FHSAA playoffs: Darlington football family tradition continues at DeLand

It’s rare these days for Rick Darlington to be seen on the same sideline as all four of his football playing sons on a Friday night.

It happened last week when Ty Darlington, Zack Darlington and Jackson Darlington watched as younger brother Wyatt Darlington played both running back and defense for DeLand during a regional-championship win vs. Treasure Coast in Port St. Lucie.

“It’s been 15 years of daddy ball,” Rick Darlington said with a laugh early this week. “It’s been really special getting to coach my sons, and I sure don’t want that to end.”

DeLand (11-2) plays at Venice (11-2) in a Class 4 Suburban state semifinal Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Wyatt, who also has two older sisters, is a senior this year with the Bulldogs. His younger sister, Lilly Darlington, the youngest of the seven kids, takes photos and runs the program’s social-media channels.

Rick’s wife, Shelly Darlington, sets up the team meals, among other things.

“It’s definitely been a family thing for us,” Rick said.

Darlington began coaching his sons in 2008 as Ty, Zack and Jackson played key roles on his Apopka teams. Zack, a state champion with the Blue Darters in 2012, is currently a DeLand assistant coach.

“Having my dad as a coach has been awesome,” Wyatt said before the start of the season. “Some guys wouldn’t like it, but I think it holds you to a higher standard.”

Wyatt spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Enterprise High in Alabama, where his dad coached for three years before taking over at DeLand following the 2021 season.

“It was tough at first, but luckily the guys at DeLand are such great teammates and great people,” Wyatt said of making the move. “That made the transition easier for me.”

Wyatt has come a long way since serving as an Apopka ball-boy at football games as a kid. A Tennessee Tech commit since July, he will soon follow in his brothers’ footsteps by moving on to the collegiate ranks.

Jackson, who played his senior prep season at Enterprise, is on roster at the Air Force Academy. Ty played at Oklahoma and Zack played at Nebraska.

“My brothers were so excited for me,” Wyatt said of the college offer. “Getting recruited in this new age where [schools] don’t offer and [instead] look at the transfer portal is stressful, but they’ve had a lot of good advice when it comes to that stuff.”

Class 4 Suburban semifinal

No. 3 DeLand (11-2) at No. 2 Venice (11-2), 7:30

FHSAA 4S rankings: Venice – No. 3; DeLand – No. 6.

MaxPreps 4S rankings: DeLand – No. 2; Venice – No. 3.

History: First meeting. DeLand is in the state semifinals for first time since its 2009 runner-up season. Venice, state runner-up last year, defeated Apopka in the 2021 large-class final for its third championship since 2000.

Regional results: DeLand – 35-25 vs. Spruce Creek, 31-13 at Orange City University, 37-6 at Treasure Coast; Venice – 53-6 vs. Lakewood Ranch, 56-14 vs. Immokalee, 49-23 vs. Sarasota Riverview.

Buzz: DeLand averages 244 rush yards (46 TDs) and 40 points per game. TJ Moore has passed for 1,497 yards with 20 TDs and no INTs while rushing for 1,297 yards and 12 scores. Javon Ross has 947 rush yards, 819 receiving yards, 5 interceptions and 29 total TDs. MJ Smokes (58 tackles, 12 sacks), Caleb Oliver (68 tackles, 8 sacks) and Bartholomew Campbell (67 tackles, 10.5 sacks) anchor the defensive front. Venice averages 441 yards on offense and 47 points per game. Jadyn Glasser has 2,689 pass yards with 28 TDs and 4 INTs. Jamarice Wilder and Alvin Johnson III have combined for 1,886 rush yards and 32 TDs. The Indians have tallied 42 sacks and 15 INTs.

Quotable: “They’re a program that’s always in it,” DeLand coach Darlington said. “Coach [John] Peacock has built quite a program down there. They’re very well coached and not overly complicated, which is a compliment to them. They do what they do, and they do it really well.”

State final: Winner plays No. 1 Gainesville Buchholz (13-0) or No. 4 Lakeland (10-3) on Saturday, Dec. 9 in Tallahassee.

This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email J.C. Carnahan at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com.