What was billed as a couple of district showdowns Friday night turned into one-sided affairs as Lake Nona handled rival St. Cloud with ease 43-8 and Edgewater shocked previously unbeaten West Orange in a dominating 31-6 victory.
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Also Friday, DeLand, Jones, Seminole, Bishop Moore, Oviedo and Evans showed their strength as district play opened across the region, while defending state champion Lake Mary, riddled with injuries, lost its fourth straight game.
Lake Nona player Sebastian Lora (2) runs into the endzone for a touchdown during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona quarterback Elijah Nickerson (7) scrambles during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
St. Cloud quarterback Jeremiah Lattier throws during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
The Lake Nona band plays during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
St. Cloud defensive back Jowell Cruz (6) falls onto Lake Nona quarterback Elijah Nickerson (7) during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
St. Cloud tight end Owen Sullivan (88) celebrates after a touchdown during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Cheerleaders cheer during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona defenders Riley Kennedy (21) and Taebor Williams (4) knock a pass out of the hands of St. Cloud receiver Matthew Blenman (white jersey) during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
St. Cloud players run onto the field for the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona receiver Daryn Hodge Jr. runs after a catch during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona head coach David Aubrey coaches during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona player Sebastian Lora (2) shoves aside St. Cloud player Kahlil Davis (16) during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona running back Noah Green (10) lunges for extra yardage during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona quarterback Elijah Nickerson (7) throws during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona players run onto the field for the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona player Taebor Williams (4) can’t quite catch a pass under St. Cloud defender Aidan Richardson (16) during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona quarterback Elijah Nickerson (7) throws during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona quarterback Elijah Nickerson (7) runs for a touchdown during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona quarterback Elijah Nickerson (7) celebrates after a touchdown during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona player Nollan Vasconcelos screams in celebration during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Lake Nona head coach David Aubrey coaches during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
St. Cloud head coach Michael Short is pictured during the St. Cloud High at Lake Nona High varsity football game in Orlando on Friday, September 25, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
No. 8 Lake Nona defeated No. 11 St. Cloud 43-8
Lake Nona (6-1, 1-0), ranked No. 8 in the Sentinel’s Super 16 Coaches Poll, used a fast start to get a leg up in the 6A District 5 race, jumping out to a 21-0 lead 16 minutes into the game and blowing out St. Cloud (3-2, 0-1), the defending district champion.
Lake Nona quarterback Elijah Nickerson threw for 122 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 94 yards and another score. Running back Noah Green added a pair of touchdowns and the defense snared three interceptions. Nico Flores had two, including a pick-6 that put the Lions in the lead six minutes into the game.
“The kids were pretty excited coming into this one, I could see it all week and they were physically dominant,” Lake Nona Coach David Aubrey said. “I knew St. Cloud’s got a dynamic offense and a great quarterback who can move around. I really liked how we started.”
No. 10 Edgewater defeated No. 5 West Orange 31-6
Edgewater’s offense ran the ball at will and the defense was stifling, while West Orange could never get in sync. The Eagles (3-2, 1-0) piled up 285 yards on the ground and forced three turnovers in handing the Warriors (5-1, 1-0) their first loss of the season in the Class 6A, District 6 opener.
Edgewater decided to run the ball right at West Orange, with senior Jaelyn Powell leading the way. Powell carried 25 times for 148 yards and two touchdowns, while Bryce Jackson ran for 77 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Edgewater threw just four passes the entire game, all in the first half.
Powell, who is just 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, was carrying tacklers for extra yardage on every carry.
“He’s a Power Four running back. Why he is not committed right now blows my mind,” Edgewater coach Patrick Browning said. “He’s an unbelievable kid and he helped us win tonight, for sure.”
Powell has put the team on his shoulders since lead running back Jahmari Hammonds suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2, but Powell said it’s no big deal for him.
Edgewater was coming off a 24-3 loss to Lake Nona two weeks ago and the Eagles were looking to bounce back. They did so in a big way.
“After the loss to Lake Nona we needed a reset to push through the season,” Powell said. “It only gets harder from here. We play much better teams from this point forward, like Jones and Evans.”
West Orange junior quarterback AJ Chung was not his usual self against the Eagles defense. He came into the game having thrown 17 touchdown passes, but struggled mightily. He completed 13-of-30 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown, and had two interceptions and a fumble.
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“They played very well. Hats off to them,” West Orange coach Geno Thompson said. “It’s been a bad week, and unfortunately sometimes you need these things to get you refocused, so I’m hoping that this will help us get back to what has gotten us here.
“We needed this to recalibrate.”
