The talk all week in the world of high school football was the five-overtime thriller at Bill Spoone Stadium as Apopka escaped Dr. Phillips with a 58-52 win in the Class 6A regional semifinals last Friday night.

The two teams combined for over 850 yards of total offense and amazing play after amazing play. Apopka entered the game 10-1 overall and got out to a huge advantage in the first quarter. Dr. Phillips came in unbeaten at 11-0 and relied on a backup quarterback to ignite the late rally in the fourth quarter to help force the extra periods.

Not that anyone had five overtimes in mind when regulation did run out, though. Eventually it was five turnovers by the Panthers that did them in with the most crucial mistake coming on their final offensive play of the game.

While all of this was unfolding, Winter Park was putting the finishing touches on Seminole, the defending 6A state champs, 31-10, to set up tonight’s regional semifinal matchup between the Wildcats and DeLand at Showalter Field. The winner moves on to face the survivor between Apopka and Treasure Coast (in a game being played in Fort Pierce) in the state semifinals next week.

The other local team that kept their season alive was Edgewater in Class 4A as they got a 17-14 win on the road at Lake Gibson in Lakeland. Tonight the Eagles host Tarpon Springs.

But until it all gets figured out and everyone advances, we take a look back at a high school football game for the ages.

On a frigid night the Blue Darters played a spectacular first half in getting out to a 26-14 lead at the break as every point between both teams was put up in the opening quarter. It was four turnovers over those first two quarters for Dr. Phillips that made the comeback that much more difficult for the home team.

– Apopka started the night in their old-school single wing formation and got on the scoreboard less than a minute into the game when Tom Smith took a handoff to the right side and went 74 yards for a score. The points came after he broke a tackle near the line of scrimmage then outran a defender the rest of the way. (7-0 Apopka)

– Dr. Phillips replied after getting a huge kick return from Dee Hart and a big catch from Greg Slones from quarterback Nick Patti. Those plays led to Hart’s 13-yard touchdown run up the middle at the 9:30 mark in what turned out to be just another addition to a school-record 39 all-time touchdowns for the junior. (7-7)

– Apopka charged right back as Blue Darter quarterback Keon Brooks took off through the Panther defense for eight yards, then pitched off to Smith along the sideline. Smith raced the final 25 yards for his 23rd score of the year with 8:13 to play in the quarter. (14-7 Apopka)

– The storyline took it’s first major change when Hart launched an ill-advised throw downfield that was picked off by Apopka’s Jon Beary. It was the first of Beary’s two picks on the night. He would also force a fumble in the first half. Apopka turned that turnover into a 32-yard touchdown run by Quay Barnes with 5:43 to go following a big run from Brooks. But the point-after attempt failed. (20-7 Apopka)

– The Panthers fumbled on the ensuing kickoff. Brooks then picked up another big run to set up another score by Barnes from 10-yards out with 2:57 remaining. The 2-point play was unsuccessful. (26-7 Apopka)

– On the final drive of the first quarter, Dr. Phillips finally got back on track to cut into the deficit. A 27-yard gain by Hart on a catch-and-run led to Patti slipping through the grasp of a defender and reaching the end zone on a 16-yard run with six seconds left on the clock. (26-14 Apopka)

In the second quarter, each team forced turnover-on-downs before Apopka’s Donte Williams recovered a fumble and the second interception on the night by Beary came with 26 seconds left in the half. Yet in a game of momentum shifts, the third quarter instilled new life in Dr. Phillips. The Panthers really got going after snuffing out a 13-play drive on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line with 11 seconds remaining in the period.

– Dr. Phillips opened the fourth quarter with the ball after that huge defensive stand but couldn’t hold their blocks up front as the Blue Darters crashed down on the quarterback to extend their lead with a safety, on a play made by Juan Pimienta. (28-14 Apopka)

– Then after the Blue Darters were forced to punt it back, senior backup quarterback Robbie Matey entered the game and engineered a 78-yard drive that featured a scramble for 17 yards, big catches by Kenny Shaw and Antwan Stepherson, and a 27-yard touchdown run by Marvin Floyd (with 7:06 to play) after he was originally held up at the line of scrimmage. (28-21 Apopka)

– And again, the Blue Darters had to punt once more. And Matey went back to work after Hart returned the kick near midfield. He preceded to connect on passes to Slones and Stepherson, before ending the drive by dropping back, pump-faking, and launching an 18-yard pass to a wide-open Shaw in the corner of the end zone for the game-tying score with 4:03 remaining. (28-28)

The Dr. Phillips defense continued to answer the call, despite the Blue Darters grinding out the final moments of regulation. With five second left the Apopka lined up for a 28-yard field goal attempt by Alex Catron, which ended up bouncing off the arm of Dr. Phillips senior Charles Favors. On to overtime they went with each possession beginning at the 10-yard line.

– Matey started things off with a bullet pass between two defenders over the middle to Shaw for a touchdown on third down. Apopka replied with a third-down score of their own when Brooks took the snap, turned up field and pitched out to Smith who took it in for the score. (35-35)

– Apopka went right back to Smith in the second overtime, then took the lead when Brooks kept the ball and crossed the goal line on second down. Following a penalty on the Darter defense, Stepherson leaped up and made a big catch in the end zone for Dr Phillips to knot things up once again. He would finish with seven catches for 70 yards and a score. (42-42)

– Then it was Shaw’s turn to catch his seventh pass (for 95 yards and three scores) as he again caught a pass over the middle and stretched out for the touchdown while Lo Wood clanged to his backside. Two plays later Brooks sliced his way through the defense to extend things yet again. (49-49)

Both teams nearly let the game get away from them in the fourth overtime (a fumble by Apopka that went out of bounds on third down and a tipped pass on third down that flew out of the back of the end zone by Dr. Phillips) they were both forced to settle for field goals. And that proved to be enough for the visiting team. From there Bradley Gallon picked off the first Dr. Phillips play of the fifth overtime which led to a run right up the middle by Brooks for the game-winning touchdown for the Blue Darters.

Game over. Instant classic.

– More Apopka at Dr. Phillips –

More news and notes at Orlando Sentinel

Bill Buchalter story at Orlando Sentinel

John Peery story at FlaVarstiy

More news and notes at Go Blue Darters

More video footage at WFTV