a handoff, bounced between defenders and found a lane to the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown run. The score, with 7:14 remaining, put Apopka ahead 21-7.
“I had to step up my game and get us back in the end zone for 21-7, so they didn’t have a way to come back,” Jakyvion Kemp said.
Kemp continued to carry the offense on the following possession as Apopka worked to drain the clock. He converted another fourth-and-1 and picked up several more first downs before the Blue Darters eventually turned the ball over on downs at Olympia’s 4-yard line with 54 seconds remaining.
By then, Olympia had little time left to respond, and the clock ran out on the Titans.
Kemp’s career day with 181 total yards and two touchdowns was a major part of Apopka’s first victory, and Neeson credited the team’s trust in him with the ball.
“Yeah, he’s somebody that we can depend on,” Neeson said of Kemp. “He’s a guy that, in tough situations, he’s going to get you those extra yards.”
Neeson also pointed to the unselfishness of lead receiver Nyzier Collington, who accepted that Apopka’s offense would rely heavily on the running game.
“I told him sometimes the game’s going to be in favor of the receivers, and sometimes it’s going to be in favor of the running backs,” Neeson said. “And I reminded those guys of that, and they said, ‘Hey, coach, keep running the ball. Keep running the ball. We got your back.’”
Collington said the victory showed Apopka’s offense can find success in multiple ways.
“It feels great to get the win,” Collington said. “I feel great knowing that not just we can throw the ball, but we can run the ball. Also, seeing our O-line can do what they can do, and seeing that my brothers can keep fighting like they did.”
For Jakyvion Kemp, Friday’s victory also provided an opportunity to share the field with his older brother, Jakendall, who helped lead the defense once again.
“My brother, he was a dog on the defensive side of the ball,” Jakyvion Kemp said. “He had multiple sacks, multiple tackles for losses, and he was just being a dog, playing for his team like always.”
The Blue Darters improved to 1-3 with the victory and will look to carry the momentum into next Friday’s home matchup against the Horizon Hawks, who enter at 2-2.
