For the 10th time, the Apopka Blue Darters and Wekiva Mustangs will face each other on the football field on Thursday, October 13.
With a 6-0 record, Apopka has been the same old, same old, taking care of the business of qualifying for the postseason without reservation and decisively. On the other side of the field for Wekiva, forging a 4-2 record while facing a litany of playoff-caliber teams has raised the insistence this edition will have a different meaning as well as weight for both teams. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Wekiva’s Baptiste Orthodontics Stadium.
“In the sense of the weight of the contest against Apopka in comparison to the others in district, there isn’t a difference. The goal is still to make the playoffs, like every other team,” Mustangs coach Rich Bedesem said. “In order to make the playoffs, we probably have to win at least two district contests. To win the championship, we probably need to win all three district contests. And the Blue Darters are one of those opponents we face in the district. A victory over the Blue Darters is just one, the same amount as any other opponent in the district.
“Then there is the dynamic of the number of teams in the district. Because there are only three and how good the members are, each contest is the same as the playoffs. If a team has a bad contest or plays badly, there is no opportunity to overcome or for a make-up.”
Because berths in the Class 8A playoffs are determined strictly according to district standings (first- and second-place teams earn berths), district contests have the most tangible weight. Two weeks ago, both District 8A-4 openers took place. Wekiva defeated Evans. West Orange fell to Apopka. The Mustangs and Blue Darters are tied for the top position in the District 8A-4 standings with 1-0 records.
Two teams finishing tied for first with 2-1 records is a possibility. The tiebreaker is head-to-head.
“However and reiterating what has already been said since we began preparing for the season, the level of competition changes,” Bedesem said. “In general, and by design, the schedule is supposed to be on the more difficult side as a means of preparing us to make a run for the playoffs, which is the end goal of every team. Almost every team we have played so far is playoff-caliber. But, of course, the Blue Darters don’t talk about just the playoffs. The Blue Darters are at that highest and extremely small (number of teams) level of talking about state championships every season. The success which most of our opponents have achieved is impressive, many playoff berths and runs deep into the tournament.
“As good as that success is though, Apopka’s is even better and unparalleled, two state championships and three appearances in the state final over the last four seasons. Even without the championships, Apopka is still at that highest of levels, 16 consecutive playoff berths, and a winning percentage of around .750 during those playoffs. Everyone is trying to emulate (Apopka coach) Rick (Darlington) and his staff. Playing Apopka is a tremendous opportunity for us to make a name for ourselves.”
In general, the storyline for both teams is the same in almost every area. At the top of that list is both teams enter the contest in control of their own destiny. The outcome will most likely determine the district championship as well. At the very least, the winner will all but clinch a playoff berth. The loser will still control its own destiny as one more win secures the berth into the postseason.
“Important in itself because of the opportunity, but even a victory against Apopka is only one of several accomplishments which makes a program a name in the sport. Now we are taking a step up in class. For us, getting into the playoffs comes down to how we play against Apopka and West Orange, applying what we learned up to this point of the season.”
Bedesem added, “The weight of a victory is far more about earning a berth in the playoffs and what the coaches are stressing all week. If we win, the approach will be the weight about taking that one more step we need to to earn a berth in the playoffs. The defeating Apopka part will take care of itself in the process.”
The most noticeable difference though goes back to why a victory for the Mustangs will mean more than all of the Blue Darters’. Between the two teams, the Mustangs are clearly the newcomer to the situation of a contest being played between two teams as close to equal with playoff implications on the line. Although both teams have come into the contest tied for first place in the district before, the Blue Darters have always been the heavy favorite and the outcome has always followed the script.
Even with scoring a late touchdown, the closest the Mustangs have come to defeating the Blue Darters has been by 16 points in 2011.
While Apopka is still the favorite to most of the talking heads, on paper, the two teams are the closest to equal of any time during the history of the rivalry.
This season, Apopka has won all six of its contests by a combined score of 300-44. The totals for Wekiva are 139-83, not necessarily matching the extent of Apopka’s dominance on offense. But for the first time this late in the season, Wekiva has established a consistent advantage of more than two scores.