The Edgewater defense was amped up and with Jamarcus Taner and Durell Mithcell Jr. playing particularly well. Tanner had a fumble recovery and Mike Darden and Cordale Nunn had interceptions.
No. 1 DeLand defeated Spruce Creek 42-14
Top-ranked DeLand (4-1, 1-0) was firing on all cylinders as they overwhelmed the Hawks (4-2, 0-1) in a Class 6A District 2 opener.
Quarterback Gardner Nordman threw for 216 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 42 yards. Taihj Moore had eight carries for 85 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. Kaveon Jackson also had two touchdowns.
DeLand coach Rick Darlington is always looking for perfection out of his group.
“I’m disappointed to give up the shutout. We’ve had two in a row. We gave up a first down on fourth-and-9. That’s inexcusable,” Darlington said. “And then we come down here, we put all of our twos in with a running clock, and they fumbled. You wanna get a zero. You definitely don’t want to give up two scores. But, you know, wins are hard to get. Spruce Creek is very well coached, and so I’m just glad to get a win. But there’s a lot of improvement we still got to do.”
Hagerty defeated Winter Park 20-6
Hagerty senior quarterback Royce Jenkins had 68 yards rushing, 64 yards passing, 57 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Freshman running back Roberto “AD” Santiago-Lopez had a receiving touchdown in the 6A-4 opener. The Huskies are 3-1, 1-0. Winter Park fell to 2-4, 0-1.
“I told our kids all week that we could do it,” said Hagerty coach Steve Mikles. “All we talked about all week was just believing in each other and knowing that we could do it, and I think we finally figured that out.
University (Orlando) defeated Freedom 36-0
University moved to 4-1, winning its fourth game of the season for the first time since 2015. The Cougars, currently tied for third in the FHSAA Independent League Pool A North standings, are eyeing their first winning season since 2013. They were 5-5 in 2014.
Quarterback Ceaser Ramirez threw for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Quais Hafid and the other to Aiden Rosario. Joey Gomez and Carter Hill also scored. Trace Morris had a pair of tackles for loss on defense, while Brandon Diaz had an interception.
South Lake defeated Wekiva 34-0
Quarterback Tre Kelly threw for 177 yards and had 107 yards on the ground with three touchdowns as South Lake (1-4, 1-0) opened 5A-4 play with its first victory of the season. Running back Sam Wood had 126 yards and 2 TDs.
Week 6 football scores
Thursday’s results
Windermere 55, Liberty 0
Tohopekaliga 34, Harmony 8*
Gateway 42, Nova Lakes 0
Friday’s Super 16 games
No.1 DeLand 42, Spruce Creek 14*
No. 3 Jones 33, Kathleen 0*
No. 10 Edgewater 31, No. 4 West Orange 6*
No. 5 Seminole 43, Apopka 18*
No. 6 Bishop Moore 55, Deltona 0*
No. 7 Oviedo 61, East River 13*
No. 8. Lake Nona 43, No. 11 St. Cloud 8*
No. 9. Evans 46, Lake Minneola 0*
Lake Gibson 28, No. 12 Osceola 13*
No. 13 Lake Brantley 28, No. 12 Lake Mary 21*
No.15 Innovation 42, Cypress Creek 7
No. 16. Ocoee 27, Horizon 0*
Friday’s other games
Hagerty 20, Winter Park 6*
East Ridge 56, Celebration 3*
Lake Howell 54, Lyman 0*
Dr. Phillips 30, Olympia 0*
Timber Creek 28, Boone 7*
Colonial 55, Lake Buena Vista 14
University (Orlando) 36, Freedom 0
Poinciana 21, Winter Haven 20*
Mainland 48, University (Orange City) 0*
Matanzas 35, Pine Ridge 7*
Mount Dora 34, Leesburg 22*
Hardee 41, Umatilla 7
South Sumter 42, Eustis 0*
Villages Charter 42, Tavares 6*
South Lake 34, Wekiva 0*
Mount Dora Christian 26, Master’s Academy 8
Orangewood Christian 26, Lake Highland Prep 0
Trinity Prep 48, Windermere Prep 14
Geneva School 42, Cornerstone Charter 36
CFCA 61, Legacy Charter 0
Boca Raton Christian 55, Faith Christian 19
Zarephath Academy 46, West Oaks 0
Friday’s 8-man results
Calvary Chapel Academy 34, City of Life Christian 20
Eastland Christian (0-0) at Riverview Academy (0-4), 6 p.m.
First Academy-Leesburg 58, Four Corners 22
Merritt Island Christian 31, Lake Mary Prep 7
Real Life Christian 44, Ocala Christian 28
*— denotes district game.
Buddy Collings, Steve Gorches, Johnny Gorches, Chris Martucci, Ken Jackson and Jean Racine contributed to this report. Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.
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