Lake Nona’s Kyle Herrera booted a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give the East a 20-17 come-from-behind win. Herrera also kicked a 32-yarder to close out the first half.

“I was already real nervous coming into it, then they tried to ice me twice,” Herrera said afterward. “I just threw my career on the line and put everything I had into it.”

East seniors watch as the ball clears the uprights. (Photo by Tim Citek)

Despite outgaining the West in total yards (326-207) the East seniors were forced to overcome six turnovers and a 17-7 deficit late in the second quarter before eventually pulling out the win.

The West built its lead by turning three of those turnovers into scores.

While trailing 7-0 early in the second quarter Edgewater’s Kelvon Davis forced a fumble, which put the West in position to tie the game. It wasn’t long before Bishop Moore quarterback Mike Calabro tucked the football and took off on a 30-yard touchdown run.

West Orange’s Marcus Isom went on to recover a fumble on a bad snap once the East regained possession, setting up a 27-yard field goal by Wekiva’s Kyle McGee. The West extended its lead with less than a minute to play in the second quarter when Wekiva’s Josh West jumped on a loose ball in the end zone following yet another fumble.

But while the West relied on the mistakes of its opponent, the East continued dusting itself off and feeding the ball to Lake Nona’s Jarius Pace and Winter Park’s Brandon Brown-Dukes out of the backfield.

The duo combined for eight carries of more than 10 yards on the night. When they weren’t fighting for extra yardage by making defenders miss by way of shifty moves, they were finding extra room to run thanks to an aggressive offensive line.

“It’s been a long time since I was able to get back in my groove and I felt like I was able to do that tonight,” said Pace, who missed much of the regular season due to injury. “God came through for me. The team came through. I’d like to give all the credit to the o-line for the outstanding blocking they did.”

Pace brushed off two fumbles to finish with 126 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries. He also had a 45-yard reception late in the fourth quarter. Brown-Dukes took 12 carries for 61 yards and caught three passes for 30 yards and a touchdown in the win.

The celebration gets underway for the East seniors. (Photo by Tim Citek)

“It’s a great experience to play with and against all these guys from throughout Orange County, because some of these guys we’ve never had the chance to play against (during the regular season),” said Brown-Dukes.

It was his catch-and-run for a touchdown with 8:31 to go in the third quarter that tied the game at 17-17. Following a 31-yard reception by Winter Park’s Lee Dunnam, on a throw from East River quarterback Josh Jones, Brown-Dukes hauled in a pass while alone in the flat and reached the end zone on a 22-yard gain after sidestepping a defender inside the five-yard line.

“When I turned my head and looked up it was wide open,” Brown-Dukes said. “It’s all natural instinct from there. I just decided to take a jab-step inside and come back out.”

Pace scored the opening points of the night when he took a handoff up the middle and went four yards for the touchdown with 1:18 to go in the first quarter.

He got the scoring drive started on a pitch-out to the right, where he stiff-armed a defender and raced 52 yards down the West sideline. Positive gains by Brown-Dukes, Central Florida Christian Academy’s Karl Bourne and East River’s Michael Elder continued to move the chains before Pace punched it in for the score.

– More Orange County Senior Bowl Highlights –

– Lake Nona’s Chris Compton caught a 23-yard pass from University’s Kyle Sellers with 24 seconds left in the second quarter… Sellers and Josh Jones combined to go 9-of-21 for 139 yards passing for the East.

– Edgewater’s Kelvin Gunning and Wekiva’s Demarius Daniels each intercepted a pass… Olympia’s Josh Cunningham got to the quarterback for a sack during the final seconds of the first half… West Orange’s Diego Quintanar recovered a fumble with two minutes left in the game, but the West replied by going three-and-out.

– Gunning, Ocoee’s Darien Oliver and Edgewater’s Kelvon Davis were among those breaking up passes while West Orange’s Kellen Williams made multiple timely tackles.

– Bishop Moore quarterback Mike Calabro led the West in rushing with 65 yards on four carries… Calabro, Wekiva’s Greg Arnheim and Evans quarterback Dominique Tarver combined to go 7-of-20 for 63 yards passing… Ocoee’s Robenson Roche caught three passes for 18 yards.

– University’s Shane Berry made a clutch interception near the sideline on a pass inside the 10-yard line with a minute left in the second quarter… Winter Park’s Dominique Albert and Timber Creek’s Lavon Moten recorded sacks for the East.

– Stepping up to make big tackles for the East were Winter Park’s Matthew Moody, Lake Nona’s Alex Scott, Timber Creek’s Brandon Tyras, Freedom’s Colin Burke and Kavaris Green, and Colonial’s Larry McNeil and Chad Tajudeen… Colonial’s Ricky Gordon, Freedom’s David Gadson and Cypress Creek’s Nick Gonzalez broke up passes.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

In the second day of the MLB First-Year Player Draft, local baseball players began to be selected by big league clubs. Below is a look at who they were, where they were picked, and what team made the call.

