The weather wreaked havoc with Orlando-area football games Friday night as a lightning storm rolled into Central Florida about 8 p.m. A number of games were stopped and will be resumed at a later date. Poinciana at Haines City, which is for the Class 6A District 9 title, was moved to Saturday night.
Lake Nona did not have weather issues, although the Lions, ranked No. 7 in the Sentinel’s Super 16 Coaches Poll, did get off to a slow start. After trailing Gateway 12-3 at halftime, Lake Nona came out of the locker room revved up, posting 40 unanswered points to clinch the Class 6A District 5 title with a 43-18 victory.
Also, despite a bus breakdown that caused Jones to arrive more than two hours late for its game at Brandon, the Tigers rolled to a 62-13 victory. Legacy Charter’s bus never showed up to take the team to its game at Cocoa Beach and Legacy had to forfeit the game.
In Independent league play, Innovation remained unbeaten at 9-0 with a 23-0 win over Oak Ridge. And University (Orlando) continued its best start in school history at 7-1 with a 35-0 win vs. Lake Buena Vista.
Pictures: Dr. Phillips vs. Windermere High Varsity Football
No. 6 Lake Nona defeated Gateway 43-18
The Lions (7-1, 3-0) wrapped up their second district title in three years.
Lake Nona quarterback Eli Nickerson was 11-for-17 passing for 114 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another. The Lions defense produced two scores, an 86-yard interception return by Taebor Williams and a Charles Woodson Jr. fumble recovery.
Lions Coach David Aubrey said he and his coaches didn’t “fuss at” his team at the half when it trailed 12-3.
“We just told the kids that we got Gateway’s best shot and to settle down and play Lake Nona football. And if it was good enough they could win. The kids told their own story,” Aubrey said.
Gateway (6-2, 1-2) held the ball for 12 of the game’s first 13 minutes, and led early on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Aristotle Span Jr. to Jesan Hernandez early in the second quarter. The Panthers made it 12-3 prior to halftime on Nydrell Thigpen’s 5-yard run. Thigpen, who was averaging 166 yards per game coming in, was held to 22 yards on 16 carries.
No. 5 Bishop Moore defeated Hagerty 42-0
Bishop Moore linebacker Giacomo SanFilippo stripped the ball from Hagerty running back Jonathan Lewis and ran it 22 yards for a touchdown with only 3½ minutes gone in the game and the Hornets were off to the races on the road. With New Smyrna Beach losing to Deltona, 35-34, the Hornets (6-2) clinched the 4A-6 title.
Bishop Moore did not punt, scoring on every possession except the last one, when they took a knee at the 3-yard line. Junior running back Donovan Ferrufino rushed for 106 yards and one TD on 11 carries, and he caught a 16-yard TD pass from junior quarterback Blake McCullough.
Pictures: No. 5 Bishop Moore at Hagerty football
McCullough engineered all six scoring drives on 11-of-12 passing for 227 yards and three TDs. The biggest completion came on a third-and-19 play after Hagerty had backed the Hornets up to their own 3-yard line. McCullough threw to speedy senior Magnus Talma on a slant route at about the 15-yard line. and Talma did the rest, going 97 yards for the score.
Noah Prince leading the way on defense with a pair of sacks. The Hornets totaled five sacks, with Deion Plummer, Lucas Bower and Philip Ferragala also coming up with quarterback takedowns.
“I feel good about our team. I think the guys are doing a good job and getting a little bit better game by game,” Bishop Moore coach Matt Hedrick said.
Hagerty (5-2) coach Steve Mikles knew what his team was in for against a Bishop Moore team that has high hopes in the 4A playoffs.
“I think we came out on the first drive and got a little shell-shocked when we had the fumble and they returned it for the touchdown,” Mikles said. “We knew how good they were. They’re the real deal.”
Bishop Moore defenders Deion Plummer, left, and Mateo Rivera, right, close in on Hagerty quarterback Royce Jenkins during Bishop Moore’s 42-0 victory on Friday night. Bishop Moore had five sacks in the game. (Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel)
No. 1 DeLand defeated Tavares 73-0
Since a Week 2 loss to St. Frances Academy of Baltimore, which was the nation’s No. 1 team in some polls at the time, DeLand has rattled off six straight victories by an average margin of 49 points per game with four shutouts. The offense is averaging 52 points to opponents’ 3.5 during the streak.
The Bulldogs (7-1) scored 45 points in the first quarter of a game that was called complete with 6:50 remaining in the fourth quarter due to inclement weather.
It only took four offensive plays from scrimmage to score three TDs, and three 2-point conversions, to build a 24-point lead. Gardner Nordman threw touchdown passes to Leighton Hill (26 yards) and Cristian Baez (55 yards) in the first half.
