PREVIEW: Backyard Bowl, important district matchups highlight Week Eight action

Week Eight Game of the Week: West Orange (7-0, 1-0 district) at Olympia (1-5, 1-0 district), 7:30 p.m.

A season ago, the West Orange Warriors ended a seven-year skid against the Olympia Titans when they defeated the Titans 43-0. The rivalry game this season has emerged as a battle for first place in Class 8A District 4 — both teams come in with a 1-0 district record. West Orange will be heavily favored and, on paper, this matchup doesn’t bode well for Olympia. The Warriors, with their depth of skill-position players, are averaging 45.3 points per game, while the Titans offense has been limited, averaging just 14.6 points per contest. 

A bright spot for Olympia, though, is the 33 points it scored a week ago in defeat against the Lake Mary Rams. The Titans will need to translate whatever worked a week ago to this week’s matchup if they hope to give West Orange a run.

Added storylines to this rivalry matchup include former Titans head coach Bob Head’s return to Olympia leading the Warriors — something he will share with former Titans running back Dexter Williams, who transferred over to West Orange in the offseason.

Week Eight's other action:

The Master’s Academy (2-4, 2-3 division) at Legacy Charter (4-2, 3-2 division), 7 p.m.

Scouting report: Their records are inverted, but these two Sunshine State Athletic programs share two common bonds — a lack of competitive games and the Eagles nickname. Both The Master’s Academy and Legacy Charter have each played only one game that could be deemed competitive and it came against the same opponent. Faith Christian defeated TMA, 45-42, and fell to Legacy, 61-49. Aside from their contests against Faith Christian, both TMA and Legacy share a lopsided nature to their wins and losses — TMA has won by an average of 43 points and lost by an average of 25.5 while Legacy has won by an average margin of 29.75 points and lost by an average of 36.

Extra point: In the two teams’ only prior meeting, The Master’s Academy scored a 21-6 victory in 2013.

Foundation Academy (3-3, 0-0 district) at Victory Christian (Lakeland) (5-1, 1-0   district), 7 p.m.

Scouting report: The unique dynamic of playing in a three-team district will once again take center stage for Foundation Academy, as it kicks off play in Class 2A District 4 against Victory Christian. This game was close a season ago, a 20-17 win for the Storm. Victory Christian already has a district victory to its credit and would clinch the championship with a win over the Lions. Foundation, meanwhile, would guarantee itself a playoff spot with a win.

Extra point: Dating back to 2004, Victory Christian has won all five contests against the Lions.

Santa Fe Catholic (3-2, 2-2 division) at Windermere Prep (5-0, 3-0 division); 4 p.m., MONDAY

Scouting report: This contest was moved to Monday, Oct. 20, after the tragic death of a 17-year-old defensive tackle for Santa Fe Catholic on Sunday. Gil Kromer died of what health officials suspect is bacterial meningitis and his viewing conflicted with this contest’s original scheduling of this Thursday at 4 p.m. Moved to Monday, the game will represent the first time Santa Fe has taken the field for a game in more than two weeks after their game against Seffner Christian on Oct. 10 was postponed because of Kromer’s sudden illness.

Extra point: The game would mark the first meeting between the two programs.

Dr. Phillips (6-0, 2-0 district) at Cypress Creek (0-7, 0-2 district), 7:30 p.m.

Scouting report: This won’t be pretty. The host Bears have scored just 16 points this season and are allowing an average of 43.9 points per game. The Panthers are averaging 38.2 points per game and, even though they are coming off of a bye week and plenty rested, likely will seize this as an opportunity to get their second- and third-string units some game action.

Extra point: Excluding a forfeiture in 2010, Dr. Phillips has dominated every contest in this series dating back to 2005.

Ocoee (1-5, 1-2 district) at Winter Springs (2-4, 2-1 district), 7:30 p.m.

Scouting report: A pivotal district game, this is a must-win for the Knights, if they would like to remain alive in the Class 7A District 4 race. The Bears, reigning district champs and one of the 2013 season’s biggest surprises, are fresh off of a 38-3 dismantling of Lake Howell and a closely contested 16-10 loss to Oak Ridge. Ocoee, meanwhile, has shown improvement as the season has progressed and will hope it can outscore a Winter Springs offense responsible for just 16.2 points per game this fall.

Extra point: Last season’s contest was a close one, a 16-13 victory for the Bears.

Bye — CFCA (6-1)