However, the general statistical category in which the teams are equal is in points given up by the defense. An overall total of 13.8 points per contest has been given up by the Mustangs. But only 58 points and an average of 9.6 per contest has been given up by the defense in which the ball had to be moved more than 20 yards to score. The Mustangs have given up two safeties as well as three turnovers inside the 20-yard line leading to a total of 25 points.
“We have seen first-hand and experienced what is the difference between qualifying for the playoffs and not,” Bedesem said between the contests against Winter Park and Evans. “The difference starts with mistakes. When a limited amount of mistakes are committed and again – in particular, we moved from in general to the specific of inside the red zone – we exert the style and kind of game we are best at. I am not saying we automatically win, but our opportunity to win is as good as anyone else when the opponent has to play its best to win.”
Although Bedesem spoke after the Winter Park contest, those thoughts being taken to heart and a lesson learned actually began the week before.
And if a berth into the tournament is eventually earned, losing that previous contest to Timber Creek might be the watershed moment every team faces as the application began immediately afterwards.
The loss left the Mustangs with an overall 2-2 record and the start of district play was looming.
Since then, and facilitated by the defense, Wekiva defeated Winter Park and then Evans, respectively. The scores were a combined 62-13.
It is no secret both teams make their living by rushing the ball. What has changed is the inclusion of the pass to eliminate defenses stacking the box in an effort to slow down the rushing attack.
Added to Demetri Burch and DeShawn Massey being the top runners for the Blue Darters and Jaylon Fair being the featured back for the Mustangs is a variety of passes relying on timing as well as gaining yards afterwards.
Of course, Apopka has traditionally moved the ball by lining up in the single wing. Like most teams nowadays, Wekiva has traditionally used the spread offense. Trey McGee for Wekiva and Burch for Apopka have been the right fit for those offenses as designed rushes by the quarterback have seen success. But in order to eliminate defenses stacking the box, that improvement in the passing game has to be present as well.
“Defending and matching the Blue Darters might actually be more difficult this season, because of the diversity,” Bedesem said. “How often the Blue Darters used the single wing has varied over the seasons, but the use has always been significantly more than half of the time with the same result, that high level of success I spoke about. This season, the single-wing and spread offenses are being used about 50-50, allowing for the diversity of including more of a passing game and more players. So there is a lot more to prepare for and execute against. A couple of examples are the play-action and deep pass.
“The experience Burch and Massey have gained as the centerpiece of the offense is why the improvement has occurred. Both are now very comfortable in and understand the system well. Burch is more accurate. Having so many playmakers make the offense so explosive, yet able to move the ball methodically down the field when required, covering and accounting for so many of those playmakers is difficult.”
Bedesem pointed out while there is much more diversity in the approach of attacking the opponents, Apopka aggressiveness and simplicity remains. But the defense is especially aggressive and simplistic, running the 4-3 formation.
“In general, the goal of any defense is to force offenses into becoming one-dimensional, having to constantly pass the ball,” Bedesem said. “The Blue Darters usually run the most basic of plays and concepts. However, what the Blue Darters run is run very well. The aggressiveness and simplicity is what makes the basics work so well. The front seven is the strength. And the front seven can be featured as the strength because the corners are capable of covering one-on-one.”
A contrast in the specifics of how the teams rush the ball, the style and kind of game Wekiva is most suited for as well as built to play is the old-school exerting physical authority as the means by which the clock is controlled.
As the featured running back, Fair has gained 678 yards and scored 10 rushing touchdowns.
For the season, McGee has completed 46 of 108 passes for 742 yards. He averages about 16 yards per completion.
“Like any opponent of Apopka, it will take our best game to win,” Bedesem said. “But Apopka is not unbeatable. And what we have to do to win as far as the keys are no different. Generating the time of possession advantage on offense, not allowing the ball carriers to get into open space and, of course, eliminating the mistakes are the keys. In particular, the sweeps and counters are used to get the ballcarriers into space and are lethal to defenses. In order to execute all those keys we have to maximize what we have, which is true of every opponent and contest, just even more so against Apopka.”
