Blue Darters ranked in state preseason Power 25 poll

The Apopka Blue Darters football team fell just one game short of its fourth state championship last year. But their quest begins again later this month.

In last season's Class 8A championship game, Apopka fell to Venice 35-7, but not before an incredible year.

The Blue Darters finished the 2021 season with a 12-3 record. After starting 4-2, Apopka ran off eight straight victories including three straight road victories in the playoffs. In the last three seasons, the Blue Darters have a 32-9 record and are 10-3 in the postseason.

And there is no reason to expect any less of Apopka in 2022. 

According to Scorebook Live, the Blue Darters are ranked 14th in its Power 25 preseason poll among schools of all classifications.

Here is its lead-in to the 2022 season:

"It’s that time, everyone.

Preseason high school football games kickoff throughout the state of Florida starting on Aug. 18, with the regular season kicking off on Aug. 25-26.

You’ve seen our SBLive Sports/Sports National Power 25, which included four Florida teams. As you may imagine those same teams headline our first ever Florida high school football state rankings with IMG Academy (No. 3 nationally) coming in at No. 1 in the 2022 SBLive Sports/Sports Illustrated Florida Preseason Power 25.

Here’s the complete breakdown of Florida's elite high school football teams, heading into the 2022 season, as we see it."

Here is what the site said about Apopka in 2022:

"Ranking rationale: The Blue Darters had one of the state’s stiffest defenses around, but one thing they struggled with at times was generating offense against elite defenses. Apopka was the runner-up in Class 8A last year and have highly anticipated games against Seminole Sanford and Edgewater during the season."

The Blue Darters open their season on August 26th against the Ocoee Knights.