PHOTOS/RECAP: West Orange shutout in 10-0 loss to Apopka

Despite a herculean effort from their defense, the West Orange Warriors ultimately fell on the road to the Apopka Blue Darters 10-0 Friday, Oct. 11. 

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak and was their first in district play. 

After holding the Blue Darters (5-1, 3-0) to three points through the first three quarters, West Orange (4-3, 2-1) gave up their first touchdown of the game on a 3-yard run by Jalen Carter with 7:11 left in the fourth quarter. 

West Orange’s defense had two stops inside their 10-yard line, only giving up three points on those two possessions. They also forced two turnovers on downs and recovered one fumble. 

“Defense played great,“ Warriors Head Coach Mike McGlynn said. “They kept us in the game all game. (They) did a tremendous job — (I’m) really proud of the way they played.” 

The Warriors’ special teams also had a big day, with Garrett Valentine recovering a muffed punt and Joseph Stravato blocking a field goal. 

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said about the offense. 

West Orange’s offense had three turnovers on downs, threw one interception and lost two fumbles — one of which came when they were at Apopka’s 2-yard line in the second quarter down 3-0. 

The Warriors will look to bounce back on Thursday, Oct. 17, when they host the Lake Brantley Patriots (4-3, 1-2) in a pivotal district contest. 

“We’re gonna go evaluate this film (and) see what we need to do to get better,“ McGlynn said. “(We’ll) get this right, then we’ll worry about Lake Brantley on Monday.”