Dr. Phillips, West Orange to renew rivalry in football

It appears that the Old Orange Crate rivalry is returning to West Orange County.

The official Twitter account for Dr. Phillips High School’s Athletics Department, @PantherZone, tweeted Saturday morning that the Panthers had added West Orange, among others, to a loaded 2015 schedule for its football program.

The tweet, which was sent at 8:52 a.m. on Saturday morning, read “Football loads up 2015 schedule with consec games vs Lake Mary, West Orange, Apopka, Mainland and Oak Ridge.”

The first game of the new series is to be played on Sept. 11 this fall, but the home-and-away schedule for the first two games of the series has not been determined yet.

West Orange athletic director Adam Miller expressed his enthusiasm about the matchup in a statement on Saturday afternoon.

"We are excited about the opportunity to play against such a prestigious program," Miller said.

The two teams have not played since 2010 after a rumored falling out between the two schools. 

From Dr. Phillips’ birth as  a program in 1987 through that last game in 2010, a 49-6 victory for the Panthers, DP holds a 15-9 series advantage.

Without a regular season game the past four years, the only way the two teams could have met would have been in the Class 8A State Semifinals — something that seemed like a possibility during the 2014 season but did not manifest itself as such.

The move is especially interesting for Dr. Phillips, along with the additions of Lake Mary, Apopka, Mainland and Oak Ridge. 

The tough schedule — all of those programs are expected to be state title contenders in Class 8A — suggests the Panthers are looking to bolster their challenges in the regular season after going 10-0 in the past three regular seasons, with the hope of having more close-game experience for the playoffs.