Marion County High School Football Results Week 8
October 14th was a good night for Marion County high school football. Of the eight teams that played, seven won. The lone Marion County team that lost a game lost against one of the county's best.
It was a different story for teams that played earlier in the week. Four squads took the field, but only one came out a victor.
We had an offensive explosion, close calls, and a shutout under the bright lights. Let's check in on how each team performed in Week 8.
More: Final scores: Results from Week 8 Friday high school football games in Marion County
Monday, October 10th
Lake Minneola 49, West Port 7
West Port took on a tough challenge in its Hurricane Ian makeup game. Lake Minneola (6-1) held West Port to a season-low 7 points and started what would turn into a two-game losing streak.
Forest 35, South Lake 6
Forest keeps the offense coming in its third win of the season. Junior quarterback Vimel Poole Jr., threw five touchdowns to three different receivers earning him a Player of the Week nomination. Senior receivers Tramar Cave and AJ Adams found their way to the end zone twice, and junior Matt Hart joined the party once.
Thursday, October 13th
Florida School for the Deaf & Blind 52, Ocala Christian 16
Ocala Christian (2-6) fell to a good Florida School for the Deaf & Blind (4-4) team. The Dragons have only lost to one in-state school. Freshman Jose Gomez-Devila accounted for 101 yards on 20 carries and added 21 passing yards. Freshman Josh Davis and senior Paul Swartout Jr., scored touchdowns on the ground.
More: Ocala Christian falls to Florida School for Deaf & Blind in eight-man football
St. Johns Country Day 19, St. John Lutheran 6
St. John Lutheran drops to 1-6 after losing to St. John Country Day (4-2). It's their fifth loss in a row after a 1-1 start.
More: HS football: St. John Lutheran suffers loss in conference matchup to St. John Country Day
Friday, October 14th
Lake Weir 24, Taylor 17
Lake Weir, a young and rebuilding team, celebrated its first win of the season. The Hurricanes (1-7) defeated Taylor (1-6) on the road.
"It felt great. I'm so proud of these kids," Lake Weir coach Jason Roberts said. "As much adversity as they've been through this season, they stuck together and put the team first." .
This was Robert's first win as Lake Weir's head coach. According to MaxPreps, the Hurricanes' 37 participants is the fewest of any 11-man football team in the county.
"We came together as a team and really relied on our team game. We really toughed it out tonight. We had big plays from Jackson Quick and Jahari Holt," Roberts said.
Vanguard 62, Tavares 8
The Knights (4-3) bounced back from last week's loss to North Marion in a serious way. Tavares (0-7) may have tied a season-high 8 points against Vanguard, but it was the Knights' game from the kickoff.
Forest 42, East Ridge 8
With three days to prepare for East Ridge (1-6), the Wildcats (4-3) turned in big performances on both sides of the ball. Vimel Poole Jr., led Forest to its second win of the week with 287 yards in the air, 67 yards on the ground, a rushing touchdown, and he threw for three touchdowns to one interception. Amadrick Hope collected 60 total yards and two rushing touchdowns.
"We got off to a quick start," Forest coach Eoghan Cullen said. "By halftime, it was 28-0."
North Marion 51, Westport 12
More: High School Football: North Marion crushes West Port in battle of top defenses
Belleview 27, Leesburg 0
The Rattlers (3-3) got back in the winner's column after a three-game skid. Freshman quarterback Matt Dial threw three first-half touchdowns and completed a two-point conversion pass to give his team a 21-0 lead. Belleview would finish the game with another passing touchdown in the fourth quarter with eight minutes left to defeat Leesburg (2-6).
Trinity Catholic 26, Ponte Vedra 21
More: High School Football: Trinity Catholic eases past Ponte Vedra
Dunnellon 18, Crystal River 15
The Tigers (5-2) were the first to strike in this game, taking a 6-0 lead early in the first quarter. Crystal River (3-5) would respond on the next drive putting the Pirates up 7-6.
"It was super tight. Crystal River did a good job," Dunnellon coach Thomas Sutton said. "They played really hard, and it took us a while to match that intensity."
From there, it was a back-and-forth affair. Dunnellon's Lacodrick Brown ran for a 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but the Tigers failed the two-point conversion making the score 12-7. In the third quarter, freshman quarterback Dylan Curry would scramble his way to a 10-yard touchdown, putting the Tigers up 18-7.
Crystal River responded with 8 points, now down 18-15 with a chance to make a game-winning drive with three minutes to go. The Dunnellon defense stopped that to secure the win.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Marion County High School Football Week 8 Results
