FRIDAY NIGHT FIVE: West Orange football showed grit in win over Apopka

Despite there being just two high school football games in West Orange and Southwest Orange County, instead of the originally scheduled three after Legacy Charter's game got postponed to today, there was still plenty of action on the gridiron for Orange Observer Sports Editor Sam Albuquerque to pick his five most interesting observations for his weekly Monday column — The Friday Night Five.

This week's top observation? West Orange High's win over Apopka showed just how gritty this Warriors team is. 

Let's get into it.

Friday Night Five

No. 1: Warriors showed grit in rematch win over Apopka

It's always tough to beat the same team twice in the same season; I said it in last week's five observations, and indeed, it was a tough game for West Orange. But their 20-19 win over region rivals Apopka High, the Warriors showed just how gritty they are by holding off the Blue Darters' comeback attempt in the final minutes.

No. 2: Dr. Phillips offense continues to lead Panthers

Despite how quickly the young Dr. Phillips defense came along this season, this team was always going to be led by its experienced and potent offense, and in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs, that Panthers' offense showed just how good it can be. 

No. 3: West Orange's tough playoff path continues at Plant City High

Following its region rematch against Apopka in the first round of the playoffs, West Orange will be on the road at Plant City High, facing a high-flying offense Raiders offense that's led by quarterback Chris Denson — a three-star recruit committed to Coastal Carolina — and averages 46.8 points per game. And if you look forward past this round, if the Warriors are able to pick up the road win, they'll likely face off against the classification's top team, Venice High. 

No. 4: Panthers must protect QB, limit turnovers in Round 2 

In DP's regional semifinal matchup against Jupiter High, the key to its success will be the Panthers' offensive line's ability to limit the pressure QB Stanley Anderson-Lofton will face. The Warriors' defense has lived in their opponents' backfield this season with 32 sacks and 115 TFLs, which have contributed to the team's 12 interceptions and 9 fumble recoveries. We saw in DP's only loss of the season, to Edgewater High, that when the Panthers turn the ball over, it can cost them games. 

No. 5: Foundation's coaching search intriguing

With Foundations Academy's decision to move on from coach Andre Walker, the Lions became the lone West, Southwest Orange County football program with a coaching vacancy; so any speculation regarding the coaching carousel is fixated solely on this one opening. Personally, I am extremely interested in seeing which direction the Foundation higher-ups will go with this decision because it'll probably tell us a lot about the direction of the program's future.