Kaveon Jackson had three rushing TDs, including the first two of the game. Taihj Moore added a pair of TD runs, and he returned the second-half kickoff for a TD.
No. 3 Jones defeated Brandon 62-13
The Tigers (6-2, 2-1) were way late for arrival but they easily won once they got to Brandon (3-5, 2-2), a Tampa-area school. That meant a 2-0 week for Jones, which beat Edgewater on Monday.
Ayden Edgecombe threw five TD passes, two to Cameron Tooley. Elijah McCluster scored two rushing touchdowns. Jones also got an interception return for a TD by Charrod Wilson, and two long field goals from Spencer Bartholomew (45 and 47 yards).
Dr. Phillips defeated Windermere 31-0 (final, 2 quarters)
The Panthers ruined the homecoming night for Dr. Phillips graduate Riki Smith, the Windermere head coach who was an assistant at DP for 16 years before taking the Windermere job in 2022. The game was stopped at halftime due to lightning and both teams agreed to call it final.
Sophomore quarterback Tien Williams threw TD passes to Jaiden Smith and CJ Blakely. Justin Felton Jr. ran for a TD and offensive lineman Amarii Sims scored after Windermere blocked a Dr. Phillips field goal attempt. Sims ran 14 yards for the touchdown.
Orangewood Christian defeated West Oaks 70-0
Sophomore receiver/defensive back Kellin Harrington caught three touchdown passes, returned a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown and had an interception for independent Orangewood. Sophomore quarterback Tanner Downs threw four touchdown passes, the other one to Grayson Hilinski.
University defeated Lake Buena Vista 35-0
Cesar Ramirez threw three touchdown passes to Aiden Rosario, Quais Hafid and Xavier Rios, and Carter Hill had a rushing touchdown. Kenton Philips had a pick-6 interception for a touchdown.
Week 9 football results
Monday’s Super 16 result
No. 3 Jones 25, No. 7 Edgewater 14
Monday’s 8-man result
City of Life 32, Orlando Christian Prep 0
Tuesday’s result
Bishop Snyder 36, Faith Christian 8
Wednesday’s result
Geneva School 37, Bishop McLaughlin 7
Thursday’s Super 16 game
No. 4 Seminole 44, Spruce Creek 0
Thursday’s other game
Pine Ridge 44, Liberty 0
Friday’s Super 16 games
No. 1 DeLand 73, Tavares 0
West Boca Raton 17, No. 2 TFA 10 (suspended), resumes Nov. 5
No. 3 Jones 62, Brandon 13*
No. 5. Bishop Moore 42, Hagerty 0
No. 6 Lake Nona 43, Gateway 18*
No. 10 Evans 6, No. 7 Edgewater 3 (suspended), resume TBD
South Lake 10, No. 8 West Orange 6 (suspended), resumes Monday, 6 p.m.
No. 9 Oviedo 57, Lyman 6*
Boone 10, Ocoee 0 (suspended), resumption TBD
No. 14 Dr. Phillips 31, Windermere 0
No. 15 Innovation 23, Oak Ridge 0
No. 16 Lake Howell 28, Viera 14 (suspended), resumption TBD
Friday’s other games
Lake Brantley 42, University (Orange City) 14
Apopka 12, Timber Creek 7, (suspended), resumes Nov. 3, 7 p.m.
Harmony 27, Celebration 0#
CFCA 44, Boca Raton Christian 26
Cypress Creek 21, Nova Lakes 12#
Deltona 35, New Smyrna Beach 34*
Melbourne 35, East River 3*
Freedom 17, Colonial 8#
Mainland 52, Lake Mary 35
Eustis 7, Lake Minneola 7, (suspended), resumed Saturday, 1 p.m.
University (Orlando) 35, Lake Buena Vista 0
Lake Weir 47, Leesburg 0
Seffner Christian 43, Master’s Academy 12
Gainesville 23, Mount Dora 10*
Orangewood 70, West Oaks 0
Sebring 20, Osceola 17*
Poinciana (5-2, 3-0) at Haines City (4-3, 3-0), (suspended), Saturday, 7 p.m.*
St. Cloud 38, Tohopekaliga 7*
Umatilla 33, Crescent City 10
All Saints’ 7, Windermere Prep 3
Palmetto 28, Winter Park 14, (suspended), resumption TBD
Seabreeze 28, Winter Springs 7*
Friday’s 8-man games
Shorecrest Prep 41, Lake Mary Prep 13
City of Life Christian 32, Riverview Academy 12
Lakeside Christian 30, Real Life Christian 8
*district game
#incomplete game counts as final
Ken Jackson, Chris Martucci, Jean Racine, Steve Gorches, Johnny Gorches, Buddy Collings contributed to this report. Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.