PHOTOS: Ocoee and Dr. Phillips fought till the end

It only takes a matter of seconds for a storyline to flip upside down.

Ocoee needed two yards and the game against Dr. Phillips would be theirs. They snapped the ball, ran, but then the ball was loose, and the Panthers took control. It sent them down the field and with 33 seconds left on the clock, Dr. Phillips to defeated the Knights on their home turf. 

“We knew we had a dog fight,” said Dr. Phillips head coach Rodney Wells. “This is a good team, obviously 3-0, and it’s hard to win on the road, specially against good teams.”

Ocoee’s and Dr. Phillips’ high school football programs are no strangers. This season’s game marked their fourth matchup in a row, and for the fourth time in a row, Dr. Phillips went home with a victory. 

The Knights were 3-0 heading into the matchup on Friday, Sept. 12, and the Panthers 2-1. Each team thirsty for another victory under their belt. 

Lessons from Injuries 

Ocoee started the game with some battle scars left over from last week’s matchup against Lake Nona. They were down nine players. 

“It was a concern,” said Ocoee’s head coach Buck Gurley. “Right now we have nine people out, but that’s OK. The biggest thing is that we have to get those backups ready and I think the backups came in and actually did a pretty good job for us tonight.” 

Gurley has confidence in his team to “be all right,” once the team returns to their full health. Even if they don’t, he knows it's something the Knights can work around and that the backups will lead as the injured starters were. Their focus needs to be the mental aspect of the game. 

Injuries are never easy. It’s hard on the mind of the person who got hurt and their teammates who got used to playing side-by-side with them. They’re also a learning curve, and in some instances that switch must happen in the matter of seconds. 

Dr. Phillips was put in that position when starting quarterback, Camren West, went down in the third quarter and never returned. Their backup quarterback, Tien Williams, stepped right up to bat. 

“Tien is awesome,” Wells said. “Tien’s been with us for two years, he’s only a sophomore. He knows the offense and he played a lot in the spring because Camren West transferred over, so we’re comfortable with Tien.”

The Panthers laid their trust in Williams who delivered. He’s the one who threw the touchdown pass with 33 seconds left on the clock and solidified Dr. Phillips’ now 3-1 record.