5 things we learned about Marion County high school football teams in Week 3

Fred Gaskin III put his superhero cape on to restart a cold offensive engine. Lake Weir won a gritty game against fellow Sunshine Athletic Association conference opponent, Umatilla.

These are just two of the biggest headlines swirling around week 3 of Marion County high school football. There’s plenty more, and we’ll break them down right here.

Find out if a 42-point win will restart Trinity Catholic’s 1S state title return or how Forest’s offense is so reliable. We have all that and more from the lessons we learned on Friday night.

Missed a game? We've got you covered: Final Scores: Get Marion County high school football results here

'We had to make some big adjustments': Vanguard's second-half comeback downs Dunnellon

There's some movement coming: Power Rankings: Here's where Ocala-area football teams stack up entering the 2023 season

Let a sleeping dog lie

Vanguard slept walk through the first half of the game before scoring four touchdowns in the second half. The Knights' ability to score in bunches turned a 21-point deficit into a narrow win.

Vanguard proved this against a stingy defense loaded with future college players. When Fred Gaskin III finds his playmakers, it’s not much opposing defenses can do to slow them down this season.

Dunnellon defense travels

Holding Vanguard scoreless in the first half speaks to Dunnellon’s talent on that side of the ball. Even banged up and playing through injuries, they have the power to stop offenses from moving the chains.

For the second week in a row, the Tigers have converted a defensive play to seven points. When teams make a mistake, Dunnellon capitalizes.

A shot in the arm

Trinity Catholic scored ten points in their week 1 loss. In week 2, they dropped 49 on FHSAA’s 416th-ranked team, Gainesville.

Proving they can squash a team they’ve beaten by six touchdowns for a consecutive year says more about their opponent than it says about the Celtics. Yet a dominant win reminds Trinity Catholic of how talented they are.

Offensive consistency

If there’s one thing the Wildcats will do consistently, it’s score. Through two weeks, they’ve averaged 33 points every time they step on the field.

Forest’s 29 points were enough to slow down South Sumter’s offense, which scored 48 points, but they challenged them. When battling out of a 24-point hole, they had answers for an undefeated team that’s allowed three touchdowns this season.

A new era begins for Lake Weir

After dealing with cancellations for the last two weeks, the Hurricanes finally made their season debut. While it wasn’t the pretty win they’d like, it was a win nonetheless.

Their 9-3 victory over Umatilla makes them 1-0 on the season and their all-time record in the Sunshine Athletic Association. Lake Weir’s groundbreaking win gets them closer to the competitiveness they sought when they joined the conference.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Takeaways from Week 3 comeback wins and losses