Dana O'Connor
Key Points
The Wekiva Mustangs moved the ball Thursday night, but costly turnovers and missed opportunities kept them from finding the end zone in a 28-0 loss to Windermere.
Wekiva entered the matchup at 2-1 looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season, while Windermere came in at 1-2. The Wolverines scored in each of the first, third and fourth quarters, but Wekiva had opportunities to keep the game within reach.
“The game was a lot closer than it really seemed in the first half,” Wekiva coach Ashton Watts said. “We had a couple of turnovers that put us in a bad position, but it was still seven zero going into halftime.”
Windermere took advantage of a Wekiva turnover deep in its own territory to open the scoring in the first quarter. The Mustangs then appeared to avoid further damage with a goal-line stand, but Wekiva put the ball on the ground on the following play, allowing the Wolverines to capitalize.
Despite the miscues, Wekiva continued to move the ball and put itself in scoring position. The Mustangs reached the red zone multiple times in the first half but couldn’t finish the drives.
“We just weren’t able to capitalize,” Watts said. “Once we got down into the red zone, and that was multiple times we got in the red zone… we just couldn’t punch it in.”
Wekiva also had some dropped passes late in the half, including one Watts said could have resulted in a touchdown.
The Mustangs and Wolverines played a scoreless second quarter, sending Windermere into halftime with a 7-0 lead.
Windermere eventually extended its advantage with two touchdowns in the third quarter, including a pair of big plays that Watts attributed to defensive misalignment. The Wolverines added another touchdown late in the fourth quarter to complete the 28-0 final.
Watts said Wekiva’s mistakes, rather than anything extraordinary from Windermere’s defense, ultimately proved to be the difference.
“I don’t really think it was so much what they did,” Watts said. “We kept putting ourselves in bad positions. … We kind of shot ourselves in the foot every time we had a chance.”
The Mustangs also had to turn to some younger players to make plays, with Watts acknowledging that some were put into difficult situations.
Now, Wekiva will look to regroup before returning to action against Lake Nona.
“I know it was a short week, but you know, I’m disappointed,” Watts said. “They definitely weren’t 28 points better than us. I don’t think they were better at all, so you know we got to stop hindering ourselves, stop shooting ourselves in the foot. When we have opportunities, we got to be able to take advantage.”
The Mustangs host Lake Nona (3-1) at 7 p.m. on Friday night.