The Wekiva flag football team delivered a complete performance at home Monday night, shutting out South Lake 15-0 in a district quarterfinal playoff game. 

Behind a dominant defensive effort and a pair of second-half touchdown drives, the Mustangs controlled the game from start to finish, allowing the Eagles to cross midfield just once all night. 

Head coach Alex Vazquez said getting healthier and refocused after the regular season made a difference. 

“We had some time to practice and get back to the drawing board to see what we had and what we didn’t have,” Vazquez said. “It also helps that I’m not down as many starters as I was a couple weeks ago. I got a couple girls back, and that was a big help.” 

The game opened with South Lake showing early promise, driving deep into Wekiva territory before the Mustangs’ defense came up with a stop at the 15-yard line. 

That would set the tone for the rest of the night. 

Wekiva’s offense struggled to find rhythm in the opening quarter, managing only short gains from Kimani Miller and a brief completion before being forced to punt. 

But the Mustangs’ defense continued to respond. 

After forcing a three-and-out, Wekiva put together its first sustained drive behind senior quarterback Kiamora Antrum. She connected with Jasmine Pooler for a short gain, then used her legs to move the chains with a nine-yard run past midfield. 

Antrum kept the drive alive with a 17-yard scramble on second-and-long and later found Jayla Bernard across the middle to move Wekiva inside the red zone. 

The Mustangs reached the 1-yard line on fourth down, but South Lake held firm, stopping Antrum just short to force a turnover on downs. 

Moments later, Wekiva’s defense flipped the game: Antrum rushed off the edge and sacked the South Lake quarterback in the end zone for a safety, giving the Mustangs a 2-0 lead heading into halftime. 

The Mustangs opened the second half with a balanced drive, highlighted by a 10-yard catch-and-run from Iyianna Bridgman-Johnson and a long scramble from Antrum on third and short. 

Pooler added a diving catch along the right sideline to move the ball inside the 25. 

On second down, Antrum found Makayla Bell across the middle. Bell turned upfield and outran the defense down the right sideline for a touchdown, extending the lead to 8-0. 

After South Lake managed a couple of first downs on its next possession, the Eagles appeared to be building momentum near midfield. But Bell swooped in front of a pass, securing an interception and returning it 25 yards to set up Wekiva deep in South Lake territory. 

“Outstanding athlete and player,” Vazquez said of Bell. “She sees the field very well. She understands the game plan and the adjustments we need to make. It’s great to have a player like that because you can rely heavily on her on both offense and defense.” 

Antrum quickly capitalized on the turnnover. 

On a broken play, she scrambled left, reversed direction and delivered a strike on the run to Paris Blackwood in the corner of the end zone. She converted the extra point with a quick pass to Bernard, pushing the lead to 15-0 late in the third quarter. 

From there, the Mustangs’ defense slammed the door. Kimani Miller nearly added an interception on the next drive, forcing a punt, and Bell later recorded her second interception of the night after tipping a pass to herself and returning it to midfield. 

Wekiva leaned on its ground game and short passes to drain the clock, sealing the shutout. 

Bell finished with a standout all-around performance, recording a touchdown catch, over 40 receiving yards and two interceptions. 

“What worked was just staying in my coverage and listening to my coaches,” Bell said. “It was actually my first game playing linebacker today, so just being coachable and adjusting to the offense helped a lot.” 

Antrum also delivered a complete performance, accounting for more than 100 total yards while throwing two touchdown passes. She added two sacks and the game-changing safety on defense. 

With the win, Wekiva advances to face undefeated powerhouse Buchholz (12-0) in the district semifinals. 

“We’ve got to do what we do best and keep doing the simple things right,” Vazquez said. “Little things make big things happen — that’s been our mantra all season. They’re a great team with great talent, but if we play up to our full potential, we can shock some people.” 

Bell echoed that confidence heading into the next round. 

“We just have to stick to God’s plan, keep trusting each other, listening to our coaches and staying cohesive,” she said. 

The Mustangs have a quick turn-around to their semifinal matchup. They have a 6 p.m. start Tuesday night at Buchholz High School.