It was a tale of two halves Friday night at Evans High School, where Apopka fell 35-0 in a non-district matchup that was decided by halftime. The Trojans exploded for all 35 of their points in the first two quarters, while the Blue Darters were left playing catch-up before showing some fight in the second half. 

On the game’s opening play, Evans senior quarterback Derone Rogers fired a quick screen to wideout Carl Jean, who sliced through defenders for 45 yards. A few snaps later, Rogers went back to Jean on the same play to the opposite side, where the senior receiver danced up the sideline, breaking two tackles and somehow staying in bounds for a 41-yard touchdown just 1:21 into the game. 

After a quick Apopka four-and-out, Evans needed only two plays to double its lead. Rogers scrambled 43 yards down the left side to set up a 2-yard jet sweep touchdown by senior Omyry Hickson with 6:35 still left in the first quarter. 

Moments later, Rogers connected with junior Caleb Leonard up the right sideline for a 75-yard strike, igniting the packed Evans crowd as the Trojans surged to a 21-0 lead with 3:35 left in the opening frame. 

Apopka showed some signs of life on its third possession. Senior quarterback Cody Owens, under constant pressure all night, extended plays with his legs and delivered a pinpoint throw on the run to freshman wideout Jaylen Laster for 18 yards, moving the Blue Darters to midfield. But the drive stalled and a fake punt attempt by junior T.J. Frazier was stuffed, turning the ball back over. 

Evans capitalized with a 7-play drive aided by three Apopka penalties, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from junior Jalen Parmly to stretch the margin to 28-0. After another defensive stop, Rogers hooked up with Hickson for 37 yards before finding Jean again over the middle for a 25-yard touchdown—his second of the night—putting Evans ahead 35-0 with 1:08 left before halftime. 

By Florida High School Athletic Association rule, the margin triggered a running clock for the remainder of the game. 

Though the deficit was insurmountable, Apopka looked much sharper after halftime. The Blue Darters controlled possession and outgained Evans in yardage allowing just 21 total yards the rest of the way. Their best drive came to open the third quarter, when Owens orchestrated a 12-play march downfield.  

Owens connected three times with receiver Collington for 22 yards, hit Frazier for 19 more, and benefitted from a 15-yard Evans penalty to reach the Trojans’ 21-yard line. But with a chance to finally break through, Owens’ end-zone shot to Laster was picked off by Emari Peterson. 

It was the closest Apopka came to scoring, and the most rhythm and yardage the offense has produced in a drive so far this season. Owens finished 12-of-19 passing for 115 yards and added 37 rushing yards. Frazier caught six passes for 49 yards, while Collington emerged as another reliable target in the passing game. 

For Evans, Rogers was nearly unstoppable in the first half, going 10-of-18 for 272 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 43. Jean was his favorite target, catching five passes for 122 yards and two scores. 

Afterward, Apopka head coach Marcus Neeson pointed to performance and discipline as the main concerns for his team. 

“Execution,” Neeson said. “Stress heavily on execution. We still have a little bit of drama with players thinking that we’re at the point where we can ease off, and we’re not near that. Our stress 35-0 and 47 last week. Nowhere near where we need to be. So execution has got to be on point.” 

Despite the scoreline, Neeson found positives in the way his group responded after the break. 

“We did some good things on offense,” Neeson said. “We simplified what we were doing. We took advantage of what they were giving us, and we kept attacking that. But then we kind of stalled down in the end and forced the turnover. Defensively, we just can’t give yardage away. We had a bunch of penalties offsides, and we’ve got to play smarter on defense.” 

Apopka (0-2) will look to build off its improved second half as it continues to search for its first win of the season. They will head to Orlando to face the Dr. Phillips Panthers (1-1), Friday night at 7 p.m. 

SCORE: 

Apopka: 00-00-00-00 = 00 

Evans: 21-14-00-00 = 35 

Stats: Apopka – Evans 

1^st Downs:   7 – 8 

Rush-Y/TD: 13-54 – 15-65/2 

Pass-C-Y/TD: 12/19-115 – 10/18- 272/3 

Total Y/TD: 169 – 337/5 

Int: 1 – 0 

Punt: 2 – 0 

Fum/L: 1/0 – 0 

Pen-Y: 8/55 – 8/75