Vinnie Cammarano
Key Points
The Mayor’s Cup stayed with Apopka for another year as the Blue Darters delivered a dominant performance against Wekiva, shutting out the Mustangs 35-0 Friday night at Mustang Field.
Apopka wasted little time taking control of the rivalry matchup, scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter and adding two more before halftime. The win marked the Blue Darters’ fourth consecutive victory in the series and their second straight 35-0 result in the Mayor’s Cup.
The game was also Senior Night for Wekiva, which honored 13 football seniors along with members of its cheerleading, band and JROTC programs.
Apopka opened the game with a trick play that immediately put the Mustangs on their heels. After Jakyvion Kemp picked up four yards, receiver Nyzier Collington took a reverse, stopped and launched a deep pass to a wide-open Kemp. The 54-yard completion set up the Blue Darters inside the Wekiva 15-yard line.
Kemp continued to move the offense toward the goal line before quarterback Kai Goodling finished the opening drive with a one-yard touchdown sneak. The extra point gave Apopka a 7-0 lead just over two minutes in.
Wekiva struggled to respond. After picking up seven yards on its opening carry, the Mustangs lost ground on the next play. A pass from senior quarterback Dominick Sanguine was knocked down by David Wimberly, forcing a punt. A dropped snap put punter Jochrist Exantus under pressure, and his kick traveled only seven yards.
Apopka took advantage of the short field. Goodling connected with Kemp for a 29-yard completion, and Kemp followed with a 10-yard run to bring the Blue Darters to the one-yard line. After a two-yard loss, Kemp powered in for a three-yard touchdown. The extra point pushed the lead to 14-0 with 6:17 left in the opening quarter.
The Mustangs’ next possession ended in another punt after Cameron Smith helped disrupt the running game.
Apopka’s offense continued to find ways to move the ball, even after a sack by Wekiva’s senior Ya’Terrius Jackson and a holding penalty. Goodling connected with Johnson Navilssaint on a screen for 13 yards, then found Nyzier Collington on a pair of completions to move the chains.
After Goodling scrambled for a short loss, he went back to Collington across the middle for a 13-yard first down. Following an incompletion on a contested attempt, Goodling kept trust in his lead receiver. For the third straight week, Collington hauled in a 13-yard contested touchdown catch over a defender to give the Blue Darters a 21-0 lead with one minute remaining in the first quarter.
Wekiva began to put together a response in the second quarter. A 12-yard run by Landon Jerome and a 15-yard penalty for a horse-collar tackle moved the Mustangs into Apopka territory. Sanguine connected with DeAndre Adams for 10 yards, and the Mustangs eventually reached the Apopka 15.
The Blue Darter defense held. Wekiva failed to convert on fourth down after a reverse by Dominique Walker lost two yards, giving Apopka possession.
The Mustangs’ defense forced a quick stop, and a strong punt from Apopka pushed Wekiva back. The defensive pressure on Sanguine was constant, including a sack by Kentral Baker and a near interception by Le’Melle Griffin.
Apopka’s next scoring drive featured a little more creativity. Goodling tossed backward to Collington, who then threw back across the field to Goodling with an entourage of blockers in front for a 12-yard gain. After a late-hit penalty moved the Blue Darters to the Wekiva 14, Goodling found Collington again. The receiver made a spectacular one-handed catch with a defender draped over him for his second touchdown of the night. This marked his sixth touchdown in just five games.
The extra point made it 28-0 with 1:40 remaining in the first half.
Apopka wasn’t finished. With 52 seconds left, Goodling connected with Navilssaint on a screen to the left. The speedy receiver found a lane behind his blockers, broke into the open field and outran the defense for a 51-yard touchdown. The score made it 35-0 with 42 seconds remaining, triggering a running clock.
The Blue Darters totaled 286 yards of offense in the first half. Kemp accounted for 124 all-purpose yards and a touchdown, while Collington had 65 receiving yards and two scores. Goodling completed 10 of 11 passes for 161 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns.
“It’s all credit to the players,” head coach Marcus Neeson said. “I put the script together, we go through the script, they understand what’s expected and the execution’s there tonight.”
Neeson credited all three phases of the game, pointing to the offense’s execution, a sound defensive effort and aggressive special teams play. He also appreciated the opportunity to get more players on the field.
The second half featured little scoring action, as Apopka’s defense continued to keep Wekiva out of the end zone. The Mustangs put together a drive into Blue Darter territory in the third quarter, but Apopka eventually stopped them on fourth down near the red zone.
Wekiva threatened again in the fourth, reaching the Apopka 16 before the Blue Darters came up with another fourth-down stop. Le’Melle Griffin helped end the possession by cutting off Ty’Rance Cook on a run to the left.
Apopka’s offense was unable to add to its lead, and the clock ran out on the 35-0 victory.
Following the game, Mayor Nick Nesta presented the Mayor’s Cup trophy to Apopka at midfield.
The victory marked Neeson’s second Mayor’s Cup win in as many seasons as Apopka’s head coach. He said the result was satisfying but acknowledged the Blue Darters still have things to clean up, particularly avoidable penalties.
Neeson also credited Wekiva head coach Ashton Watts and said the rivalry is something both programs can look forward to continuing.
“He told me after the game, ‘Hey, the rivalry is back. It’s real next year,’” Neeson said. “Which you love to see that. It’s our small town, and, of course, we want Apopka to dominate.
But Wekiva, they’re little brother and little brother is always going to try to fight back.”
The matchup was the 20th meeting between the schools, with Apopka now holding a 16-4 advantage in the series.
For Wekiva, the loss brought its season to a close at 2-8. Watts reflected on his first season leading the Mustangs, saying the year passed quickly and did not unfold the way he expected.
“I learned it goes by fast,” Watts said. “You know, I kind of feel just like these seniors, I feel like we just started, and now we’re at the end of it. It wasn’t the way I expected, but, you know, you kind of go with what God gives you and you take your lumps.”
Apopka now turns its attention to Tuesday’s continuation of its suspended game against Timber Creek. The Blue Darters will resume play at Roger Williams with 7:30 remaining in the second quarter and possession of the ball, hoping to keep their season alive.
“We’re trying to save our legs for Tuesday, ’cause we have a big game, and we got one day to prepare.” Neeson said. “We’re gonna practice on Monday and play on Tuesday, and hopefully the playoff gods are in our favor. So we’ll see what happens. We’re never out of it, until we’re out of it.”