- December 22, 2024
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Week 3 of the high school spring football session means one thing: Strap on your helmet and shoulder pads; it’s time for spring football games.
In West Orange and Southwest Orange, six teams went out on the gridiron to see how the work they have put in this spring measured up against another team, West Orange High hosted Lyman High, Lake Buena Vista High went to Ocoee High, Windermere Prep traveled to Trinity Prep, Dr. Phillips High faced Winter Park High, and Olympia High went on the road to Oviedo High.
The team featured in this edition of Sam’s spring football stops is Dr. Phillips High.
More from Sam's spring football stops: The First Academy | Foundation Academy | Lake Buena Vista High | Olympia High | West Orange High | Windermere High | Windermere Prep
2023 record: 7-5
Coach: Rodney Wells, 13th season
Key returners, additions: QB Stanley Anderson-Lofton, DB Maliki Wright, WR Mykel Calixte and OLB Maurice Jones
After two uncharacteristic seasons in 2021 and 2022, coach Rodney Wells’ Panthers bounced back last year to take back its position as the area’s top team.
With key playmakers returning on both sides of the ball — including four starters on the offensive line — and a new district that includes an Olympia High team that lost 36 seniors, a Celebration High team with a new coach and offseason turmoil that finished 1-9 last season and an East Ridge High team that lost key starters from every position group, DP should at least be a force in its district.
No. 1: Rising senior Stanley Anderson-Lofton goes into 2024 as area’s top QB
Anderson-Lofton’s 2,400 total yards gained and 26 total touchdowns as a junior showed just how potent the rising senior gunslinger can be from under center. Add in another year of growth, expert tips from his time competing at the Elite 11 QB camp and trust from his coach, and, well, it’s pretty easy to see that he’s poised for a big 2024 season.
“We go as Stanley goes,” Wells said. “He’s been sharp, he’s been crisp with the ball. College coaches have been very impressed with him throwing the ball.”
Since I spoke with Wells at DP’s practice, Anderson-Lofton has picked up an offer from Lenoir-Rhyne University and Delaware State; to go along with his MTSU, Lehigh and FAMU offers.
No. 2: Defense is young, but Wells knows the unit will be right come fall
Despite losing college-level players from each level of its defense, Wells is not worried about how his defense will cope with the losses.
“The experience and the leadership are going to come from the offense until we get the defense together; which we always do,” Wells said. “The good thing about our returning group is that a lot of them played last season — guys like Kaori Lang and John Poussin, Kramar Brown. They weren’t starters — they weren’t like Jerard Smith and Alfred Thomas or Johnny Fudge … but they all played meaningful minutes for us.
No. 3: The Panthers offense will be full of weapons
With Anderson-Lofton at QB and four of five starters on the offensive line returning, DP is set up to be able to get the ball to its playmakers. Moreover, the three top receivers — Mykel Calixte, Cameran Dixon and Brandan Johnson — are back, along with transfer running back Zion Matthews, who looks like a potential starter.
“A lot of our skill guys had really good seasons last year,” Wells said. “Now, they’re really all back and they have two seasons under their belt. So the expectation on offense is very high.”
Sam Albuquerque is the Sports Editor for the Orange Observer. Please contact him with story ideas, results and statistics.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @SamBAlbuquerque
Instagram: @OrangeObserverSam