– 2010 MLB Draft Top-10 Local Picks –

– LHP Justin Nicolino (University) selected No. 80 overall by Toronto in 2nd round. WESH Video

– RHP A.J. Cole (Oviedo) selected No. 116 overall by Washington in 4th round.

– CF Mason Williams (West Orange) selected No. 145 overall by NY Yankees in 4th round.

– LHP Alex Burgos (Osceola/State College of Florida) selected No. 163 overall by Detroit in 5th round.

– LHP John Gast (Lake Brantley/Florida State) selected No. 199 overall by St. Louis in 6th round.

– RF Jose Dore (The First Academy) selected No. 244 overall by San Diego in 8th round.

– SS Mike Freeman (Edgewater/Clemson) selected No. 331 overall by Arizona in 11th round.

– RHP Cody Allen (Boone/UCF/St. Petersburg JC) selected No. 480 overall by Cleveland in 16th round.

– RHP Owen Dew (UCF) selected No. 630 overall by Cleveland in 21st round.

– C Shane Brown (Winter Park/UCF) selected No. 715 overall by NY Yankees in 23rd round.

– More Local MLB Draft Picks –

LF Chris Duffy (Cypress Creek/UCF) at No. 801 overall to Philadelphia (26th round); CF Jay Gonzalez (Freedom) No. 833 overall to Boston (27th round); RHP Tim Griffin (Rollins College) No. 852 overall to Seattle (28th round); LHP Ronald Schreurs (Freedom) No. 1,296 overall to Toronto (43rd round); LHP Jimmy Hodgskin (Bishop Moore) No. 1,311 overall to Philadelphia (43rd round); OF Tyler Marincov (Timber Creek) No. 1,453 overall to Detroit (48th round).

– Draft Notes –

– The UCF Knights have had nine different players selected in the MLB Draft over the last three years, including Brown, who has now been drafted twice by the Yankees. Last season he was picked in the 47th round. In all, UCF has had its baseball players drafted by MLB organizations 73 times since 1979. Dew was taken in the 33rd round in 2009 by the Los Angeles Angels. Duffy, who was selected in the 9th round out of high school, completed his four-year career as a finalist for the 2010 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award as one of the top amateur players in the nation.

– The Florida Collegiate Summer League had the highest number of current or former baseball players drafted over the three-day MLB selection process as 25 FCSL players were taken, including five in the first eight rounds. A complete list of draftees is available at Florida League.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Just 16 seconds remained when Rawlings withstood a ferocious rush from the West Seniors at the line of scrimmage and connected on the 32-yard game-winning field goal.

“It was very tense,” said Rawlings of lining up for the attempt. “I was just focused on getting my leg through it and getting the ball through the upright. That’s all I had on my mind.”

The tense part came when Rawlings was given a little extra time to think things over as he was held up by a timeout from the West sideline. Once the ball was snapped a fierce collision took place up front before the kick hit its mark with plenty room to spare, prompting the celebration to get underway.

“It was indescribable,” Rawlings said with a grin while reliving the moment. “I knew right there that it was the game winner.”

The field goal capped off a 13-play drive that began midway through the fourth quarter and drained the remaining five-plus minutes to virtually nothing. Oak Ridge quarterback Baylin Trujillo converted on fourth-and-two during the drive on a keeper up the middle while several others played key roles.

The East got big gains on the ground from Colonial’s Jermaine Broomfield and University’s Curtis Riley, along with a 23-yard pickup on a throw from Pine Castle’s Michael Slack to Orlando Lutheran tight end Faysal Shafaat down the stretch.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Slack finished 6-of-9 passing for 126 yards as he delivering precise passes that landed right on target while Broomfield tallied 52 yards on eight carries. Shafaat caught four balls for 66 yards, one of which he kept a hold of even after taking a jarring hit over the middle from an opposing player.

“He told me ‘Great throw. If you would of threw it any higher I would have gotten laid out even worse’,” said Slack of the good-natured encounter they shared in the huddle following the play.

It was Slack’s touchdown toss of 39 yards to Boone’s speedy Denard Lucas, while in stride with 3:27 remaining in the third quarter, that tied the game at 14-14 and breathed new life into an East squad that had little trouble moving the ball. If only they could have turned those yards into points by reaching the end zone earlier.

Lucas was eager to get the call though after already having told a teammate he was bound to score a touchdown. He did so two plays after hauling in a 42-yarder from Trujillo.

“The (defensive backs) were playing man (coverage) and they were trying to bump me, but it wasn’t happening,” said Lucas, who finished with three receptions for 94 yards in the win.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Those two scores in the second half by the East were set up by a stingy defensive effort, most notably from defensive lineman Jordan Little from Cypress Creek who was in on two sacks on third downs which resulted in punts the other way.

They came on drives where the West routinely found themselves working for room to run from deep in their own territory as they tried to hang on to a 14-7 lead after returning to the field from the halftime break.

Among the East defenders making it tough on the West were Joseph Jones and Andres Jurado of Cypress Creek, Ryan Moore and Sean Brown from Colonial, Conrad Walko and Josh Kerlin of Pine Castle, along with Timber Creek’s Jacob Wainwright and Winter Park’s Corey Gonslaves.

