Photo by Dana O'Connor
Key Points
- The Lake Minneola Hawks defeated the Wekiva Mustangs 24-13, with Jamar Collins rushing over 190 yards and scoring multiple touchdowns.
- Wekiva struggled defensively with poor tackling and allowed three sacks on quarterback Dominick Sanguine in the fourth quarter.
The Wekiva Mustangs took an early lead but fell to the Minneola Hawks, 24-13, Friday night at Lake Minneola High School.
The Mustangs (2-6) entered the game fresh off a close loss to University and looking to redeem themselves. In the opening drive against Lake Minneola (2-5), it looked as if Wekiva would do just that.
Starting from the Hawks’ 30-yard line, the Mustangs used the quick feet of their senior trio, Bakary Manley, Landon Jerome and quarterback Dominick Sanguine to drive down the field with a constant ground attack. Sanguine connected with former workhorse of the week, senior receiver Deandre Adams, for a 26-yard touchdown pass to cap off the drive. Third-year kicker Jochrist Exantus converted the extra point, putting the Mustangs up 7-0 early in the first quarter.
Lake Minneola’s offense took over and responded with its own ground attack, led by junior running back Jamar Collins, who rushed for 59 yards in the first quarter alone. The Hawks flew into enemy territory, leading to a 35-yard run up the middle by Collins, tying the game at 7-7.
Wekiva head coach Aston Watts said he and his staff knew that fundamental defensive tactics would be necessary.
“In both halves, we did a poor job of tackling,” he said. “That’s basic football. We were in a position to have tackles for a loss, with guys in the right place, but execution was poor.”
The Hawks took control of the game in the second quarter, holding on to the ball for long stretches. Collins rushed for 72 more yards in the quarter, adding another touchdown with a little more than two minutes left in the first half to put Lake Minneola up 14-7.
Quarterback Sanguine experienced myriad blitzing packages from the Hawks in the first half, at one point resulting in back-to-back sacks by sophomore linebacker Dantley Cline. But with two minutes left before halftime, the Mustangs responded when Manley found a hole and raced down the sideline on a 40-yard touchdown run. The extra point attempt was blocked, sending the teams to the locker room with Lake Minneola holding a one-point lead, 14-13.
The third quarter carried the same narrative for the Hawks, who again controlled large portions of the clock. Lake Minneola continued to hand the ball to Collins with help from senior running back Malik Davis, pushing the Hawks down the field and setting Davis up for a 10-yard rushing touchdown and a 21-13 lead.
With a little more than six minutes left in the third quarter, and the Mustangs needing to respond, Jerome fumbled the kickoff, giving the Hawks the ball back with significant time left on the clock. Collins racked up another 60 yards in the third quarter, but penalties and key Mustang stops forced Lake Minneola to settle for a 22-yard field goal.
Numerous penalties, including personal fouls and sideline encroachment, marred the fourth quarter, with neither team able to score. Wekiva’s offensive line struggled to hold back Lake Minneola’s front seven, which managed to sack Sanguine three times in this quarter alone.
The Mustangs now have a bye week and will resume play when they host Evans on Oct. 23.
