By Marshall Tempest
Reporter
The Apopka High School flag football team improved to 8-1 on the season after defeating the Wekiva Mustangs 19-0 on senior night. The team has 14 seniors who not only celebrated the night with their families and teammates but had a great performance on the field.
Head coach Tanisha Wilson told me after the game that she is so proud of her team’s performance this season.
“I’m so proud of my girls,” she said. “They have been working hard all season.” Apopka quarterback Jhenelle Francis had a fantastic night through the air and on the ground, collecting all three of the Blue Darter touchdowns. Francis is a dynamic quarterback with her ability to be elusive on the ground and levelheaded enough to make the right plays under pressure.
The Blue Darters dominated this game from the start, forcing a quick three-and-out for the Wekiva offense, which started with possession. Following Wekiva’s punt, Francis quickly made her way into the end zone for the first time. It took the Apopka offense just three plays to score as Francis used her speed to get around the edge and into the end zone. The extra point attempt was no good.
Wekiva began moving down the field on its next drive, but things went bad quickly. After a first down conversion, Apopka’s Mackenzie Meyerer snagged a ball out of the air for the Blue Darters’ first interception of the night.
While the Blue Darters were consistent on offense, their defense is where they really shined in the shutout win. Apopka had a pair of interceptions and a handful of deflections as the defense refused to let the Mustangs passing game gain momentum.
After the first interception, Apopka slowly but surely made their way down the field using a balanced offensive attack. Francis capped off the drive with a touchdown pass to Meyerer to extend Apopka’s lead to 12-0. The extra point attempt was again no good.
Apopka led 12-0 at the end of the first quarter, when turmoil erupted on the Wekiva sideline. The Wekiva head coach, William Everett, was displeased with the way the officials were speaking to his players. His complaint turned into a heated verbal altercation with one of the officials that resulted in his ejection for unsportsmanlike conduct.
After a short delay, Wekiva resumed its drive with a first down play. But a sack on the Wekiva quarterback a clutch deflection on third down forced the Mustangs to punt again.
Apopka was able to score one more touchdown before the half. Francis used her feet again to scamper into the end zone on a short run to extend the Apopka lead to 18-0. This time the time converted its extra point attempt to cap off the scoring, as neither team scored in the second half.
“It feels pretty awesome to get a win,” Wilson said. “I always like the competitiveness of the rivalry and it’s great to see the girls enjoy their victories.”
