At Last – It’s Time For Blue Darter Football!

Ashlynn Speck, Staff Writer • September 12, 2023

The 2023 football season has finally commenced! The Blue Darter football team is back on the field after a highly successful 2022 season. Last season, the team had an 11-4 record and made it to the state championship. They sadly did not win, but there’s a good chance we will make it to the top again this season.

The Blue Darters had their annual pre-season game against the Osceola Kowboys on August 18th. The game went well with a final score of 16-15, with Apopka prevailing over them. When interviewing Center Ethan Korkes about his opinion on the team’s potential improvement, he said, “Osceola is a great football team, making it a good competition. Again, it comes back to being consistent. We need to keep our foot on the gas as we play all the way through, and keep our energy alive.” Fellow teammate, Quarterback Tyson Davison, shared his views as well, “I believe that heart is needed. We have to strive to give it everything we’ve got for every play and quarter.” With this only being a pre-season game, this only meant that the first game of the season would be successful as well, and it was.

Apopka Vs. Osceola, Courtesy of The Apopka Voice

On August 25th, the season officially began with a great game against Ocoee. In the first three-quarters, neither team scored. Finally, in the fourth-quarter, Apopka won 2-0 with a safety. Head Coach Jeff Rolson gave us an insight explaining why the game ended with this call. He stated, “We were struggling on offense. We got the opposing team in a position where they had to punt out of their end zone or close to it, so we went for a block and were successful knowing that if we did that, we could score points. Whether it would be a touchdown or safety, it was planned.”

Even though the win was small for the Ocoee match, Apopka kept their foot on the gas for their next two games against tough competitors, the West Orange Warriors and the Dr. Phillips Panthers, beating the Warriors 14-7 and the Panthers 18-14 with knockout comebacks and scores.

Apopka Vs. Ocoee, Courtesy of the Orange Observer

This season, the Blue Darters will face some of their most challenging rivals once again. The majority of the players decided Seminole is the game they all look forward to the most. When asking Guard Carlos Paez what he’s looking forward to the most this season, he said, “I am looking forward to the journey that we will get to experience together as a brotherhood as we get closer to our championship.” When discussing the team’s goal for the end of the year, Cornerback Myles Fieldings stated, “I want the team to be at the state championship, of course.” This is only the beginning of a successful Blue Darter football season. Hoka Hey!

About the Contributor

Ashlynn Speck, Staff Writer

Hi! My name is Ashlynn Speck. I am a Sophomore this year at Apopka High. I am a new member of The Blue and White newspaper staff. I am also quite involved in Apopka High's band program. I play the flute and bass guitar and am a flute section leader. Last year, my AICE General Paper teacher proposed joining the newspaper to me. It interested me due to my love of writing, and my sister had Ms. Houvouras, so I knew I would be in good hands and gave it a shot, and so far, I am loving it. I love music. It is probably my favorite thing. A few of my favorite singers, rappers, and bands are Taylor Swift, Tyler the Creator, 5 Seconds of Summer, The Driver Era, The Wallows, and the Talking Heads. In my free time, I love to make jewelry. Bracelets, necklaces, rings, you name it. I am in the process of making a small business out of it, as well. One staple thing about myself is that I am Dr. Pepper's biggest fan. It is a widely known fact about myself. This school year, I am very proud and excited to be a part of The Blue and White staff and to write captivating articles and stories.