Week 3 Football: Jones, Osceola play for first win; Apopka chases consistency
Early-season obstacles for state semifinalists Jones High and Kissimmee Osceola results in an uncharacteristic matchup Friday between high school football heavyweights in search of their first win.
The Kowboys (0-2) host Jones (0-2) as part of a Week 3 schedule that includes five games between Sentinel Super 16 teams. The Tigers won 18-7 last fall.
Jones, ranked No. 4, dropped games against defending state champion Cocoa and national power Our Lady of Good Counsel out of Maryland while shuffling senior transfer Trever Jackson and sophomore Dereon Coleman at quarterback.
No. 14 Osceola, with losses at unbeaten Treasure Coast and area No. 1 Sanford Seminole, has been slowed by numerous injuries and COVID infections. The Kowboys have not opened a season with three straight losses since starting 0-5 in 2005.
Jones lost six in a row to begin the 2013 campaign but has not dropped more than three games in a single season since Elijah Williams took over as head coach in 2016.
No. 2 Apopka (2-0) hopes to be more consistent on offense entering its road game at Dr. Phillips (1-1). The Blue Darters appeared balanced while scoring passing and rushing TDs in the first half last week, but the unit faded down the stretch as sophomore QB Tyson Davison was hampered by injury during a 14-7 win vs. No. 10 West Orange.
“We’re always in search of being able to throw the ball effectively at Apopka, and that hasn’t changed,” Blue Darters coach Jeff Rolson said at the start of preseason. “We’re going to keep working on that.”
Apopka won 7-6 last year for its ninth in a row over the Panthers. DP is coming off a 17-7 win vs. Timber Creek after being outscored by No. 5 Lake Mary 76-60 in a record-shattering Week 1 game.
The Rams host Oviedo in a game featuring standout starting quarterbacks. Lake Mary’s Noah Grubbs set single-game school records for yards (528) and TDs (8) in the win vs. DP. Senior Jackson LaTour has passed for 492 yards and 6 TDs for the Lions.
Leesburg (2-0) hosts Mount Dora (2-0) and Tohopekaliga (1-0) plays at Foundation Academy (2-0) in matchups of unbeatens.
Wekiva transfer QB Salomon Georges has completed 24-of-29 passes for 461 yards and 6 TDs for Leesburg, which has won five of the past eight meetings.
Foundation outscored its first two opponents 128-6. Tohopekaliga posted 56 points in its season opener.
Unbeaten Windermere High, which opened in 2017, needs a home win vs. Cypress Creek to claim three victories in a season for the first time.
Lake Howell is off after winning 33-7 on Tuesday at Space Coast. Decorie Johnson had 111 receiving yards and 1 TD and Chase Redmond finished with 2 sacks for the Silverhawks.
Friday matchups
No. 10 West Orange (1-1) at No. 3 Edgewater (2-0), 7
Buzz: Edgewater won 26-14 a year ago. Junior defensive back Jaden Brown leads Eagles with 21 total tackles, 1 INT and 1 forced fumble. Sophomore safety Devin Jackson has a forced fumble and 16 tackles for West Orange.
No. 12 Evans (2-0) at No. 7 Ocoee (1-1), 7
Buzz: Evans averages 318 rush yards per game. Ocoee defense has 13 sacks, 3 INTs and 3 FFs. Trojans took 5 of 6 meetings from 2005-10 and won 28-6 in 2019. Ocoee won 34-0 last year for its third in a row.
No. 8 Wekiva (1-1) at No. 15 Lake Minneola (0-2), 7
Buzz: Lake Minneola won 30-27 last fall in first matchup between programs. Senior Joshua Bennett has 3 TD receptions for Wekiva. Braylon Knauth has 20 receptions for 256 yards and 3 TDs for Hawks.
No. 11 Winter Park (1-0) at No. 16 Boone (1-1), 7
Buzz: Winter Park is 10-6 in the series since 2005 with five straight wins from 2016-18 and 2021-22. Boone transfer Joseph Goho recorded 7 tackles in Winter Park debut. Braves have been without RB Laggarius Marshell due to injury.
Other area games
No. 1 Seminole (2-0) at Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast (2-0), 7
No. 2 Apopka (2-0) at Dr. Phillips (1-1), 7
No. 4 Jones (0-2) at No. 14 Osceola (0-2), 7
Oviedo (1-1) at No. 5 Lake Mary (1-0), 7
Lake City Columbia (0-1) at No. 6 DeLand (1-1), 7#
Lake Nona (1-1) at No. 9 Olympia (1-1), 7
No. 13 Orange City University (2-0) at Daytona Beach Seabreeze (0-2), 7#
Mount Dora (2-0) at Leesburg (2-0), 7
Tohopekaliga (1-0) at Foundation Academy (2-0), 7
Cypress Creek (0-1) at Windermere High (2-0), 7#
Windermere Prep (0-1) at Orlando Christian Prep (2-0), 7
Colonial (0-2) at Horizon (2-0), 7
Lake Buena Vista (1-0) at Freedom (0-2), 7
Eustis (1-1) at Tavares (1-0), 7
Orangewood Christian (1-1) at Lake Highland Prep (1-1), 7
Oak Ridge (0-2) at Orlando University (1-1), 7
Winter Springs (0-2) at Hagerty (0-1), 7
Timber Creek (0-2) at East River (0-2), 7
Liberty (0-2) at St. Cloud (0-1), 7:30#
Cornerstone Charter (0-2) at Legacy Charter (0-2), 7#
Port St. Lucie Tradition Prep (1-1) at Faith Christian (2-0), 7
Crystal River (1-0) at Clermont East Ridge (1-0), 7
Cocoa Space Coast (0-2) at Deltona Pine Ridge (1-0), 7
Gainesville P.K. Yonge (1-0) at Mount Dora Christian (1-1), 7:30
Lakeland Santa Fe (0-1) at First Academy-Leesburg (1-1), 7#
Boca Raton Christian (2-0) at Central Florida Christian (0-1), 7
Wauchula Hardee (1-1) at Poinciana (0-1), 7
Ocala Lake Weir (0-0) at Umatilla (0-2), 7
Palm Coast Matanzas (2-0) at Deltona (0-2), 7
Naples Palmetto Ridge (0-2) at Lake Brantley (0-2), 7
The First Academy (2-0) at Belleview (0-2), 7:30
The Master’s Academy (1-1) at St. Petersburg Catholic (0-1), 7
Lyman (1-1) at Davenport (0-1), 7
Harmony (1-1) at Melbourne Palm Bay (1-1), 7
West Oaks (1-1) at Lakeland Victory Christian (1-1), 7
Deltona Trinity (1-1) at Monticello Aucilla Christian (1-0), 7
Gateway (0-1) at Orange Park Ridgeview (0-2), 7:30
Celebration (0-2) at Titusville (2-0), 7
Trinity Prep (0-2) at Fort Myers Gateway (0-1), 7
Bishop Moore (0-2) at Flagler Palm Coast (0-1), 7
#Home sites: DeLand at Spec Martin Stadium; First Academy-Leesburg at Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex; Legacy Charter at Ocoee Bulldog Field; St. Cloud at Austin-Tindall Sports Complex, Kissimmee; Seabreeze at Daytona Stadium; Windermere High at Scott Pine Community Park, Winter Garden. Off this week: Lake Howell (1-1), Groveland South Lake (0-2).
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email J.C. Carnahan at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com.
