FRIDAY NIGHT FIVE: West Orange football in district driver's seat after Apopka win

Although Hurricane Helene threatened Week Six of the high school football season in West Orange and Southwest Orange County, only two games — Central Florida Christian at P.K. Yonge and West Port High at Ocoee High — were affected (both moved to Monday, Sept. 30) and there was a heap of interesting developments coming out of the area's games. 

With a mountain of notes and tidbits to pick from, Orange Observer Sports Editor Sam Albuquerque lines up his top five observations from the Week Six actions, topped off by the West Orange Warriors passing their toughest test of the season and taking full control of the race for the Class 7A, District 5 championship. 

Let's get into it. 

Friday Night Five

No. 1: West Orange takes control of district title race with convincing win over Apopka

Going into Week Six, West Orange High's district matchup against Apopka High — which was a district-clinching opportunity for the Blue Darters — was easily the toughest test of the Warriors' season so far. 

Looking at both teams' resumes, given West Orange's opponents combined for an 8-13 record and that Apopka shut out Ocoee High and only lost by three points to Dr. Phillips High, you could argue the Blue Darters were the favorites in this battle between two of Orange County's most storied programs. 

But after a slow start for both offenses that saw West Orange take a 3-0 lead into the half, the Warriors' passing game came alive. 

In the third quarter, starting quarterback and do-it-all athlete Brian Dillard and freshman QB AJ Chung combined to throw three passing touchdowns; Dillard found receiver Ryne Brown for his first of two TD grabs of the night, while Chung hit Brown for the second and then connected with Dillard for the long score. 

The defense, however, didn't need to warm up. It was firing on all cylinders all game long, holding the Blue Darters to just one touchdown on the night and forcing three turnovers — Dillard also played a factor on defense, catching an interception from the defensive back spot, as did Devonte Anderson, while Jaden McFarlane scooped up a fumble. 

Beyond making a statement that puts Central Florida on notice about how good the Warriors are in 2024, West Orange's district win puts it in control of its own destiny in the chase for the district title, having the tie-breaker over the Blue Darters and two district games to go — at West Port High and home against Ocoee.

No. 2: QB Stanley Anderson-Lofton, Dr. Phillips offense best in the area

Once again, the Dr. Phillips offense, led by senior quarterback Stanley Anderson-Lofton, showed just how good they are in a 42-0 win over rivals Olympia High in Week Six. In a balanced attack, Anderson-Lofton showed off every ounce of his experience in this offense and talent with both his rocket-right arm and legs to make plays over and over again against the young Titans' defense — which was forced to commit even more resources to slowing the Middle Tennessee commit down and giving the multiple Panthers running backs preferential boxes to run into.

Although Anderson-Lofton is poised enough and can process what a defense is giving him to win from the pocket, when he gets out of the pocket with his eyes down the field, the full array of his physical gifts and three years of starting quarterback experience are on full display. On his first two of three touchdown passes, and on multiple other occasions, Anderson-Lofton dropped back, went through his progressions, felt the pressure from the defensive line and instead of forcing a throw into a bad look or throwing the ball away, he used his legs to buy himself a few extra seconds to rocket a pass to his receiver for a score. He's so much fun to watch. 

No. 3: The First Academy resilient in choppy district-clinching win

It was a rocky start for The First Academy football against an Orlando Christian Prep team that is designed — and almost bred — to confuse, cause chaos and make you play OCP Warrior football. For the first two and one-half quarters, the run-option offensive scheme was working as designed, as OCP not only broke a few long runs and kept the clocking ticking but also managed to maintain the gap on the scoreboard to just a touchdown.

It didn't last.

The resiliency earned at the beginning of the season — having held off Lipscomb Academy and comeback against Edgewater, both on the road — prepared the Royals for moments like this. Once they were able to lock in, the game got out of hand and TFA rattled off three unanswered touchdowns to claim the district championship and the playoff spot that comes with it. 

Over and over again the Royals are checking off the boxes that make up a championship team, and in Week Six, I think it's safe to say that they are one. 

Photo by Michael Eng

No. 4: Windermere still has a lot of 'firsts' in store for 2024 after inaugural home game

What's a few weeks longer when you've been waiting more than seven years for this moment? Well, in the case of the Windermere High football team and its long-awaited on-campus stadium, those extra few weeks of delays could have felt like a lifetime off the field, but on it, Wolverines coach Riki Smith had his players focused on the main thing as Windermere finally made its debut at its new stadium for the first time. 

Windermere is also 6-0 for the first time in its program history. Six wins is also the most in a single season in program history and Smith is the first Wolverines football coach to return for a third season. 

Season Eight of Windermere football has been a season of firsts so far, but judging by the manner in which this program is clicking, there could be many more firsts coming down the road these next few games — first undefeated regular season? First-ever win over rivals, the Horizon Hawks? 

Who knows what's in store for the rest of this magical season for the Wolverines, all I'm saying is that the first-ever on-campus home game for Windermere Wolverines wasn't the last first-ever of the 2024 season. 

No. 5: Foundation win could lead to bounce-back end to the season

Since the spring football season, Foundation Lions football coach Andre Walker has told me that this season is about the growth and development of his young football team. Obviously, wins and losses matter, but Walker knew that this team's record wouldn't be the best criterion for the success of this team. Instead, he would judge his team by its growth and after five games, with a 2-3 record, he can see that his players have grown tremendously. 

Not only did Walker see the growth in his players to go on the road and execute the game plan the coaching staff implemented but he also saw the fight in his players who bounced back after a brutal loss last week. 

With this display of maturity and development, combined with a favorable schedule, this win could be the catalyst the Lions need to make the back-half of the season one to remember.