The Lake Brantley offense, under the direction of new coach Garrett Kruczek and star sophomore quarterback Jackson Stecher, wasn’t really tested in the first two weeks of the football season, rolling to victories by scores of 65-0 and 42-7.
Finally tested Friday night by traditional power Oviedo (1-2), the Patriots (3-0) passed with flying colors, although Kruczek said the team will have to fix some defensive lapses after a 47-37 victory.
High School Football Live: Lake Brantley, Bishop Moore, Ocoee, DeLand get to 3-0
Lake Brantley senior Curtis “CJ” Dewberry scored four touchdowns, one on a 93-yard kickoff return, and Stecher threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns. Dewberry was a workhorse with 100 yards on 23 carries.
The victory puts Lake Brantley, No. 11 in the Sentinel’s Super 16 Coaches Poll, at 3-0 for the first time In 10 years. The Patriots were 12-1 in 2015, losing to Mandarin in the second round of the playoffs. Friday’s victory marked their first over Oviedo since 2017.
“We’ve gotta clean up some mistakes if we’re gonna be successful this year,” Kruczek said. “But it feels really good. Oviedo is a great team and they’re really well-coached.
“But mark it down [3-0]. We’re about to be 4-0 next week. We just have some corrections to make.”
Lake Brantley quarterback Jackson Stecher (9) threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-37 win over Oviedo on Friday night Altamonte Springs, Fla., Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)
Oviedo trailed 27-7 at the break, but its receivers got going in the second half, led by DeShon Febres with five catches for 134 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Sebastian Galeano threw for 290 yards.
Meanwhile, Lake Mary gave Lakeland — ranked No. 52 in the country by MaxPreps — all it could handle in the first three quarters. The game was tied 13-13 going into the fourth.
But the Dreadnaughts cut loose to score 19 unanswered points to hand Lake Mary its first loss, 32-13.
Lake Mary got field goals of 23 and 38 yards from Lucas Parker.
“We got down but we fought back and tied it up in the third quarter and I am really proud of them for that,” Lake Mary coach Scott Perry said.
West Orange 54, Titusville 21: Sophomore quarterback AJ Chung threw four touchdown passes to different receivers (Duggy Glover, Edison Delgado, Sean Tulloch and Jayden Ammons), and Ammons also had two rushing touchdowns. Defensively for the Warriors, Devonte Anderson had an interception and a scoop-and-score fumble recovery, Nolan Turner had a strip-sack and a blocked punt, and Matheus Kaminski Cordeiro had a fumble recovery.
No. 5 Bishop Moore 34, Bartow 25: The Hornets had to rally in this one, trailing 19-6 in the third quarter. Trenton Gummer provided the momentum turn with a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown. Sophomore Donovan Ferrufino had a Pick-6 score and senior running back Amare’ Johnson rushed for two scores in the fourth quarter to give him 10 TDs on the season.
No. 10 Ocoee 14, Lake Nona 13: Senior running back Michael Blackmon scored two touchdowns and defensive back Kymani Fils-Amie snagged the game-saving interception with a minute to go in a matchup of 2-0 teams.
“From the very beginning, I was like, ‘Oh my God, we’ve got to come out and play,’ ” said Ocoee coach Buck Gurley. “But I tell you what, the guys came out in the second half and they fought hard. So we’ll take this victory.”
Hagerty 49, Tohopekaliga 20: Quarterback Royce Jenkins threw 265 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score for the Huskies. Leo Gutierrez rushed for 110 yards and two more scores. Colton Hatfield had 3 receptions for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns. Greg Weatherington III had 3 catches for 85 yards and a score. Toho quarterback Sabby Meassick had two touchdown passes.
No. 7 Dr. Phillips 45, Apopka 7: DP led just 14-7 at halftime but took control after a 30-yard TD reception by Xayvion Mincey and an 11-yard TD reception by Zhytrez Ervin in the third quarter.
No. 5 First Academy 57, Treasure Coast 7: TFA finally got a break from its difficult schedule and cruised to victory on Thursday. Junior quarterback Landen Holley threw 3 long touchdown passes on 8-of-11 passing for 295 yards and also ran for a TD. Senior Pittsburgh commit Demetrice McCray caught a 65-yard TD pass, junior Brian Dillard scored on a 61-yard catch-and-run and junior Mannie McKinney had a 59-yard scoring catch.
The Royals shared the wealth in the running game, with seven players getting carries. Junior Jaelyn Powell led the way with 35 yards and 2 touchdowns on 2 carries. Dillard scored on a 17-yard run and freshman Caleb Postell scored on a short run.
This week’s scores
Thursday’s game
No. 8 Orlando First Academy 57, Treasure Coast 7
Friday’s games
(IDLE: CFCA, Lake Highland Prep, Mount Dora, Tavares, Winter Park)
Super 16 games
No. 2 Edgewater 48 at Freedom 0
Lakeland 32, No. 3 Lake Mary 13
No. 4 West Orange 54, Titusville 21
No. 5 Bishop Moore 34, Bartow 25
No. 6. Osceola 46, Winter Haven 6
No. 7 Dr. Phillips 45, Apopka 7
No. 9 DeLand 57, Merritt Island 51
No. 10 Ocoee 14, Lake Nona 13
No. 11 Lake Brantley 47, No. 12 Oviedo 37
No. 13 Boone 42, Olympia 6
No. 16 Seminole 55, Lyman 0
Elsewhere
Lake Region 8, Celebration 7
Windermere 61, Colonial 0
Hagerty 49, Tohopekaliga 20
Harmony 19, Sebastian River 7
Horizon 52, Wekiva 7
Innovation 10, Leesburg 3
Lake Buena Vista 38, Orlando University 6
Lake Howell 51, Pine Ridge 15
Haines City 19, Lake Minneola 12
Oak Ridge 32, Liberty 26
Gateway 36, Cypress Creek 0
Matanzas 40, Deltona 14
Timber Creek 35, East River 0
East Ridge 51, Davenport 6
Orlando Christian Prep 36, Moore Haven 26
St. Cloud 42, Poinciana 12
Villages Charter 37, South Lake 26
Melbourne 34, University (Orange City) 16
Dakota Ridge (Colo.) 38, Winter Springs 7
Trinity Prep 27, Bronson 0
Umatilla 37, Eustis 0
Faith Christian 22, West Oaks 8
Foundation 20, Santa Fe Catholic 19
Cornerstone (2-1) at Keswick Christian (3-0), ppd.
Master’s 35, Geneva School 14
Mount Dora Christian 51, Gateway Charter 0
Cambridge Christian 28, Orangewood 7
Saturday’s games
No. 14 Evans 28, No. 1 Jones 25
Marco Island Academy (1-1) at Windermere Prep (1-0), 1 p.m.
Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.
