Week 10 Football: Lake Mary at Seminole looms large as districts are decided
Sanford is the place to be in Week 10 of the high school football regular season.
Seminole (7-2) hosts unbeaten Lake Mary (8-0) on Friday for the District 2 championship, and potentially home field advantage throughout the Class 4 Metro Region 1 tournament.
The Rams, No. 2 in the Orlando area’s Sentinel Super 16, rank No. 1 in all of 4M. Seminole ranks No. 2 in 4M and No. 3 in the Super 16.
“It’s always a big game,” Lake Mary coach Scott Perry said. “The fact that we haven’t lost yet, that adds a little bit of pressure to it.”
A vast majority of Orange County teams take the field Thursday during a week that rounds out the district slate for programs across the state.
Lake Mary snapped a seven-game losing streak vs. the ‘Noles last year when it won 12-8 in a regional semifinal. That was three weeks after Seminole prevailed 43-6 in the regular season.
Sophomore quarterback Noah Grubbs enters the game with 2,623 yards passing, 38 TDs and 6 interceptions for the Rams. Lake Mary also averages 131 rush yards per game.
Seminole, which has held six opponents to 14 points or less, has tallied 18.5 sacks and forced 11 turnovers.
Finishing strong
Olympia, Winter Park and Bishop Moore are among Super 16 teams that need wins in favorable matchups to secure district championships.
The No. 6 Titans (6-2) host three-time defending district champ West Orange (3-5) while No. 7 Winter Park (7-0) plays at rival Timber Creek (3-5) in Thursday outings.
Olympia senior Romelo Ware averages 118 rush yards per game with 12 TDs. West Orange has tallied 27 tackles for loss and 8 sacks.
Winter Park is led by Timber Creek transfer quarterback Aaron Williams, who has thrown for 1,455 yards, 17 TDs and 3 INTs. Senior defensive lineman Trace Scott has amassed 55 tackles (16 TFL) and 3 sacks for the Wolves.
No. 16 Bishop Moore (5-3) is home Friday vs. third-year program Lake Buena Vista (4-3) to decide the two-team district in Class 2M.
Gabriel Diaz averages 130 all-purpose yards with 8 TDs for the Hornets. Lake Buena Vista, which went 1-19 the past two years, has leaned on junior Micah Winslow as a passer, rusher and receiver.
Survival mode
Squeaking into the playoffs as a district champion will come with a low seeding in regionals for a handful of area qualifiers.
Kissimmee Osceola (2-6) hosts Tohopekaliga (5-3) for the Class 4 Suburban District 10 title after starting 0-5. The Kowboys have defeated Toho by a combined 160-7 score the past three years.
The winner likely nabs the No. 8 spot in 4S Region 3, but would get a home game in the first round as a district champion vs. No. 1 seed Orange City University (7-1), which lost its district title game last week vs. DeLand.
The initial version of this story incorrectly stated that the Osceola-Toho winner would be on the road vs. University.
Boone and Eustis carry unbeaten district records into pivotal contests. A loss for either team creates three-way district ties that would be decided via FHSAA power rankings.
The Braves (4-4) are home Thursday vs. Oak Ridge (3-4), which suffered its lone district loss, 24-6, last week vs. Lake Nona (4-4). Boone defeated Lake Nona 31-21 on Sept. 29. The 4M District 4 winner will play either Lake Mary or Seminole as a No. 8 seed.
Eustis (5-3), which forfeited a win early this season due to an ineligible player, plays at Mount Dora (6-2) on Friday. The winner would likely secure the eighth and final seed in 2S Region 3 and go on the road in the first round against defending state champion Cocoa (7-1).
Around the area
Evans (4-4) and Hagerty (6-2) will jockey for position over the final two weeks in hopes of avoiding a 4M Region 1 playoff game at Lake Mary or Seminole.
The Trojans, who host Super 16 No. 10 Apopka (5-3), are No. 6 in the region and in line to face No. 3 seed Winter Park in the playoffs. Hagerty trails at No. 7 by a 4.68 to 4.07 margin in FHSAA ratings and would play at Seminole.
In a matchup of Super 16 teams, No. 14 Ocoee (4-5) needs a win vs. No. 11 Dr. Phillips (5-3) in its final game for any chance at earning a playoff bid. The Knights are 10th in the 4M Region 2 standings.
The Master’s Academy (6-2) is the lone area representative in the Sunshine State Athletic Association championship playoff bracket.
The Eagles get a rematch with Oak Hall (7-1) in the quarterfinal round just one week after compiling 547 total yards during a 48-22 win vs. the Gainesville school. The winner faces Jacksonville’s Christ’s Church (7-1) or Zarephath Academy (4-4) in the semifinals.
