Football week 4 in review

The midway point of high school football’s regular season is nearly upon us.

Many teams playing this week will take part in their fifth game, and nine of the area’s 13 gridiron programs sport records of .500 or better.

The Florida High School Athletic Association will begin releasing its weekly playoff point standings on Sept. 25. Until then, a quick glance at records would appear to give The Villages (3-0) serious bragging rights.

However, with five area teams sporting 2-2 records, the playoff race is wide open.

Also, keep in mind that First Academy of Leesburg and Mount Dora Christian Academy, while not eligible for the FHSAA playoffs, could be playoff contenders in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference.

Week 4 Injury Update

There were no reports of any new significant injuries on Friday. Mount Dora played without the services of starting quarterback Tyler Schwarz, but Hurricanes coach Frank Scott said on Monday he expects to have Schwarz for this week’s game at Eustis. South Lake running back Kelley Joiner Jr. had surgery last week to repair his broken right fibula. Best case scenario for the Eagles' standout running back would allow him back into the lineup late in the regular season or the postseason, if South Lake were to advance.

Top Performances

Rashon Scott, Eustis

Scott slipped and sliced his way through the Tavares defense Friday for 172 yards on 16 carries — an average of 10.8 yards per carry — in the Panthers’ 33-20 win. The senior scored on a 79-yard sideline sprint on his first carry of the game and added three runs of at least 12 yards in the second half to help Eustis overcome a 20-13 third-quarter deficit.

His speed game proved the perfect compliment to the bruising, power running attack off teammates Kdell Houston and T.J. Manuel.

For the season, Scott has run for 608 yards and three touchdowns. He is averaging 8.8 yards per carry.

Ricardo Wright, Eustis

Wright snared a crucial 26-yard scoring pass from freshman quarterback Blayne Romano late in the third quarter of Friday’s game. His grab, along with the extra point, tied the game at 20 and wrested momentum away from Tavares after the Bulldogs had scored on successive possessions to open the second half.

Roman Newkirk, Mount Dora

Stepping in for regular quarterback Tyler Schwarz, who was out with an injury, the Hurricanes’ third-string signal-caller performed admirably in a 36-15 loss against Ocala Trinity Catholic. Despite having never played quarterback in a varsity game, Newkirk passed for 117 yards with a touchdown and ran the ball 16 times for 73 yards.

His touchdown pass, 78 yards to Austin Berg, accounted for the Hurricanes first score.

Tyquan Wiggins, Tavares

Tavares’ sophomore quarterback probably deserved a better fate on Friday. Wiggins shredded the Eustis secondary by completing 20 of 34 passes for 333 yards with two touchdowns.

He also had 16 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown.

Tufaara Connelly, Tavares

Wiggins' favorite target, particularly against Eustis, Connelly had six catches on Friday for 147 yards. One week after averaging 23.7 yards per catch against Umatilla, Connelly raised the stakes with a 24.5-yard average against the Panthers.

He has caught nine passes in his last two games for 218 yards — an average of 24.2 yards per catch.

Sammy Punt, First Academy of Leesburg

The Eagles senior quarterback accounted for 171 yards in First Academy’s 26-7 win against Vero Beach St. Edward’s. Punt completed 4 of 8 passes for 101 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 70 yards on 18 carries.

For the season, Punt has run for 261 yards and passed for 116 — 377 total yards in three games.

Like many on the Eagles’ roster, Punt plays multiple positions. In addition to his work under center, he has returned six kickoffs for a 24.7 yard average and has been involved in nine tackles, including three tackles for loss.

Mount Dora Christian Academy's running game

The Bulldogs used nine running backs in Friday’s 57-7 win against Ocala Christian.

MDCA ran up 263 yards on just 23 carries — an average of 11.4 yards per carry.

Omari Smith led the attack with 87 yards on five carries with a touchdown. He averaged 17.4 yards per carry and had a 45-yard run, the longest of the game.

Jack Hopkins finished with 73 yards on three carries — an average of 24.3 yards per carry — with one touchdown. His longest run of the game went for 37 yards.

Seven different running backs scored for the Bulldogs.

Devon Cole, Lake Minneola

One of the areas top dual-threat quarterbacks, Cole came up big in Friday’s 35-28 loss against Oviedo Lake Hagerty.

The junior ran for 110 yards and a touchdown. He also completed 9 of 20 passes for 209 yards and two scoring strikes.

A.J. Graham, Leesburg

There might not have been many highlights for Leesburg in Friday’s 49-13 loss to Ocala Forest, but the spotlight certainly shone on the Yellow Jackets quarterback.

Graham completed 52 percent of his passes (15 of 29) for 261 yards and a touchdown.

For the season, Graham is completed 55 percent of his passes — 33 of 60 — for 460 yards.

Chris Walton, Leesburg

Graham’s favorite target against Forest, Walton had five catches for 106 yards — an average of 21.2 yards per catch — with a touchdown. He also had one run for 18 yards.

For the season, Walton has nine catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

Nate Mikell, Wildwood

The Wildcats' sophomore quarterback wasn’t around at the end of Friday’s 28-26 loss to Crescent City due to an injury. However, when we he was on the field, Mikell was a big factor in Wildwood’s success.

Mikell passed for more than 200 yards and touchdown for the Wildcats. In the first half alone, the 6-foot-5 signal-caller was 12 of 18 for 202 yards.

This Week

Mount Dora at Eustis

Wildwood at Umatilla

Tavares at Winter Park Trinity Prep

Ocoee at East Ridge

Winter Park Lake Howell at Lake Minneola

Lecanto at The Villages

Ocala Vanguard at South Lake

Orlando Bishop Moore at South Sumter

Kissimmee Avant Garde at First Academy of Leesburg

Bye: Leesburg, MDCA

Overall Records

The Villages 3-0

FA-Leesburg 2-1

South Lake 2-1

Eustis 2-2

Mount Dora 2-2

Tavares 2-2

Lake Minneola 2-2

South Sumter 2-2

Wildwood 1-3

MDCA 1-3

Leesburg 0-4

Umatilla 0-4

East Ridge 0-4