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published: Friday, November 07, 2008
East Ridge football
John Peery
Special to the South Lake Press
A much-anticipated offensive shootout never materialized, but the East Ridge Knights outlasted the Class 6A top-ranked Apopka Blue Darters 21-13 on Friday to claim the Class 6A, District 4 crown.
It was the eighth straight victory for East Ridge after a season-opening loss.
"I can't say enough about our kids," said Bud O'Hara, the Knights' head coach. "They deserved to win."
For Apopka, it was the first loss of the season to a Florida team. The Blue Darters (7-2) lost 28-18 to South Panola of Batesville, Miss., on September 19 in a game that was televised live nationally on ESPNU.
"We played great defense and made them earn everything," Apopka head coach Rick Darlington said.
In fact, both defenses played very well against a pair of high-powered offenses, which had led many to expect a high-scoring affair. But, the defenses especially dominated the first half when East Ridge used a pair of Justin Seaman field goals to take a 6-0 lead at halftime.
East Ridge's Jeremy Wright, who rushed for 492 yards -- the second-highest total in state history - last week in a 49-31 victory over Wekiva High of Apopka, was once again the Knights' workhorse, but he had to fight for every yard, netting 176 yards and both of East Ridge's touchdowns on 37 carries.
"He's the real deal," O'Hara said of his senior running back who now has 2,026 yards for the season.
Wright's two second-half touchdowns were the difference in the game.
Even though each team had just one possession in the first quarter, it ended scoreless as Apopka drove the opening kickoff from its own 37 to the East Ridge 22 before the Knights' defense stiffened and a fourth down pass from Apopka quarterback Caleb Nelson fell incomplete.
The Knights took over and gained a first down, but soon were forced to punt. However, the Blue Darters were flagged for 12 men on the field on the punt, a call protested by the Apopka coaches, but to no avail. That 15-yarder and a defensive pass interference penalty on Apopka aided the Knights, who drove to the Blue Darters' 9-yard line before East Ridge quarterback Tyler Dye was sacked by Apopka's Juan Pimienta back at the 16.
Then, on the first play of the second period, the left-footed Seaman hit the first of two field goals for the Knights, a 33-yarder just three seconds into the second period, giving the Knights a 3-0 lead.
On Apopka's next drive, Jeremy Gallon, who has nearly 1,400 yards rushing and, like Wright, is one of Central Florida's top runners, had an already gimpy left ankle injured even further. He returned briefly in the second half, but was ineffective. He had just three runs for a minus three yards and caught one pass for one yard. He also was 1-of-3 for 5 yards passing the ball.
Apopka's second-leading rusher, senior Travelle Davis, went out in the second half with an injured left shoulder after picking up 40 yards on 10 carries.
"We were fighting without a few weapons," Darlington said.
After an Apopka punt went into the end zone early, East Ridge drove from its own 20 to the Apopka 7-yard line before being pushed back to the 14. On fourth-and-10, Seaman was good on a 31-yard field goal attempt that wasn't pretty but got the job done.
The 13-play drive took 6:48 off the second-period clock and allowed the Knights to take a 6-0 lead into the locker room.
East Ridge drove to the Apopka 33 on its first possession of the third period, but the drive stalled and the Blue Darters put together its first scoring drive, marching 67 yards in eight plays. Quarterback Caleb Nelson scored from 25 yards out on a naked bootleg with 1:40 left in the third period. Alex Catron's extra point gave the Blue Darters a 7-6 lead.
The Knights answered with a 70-yard scoring drive when Wright found a crease in the Apopka defense for a 9-yard score. He ran in the 2-point conversion to put the Knights up 14-7 with 11:02 left in the fourth quarter.
After a fake punt by Apopka was stopped a yard short, the Knights put the game away with a 44-yard drive that Wright ended with a 33-yard scoring run. Seaman's extra point gave the Knights a 21-7 lead with 6:36 left in the fourth.
The teams traded punts and Apopka put together a quick scoring drive, going 80 yards. Fullback Tom Smith had the big play of the drive, a 50-yard run to the East Ridge 10. He scored from the 8 two plays later. The extra point kick failed and East Ridge led, 21-13, with 1:26 left in the fourth.
The onside kick try failed and the Knights ran out the clock to preserve the victory and the district championship, their first since 2005.
