GALLERY: Olympia football extends win streak

ORLANDO — In the first half of the Olympia Titans' 20-12 victory over the Freedom Patriots, wide receiver Bradley Dos Santos stole the show. Dos Santos, a transfer from Central Florida Christian Academy, scored Olympia’s only two touchdowns of the game.

Before the evening, Dos Santos had not scored as a Titan.

“(Dos Santos is) a kid that wants to make a play. He has the skill set, and he just was open,” Olympia coach Kyle Hayes said.

Though Freedom struck first, the Patriots were unable to maintain the lead. The Titans took the lead and never gave it back.

The pre-game Homecoming festivities for the Titans and an injury on the field early in the game that stopped play affected the players’ focus.

During the first quarter, wide receiver Demarcus Singleton was injured and left the game in an ambulance. Hayes credited the delay in the game and the emotions surrounding the injury as the reason for his players’ lack of momentum.

"When an ambulance is called and (a player) has to be transported, it’s an emotional thing for your team," Hayes said. "(Singleton) was a big part of our team—still is a big part of our team. ... That’s a downer.”

The win extends the Titans’ win streak to five games, making the team 5-1 overall and 2-0 in their district. The team is looking ahead to more district matchups and games against local powerhouses, which will figure to challenge them more than the games played in the past few weeks.

Next week the team plays Apopka, last year's state champion in Class 8A, in a non-district affair. Olympia then has a bye week before facing districts powerhouses Dr. Phillips and Oak Ridge in the following weeks. The Titans will likely need to beat one of those two teams to earn a playoff spot.

Hayes thinks the win streak will propel the team to be more confident in the upcoming district match ups.

“All wins help,” he said. “I don’t care where you get them from.”

As for Dos Santos, the pair of touchdowns will only serve t0 fit the warm welcome he has already received as a Titan.

“They brought me in as their own,” Dos Santos said. “It’s a brotherhood. I’m so happy to be here.”