Groveland South Lake (2-6) will recognize its inaugural hall of fame class during Friday’s game vs. Clermont East Ridge (3-5). Inductees include Jeff Demps, Aurora Newgard Davis, Jeff Deardorff, Jonotthan Harison, Bobby Haeck and Jack Gaines.
Leesburg (8-1), ranked No. 15 in the Super 16, finishes its season Monday at home vs. Dover Specially Fit Academy (4-0).
The Week 10 schedule for Thursday and Friday games involving area teams is listed below. Rankings are from the Sentinel Super 16. Team overall and district win-loss records are included in parentheses.
Thursday games
No. 5 Jones (5-3, 1-1) at Horizon (4-4, 0-2), 7
No. 7 Winter Park (7-0, 3-0) at Timber Creek (3-5, 2-1), 7
No. 10 Apopka (5-3, 1-2) at Evans (4-4, 1-2), 7
No. 13 West Orange (3-5, 2-1) at No. 6 Olympia (6-2, 3-0), 7
No. 11 Dr. Phillips (5-3, 2-1) at No. 14 Ocoee (4-5, 1-2), 7
Orlando University (1-7, 0-3) at Colonial (1-7, 0-3), 7
Freedom (1-7, 0-3) at Cypress Creek (0-8, 0-3), 7
Oak Ridge (3-4, 2-1) at Boone (4-4, 3-0), 7
Winter Haven (5-3) at Lake Nona (4-4), 7
Cornerstone Charter (3-5) at Jacksonville Eagle’s View (3-5), 7
Friday games
No. 2 Lake Mary (8-0, 3-0) at No. 3 Seminole (7-2, 3-0), 7
New Smyrna Beach (6-2, 0-2) at No. 4 DeLand (6-2, 2-0), 7#
Lyman (6-3) at No. 9 Orange City University (7-1), 7
Winter Springs (0-8, 0-3) at No. 12 Oviedo (6-2, 3-0), 7
Lake Buena Vista (4-3, 0-0) at No. 16 Bishop Moore (5-3, 0-0), 7
Clermont East Ridge (3-5, 0-3) at Groveland South Lake (2-6, 1-2), 7
The First Academy (5-3, 0-1) at Foundation Academy (5-3, 0-1), 7
Osceola (2-6, 2-0) at Tohopekaliga (5-3, 2-0), 7:30
Eustis (5-3, 2-0) at Mount Dora (6-2, 1-1), 7
Umatilla (1-7, 0-2) at The Villages (3-5, 1-1), 7
East River (2-6, 1-2) at Lake Howell (5-3, 1-2), 7
Harmony (2-6, 0-2) at Palm Bay Heritage (7-1, 2-0), 7
St. Cloud (5-3, 0-2) at Celebration (1-7, 0-2), 7:30
Eagle Lake Lake Region (3-5, 1-3) at Liberty (2-6, 1-3), 7:30
Davenport (4-4, 2-2) at Gateway (0-8, 0-4), 7:30
Deltona (0-8, 0-2) at Deltona Pine Ridge (3-4, 0-2), 7
Belleview (0-7, 0-2) at Tavares (4-4), 7
Port Orange Spruce Creek (6-3) at Hagerty (6-2), 7
Lake Brantley (1-7) at Port St. Lucie Centennial (0-8), 7
Windermere Prep (1-5) at Naples Neumann (4-4), 6
Poinciana (3-5) at Mulberry (6-2), 7:30
Gainesville Oak Hall (7-1) at The Master’s Academy (6-2), 7:30
Jacksonville Impact Christian (6-2) at Mount Dora Christian (3-5), 7
Orangewood Christian (4-4) at Jacksonville Bishop Snyder (5-3), 7
Legacy Charter (2-5) at St. Augustine St. Joseph (2-6), 7
Faith Christian (4-4) at Riverview Bell Creek (3-5), 7
Deltona Trinity (1-7) at First Academy-Leesburg (3-5), 7#
West Palm Beach Berean Christian (0-8) at Trinity Prep (1-7), 7
#Home sites: DeLand at Spec Martin Stadium; First Academy-Leesburg at Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex.
Off this week: No. 1 Edgewater (9-0), No. 8 Lake Minneola (6-3), No. 15 Leesburg (8-1), Central Florida Christian (0-6), Lake Highland Prep (4-3), Orlando Christian Prep (8-1), Wekiva (4-5), West Oaks (4-5), Windermere High (3-6).
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email J.C. Carnahan at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com.
