Saturday, November 24, 2007

Blue Darters seal victory




OrlandoSentinel.com
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS APOPKA 36, EDGEWATER 7
Blue Darters seal victory
Apopka QB Jeremy Gallon and the offense lift the club into the region final.
Buddy Collings

Sentinel Staff Writer

November 24, 2007

APOPKA

It was a chilly, windy night, but for the second week in a row junior quarterback Jeremy Gallon and Apopka's offense warmed up the second quarter for Blue Darters fans.

And this time, Apopka (11-1) never cooled off, blowing away rival Edgewater 36-7 in a Class 6A regional semifinal at Roger Williams Field.

Gallon rushed for 257 yards and three touchdowns and scored a fourth time on a pass reception as Apopka advanced to its first region final since 2004.

The Blue Darters will stay home for the fifth consecutive week to face Port Orange Spruce Creek (9-3) next Friday.

"I don't know if I've ever seen a team play harder than this," Apopka Coach Rick Darlington said.

Apopka let a 19-point lead slip away in a 40-32 regular-season loss to Edgewater (9-3).

But this time there were no breakdowns in Apopka's pass defense and no chance for the Eagles to mount a comeback.

The Blue Darters put it away when Addarius James forced an interception that teammate Danny White returned 93 yards for a TD that made it 30-7.

Derrick Clark also had an interception as Edgewater completed only 9 of 22 throws for 89 yards.

"We played a whole lot tougher this time," Darlington said. "We had to take it to another level and we did."

After a 0-0 stalemate in the first quarter, Gallon turned the heat up with a 54-yard touchdown.

Edgewater answered with a juggling TD catch by Quincy McDuffie on a 45-yard TD pass into the wind from James Morgan. But Jeremy Rouse pushed the Blue Darters back in front to stay with one of the breakaway plays Apopka is accustomed to.

The senior running back appeared to be stopped near the line of scrimmage but kept his legs churning and broke free for a 24-yard TD run.

After Edgewater went three-and-out, Gallon moved from quarterback to the wing and found room as a receiver for a 35-yard TD pass from Caleb Nelson to make it 21-7.


Apopka 36, Edgewater 7
Edgewater 0 7 0 0 -- 7
Apopka 0 21 9 6 -- 36
SECOND -- A Gallon 54 run (Beary kick); E: McDuffie 45 pass from Morgan; A: Rouse 24 run (Rouse run); A: Gallon 35 pass from Nelson (kick failed).


THIRD -- A: Beary 26 FG; A: White 93 INT return (kick failed).


FOURTH -- A: Gallon 41 run (kick blocked).



Buddy Collings can be reached at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.












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