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Class 4M District 2 football championship.

Comeback Kids: Apopka rallies past Seminole 24-23 to claim district title

Overcomes 23-15 deficit with fourth quarter touchdown and last second field goal

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If Hollywood is short on action-thriller movies, they need look no further than the Apopka Blue Darters 2022 football season. There are enough plot twisting, adversity-facing, come-from-behind last-second finishes to entertain any audience to the very last second.

Tuesday night's game against the Seminole High Seminoles on its own could win an Oscar.

With the 4M District 2 title on the line, the Blue Darters found themselves in a familiar position - trailing 23-15 in the fourth quarter. 

Enter an unexpected hero.

Trailing 23-21 with three seconds left in the game, junior placekicker Hayden Kosicki calmly stepped into the limelight, and drilled a 34-yard field goal on the last play of the game to propel the Blue Darters to a 24-23 win over Seminoles.

Yes, it was an exciting finish to the most important game of the Blue Darters season, but it was also the seventh come-from-behind victory of the season for Apopka.

But none more important than winning a district title in front of a frantic home crowd.

It was also Apopka's fourth win over Seminole in the last five meetings - all critical games between two of the areas best programs. The Blue Darters defeated the Seminoles in 2017, 2019, and last season. Seminole defeated Apopka in 2020.

Much like last season's 28-27 win by Blue Darters, this will go down as another classic between Apopka and Seminole.

The Blue Darters took a 7-0 lead with 5:14 to play in the second quarter when junior Lorenzo Payne recovered a Seminoles fumbled attempt to punt, and ran 30 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Apopka lead.

The Seminoles answered just before halftime with a 3-yard touchdown pass from David Parks to Justin Rosado, and a two-point conversion that gave Seminole an 8-7 halftime lead.

The Seminoles increased its lead to 15-7, but Apopka answered late in the third quarter when senior Rashad Watson scored on a 40-yard run, and the Blue Darters converted the two-point conversion to even the game at 15-15.

The Seminoles retook the lead 23-15 early in the fourth quarter, but Apopka again answered with a Zeldrick Roberts touchdown, but the two-point conversion failed, leaving the Blue Darters trailing 23-21 with only 3:11 left in the game.

However, the Apopka defense shutdown the Seminoles on three plays, forcing a punt, and the winning field goal by Kosicki on the last play of the game.

The Blue Darters are now 7-2 on the season, a perfect 4-0 in the district, and are primed to be the number one seed in the upcoming regional playoffs. They close out their regular season at Wekiva High this Friday in the Apopka Mayor's Cup game against the Wekiva Mustangs, who are 4-5 on the season.

Seminole, who is also awaiting the postseason, finishes its regular season at 8-2, with both losses coming against state championship finalists from 2021 (Apopka and Venice High)

Apopka Blue Darters, Seminole High Seminoles, Wekiva Mustangs, High School Football, Class 4M District 2 football championship.

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