Those efforts proved to be beneficial after having watched Ocoee’s Chris DeVaughn jump on a Trujillo pass in the flats for an interception which he raced 72 yards along the sideline to paydirt less than three minutes into the night.

But the equalizer was set up when a fumble that Boone’s Tabarie Sullivan landed on in a pile of players was recovered following a muffed punt near midfield. Eleven plays later, which included a fourth-down conversation, the game was tied at 7-7 just a minute into the second period as Riley faked to a running back, swung around wide to the right, and sprinted his way into the end zone past defenders.

“When I took off towards the sideline I seen some people in front of me and I knew I had to put a move on them,” said Riley. He would finish with 53 yards on 10 carries and 29 yards passing on 2-of-4 attempts.

The West Seniors promptly replied with their best drive of the game two series later. They took the lead with a minute left in the first half when Robbie Matay hooked up with Dr. Phillips teammate Greg Slones in the corner of the end zone from four yards out. Only the momentum wouldn’t carry over into the final two quarters.

In the loss, Dr. Phillips running back Matt Williams had five strong runs for 39 yards and Apopka’s Joe Dennis made big tackles on defense for the West. Other defensive standouts included Matt Hunt and Matt Lambert of Bishop Moore, Delroy Steele (Jones), Jarret Leppert (Apopka), Michael Lewis (Ocoee), Cornelious Sigler (West Orange) and Donnie Bartolomucci (Olympia).

Timber Creek quarterback Tyler Marincov looks downfield for a receiver.

Following last week’s 24-17 home loss to Oviedo, the Wolves could use some time off. This Friday the Timber Creek football team will sit and watch as local teams are in action while they get some rest during the bye week. That’s critical before heading on the road to face the Wildcats as last week starting running back Isiah Bolden left the game with a head injury after taking 16 carries for 124 yards in the loss.

Timber Creek’s overall mark dropped to 2-2 on the year. They’ve won big over Freedom (0-4), gave away a game to Boone (2-2) in triple overtime, held on for the win late against Wekiva (1-3) and were outdone by an Oviedo (3-1) team led by UCF recruit Blake Bortles at quarterback.

TCHS running back Isiah Bolden pushes forward for more yards.

Winter Park comes off its bye week to face Cypress Creek (3-1) as one of three unbeaten teams in the Metro Conference with a 3-0 mark. The others are Dr. Phillips (4-0) in District 6 and Apopka (4-0) in District 5. None of the three unbeaten teams are scheduled to play each other during the regular season.

Timber Creek vs. Oviedo – By The Numbers

Should Bolden be unable to go against Winter Park a mixture of Joe Haas (5.4 yards per carry on 14 attempts) and Cameron Smith (4.2 yards per carry on 10 attempts) could be in order. Against Oviedo they combined for 45 yards on nine carries while Smith found the end zone for a score. Smith also picked off a pass and had three tackles on defense.

Quarterback Tyler Marincov had his worst game of the young season as he finished 9 of 22 for 133 yards and two interceptions. He also ran for 38 yards and a touchdown, in the third quarter. Kyle Plaugher caught three passes for 63 yards and Jalil Byrd caught two for 29 yards.

Defensively for the Wolves, Colin Brown was in on 13 tackles while Jacob Wainwright totaled 10 tackles and picked off a pass. Michael Puckett recovered a fumble for Timber Creek.

Joe Haas attempts to avoid a tackle last week against Oviedo.

Cameron Smith eyes the end zone last week against Oviedo.

Timber Creek's defense forced three turnovers last week in the loss.

– Find more local high school football coverage and TCHS vs. Oviedo at:

High school football stats at Varsity Sports

High school football district standings at Varsity Sports

Video footage of Timber Creek vs. Oviedo at WFTV

Shannon Owens game recap of TCHS vs. Oviedo at Orlando Sentinel

Led by second-year head coach Chip Petree, West Orange takes its 3-0 mark into a home matchup with District 5 opponent Ocoee on Friday night. The last time they were able to get past the Knights was in 2005, which was also the last time the school had won four games in a season.

Coaches say it’s the rigorous off-season the team went through over the summer that has them feeling conditioned well enough for the duration of the schedule. And after handling Oak Ridge and Cypress Creek to start the year, a 49-14 road win over Colonial (0-3) on Friday night has lifted the spirits of those in Winter Garden.

In that particular game big plays were made out of the backfield by senior Keaton Postell, who scored twice on 17 carries for 97 yards in the win. Senior quarterback Brandon Brown went 10 of 20 for 164 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdown strikes went to junior Diego Quintanar (3 catches for 80 yards) while another found the hands of sophomore running back Kesanic Hardy (2 catches for 27 yards). Sophomore Erik McCree caught four passes for 44 yards.

Quintanar also scored a touchdown after scooping up a fumble while senior Michael McCastler returned a blocked punt for a score. Doing most of the dirty work defensively was senior Damon Adkinson, who led the charge with 8.5 tackles at the linebacker position.

– More about West Orange Warriors:

Official site for Warriors Football

Video coverage of West Orange vs. Colonial at WFTV 9