{"id":955,"date":"2026-05-17T18:32:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T18:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=955"},"modified":"2026-05-17T18:32:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T18:32:30","slug":"evans-falls-apart-after-great-start-at-lakeland-oak-ridge-wins-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=955","title":{"rendered":"Evans falls apart after great start at Lakeland; Oak Ridge wins, ties"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAKELAND \u2014 Things were going along quite smoothly for the Evans football team Saturday night at a jamboree in Lakeland \u2026 until they weren\u2019t.<\/p>

Read more Senate parliamentarian deals blow to $1 billion security proposal for White House<\/a><\/p>\n

Evans had already dispatched Tampa Jesuit 6-0 in the first of two spring games at Bryant Stadium. In the nightcap, the Trojans were holding on to a 13-6 lead over Clearwater Central Catholic when things start to go awry.<\/p>\n

Two fumbles, multiple missed tackles and several penalties added up to 22 unanswered points and Evans ended up splitting the doubleheader, losing to CCC 29-20.<\/p>\n

Evans coach Karlos Odum called it self-destruction, and the positive thing for Odum is that he deems all that went wrong as fixable.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah, that\u2019s all on us. We\u2019re not a team that normally misses tackles, but a lot of it was just a lack of focus,\u201d Odum said. \u201cWe sat out for an hour-and-a-half and when you come back and try to play, it\u2019s just like a rain delay in the regular season, and getting the kids back warmed up and locked in and mentally focused, it\u2019s kind of hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Evans<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Odum was talking about the down time between games, as Evans had to sit and watch Tampa Jesuit and CCC square off in the other jamboree game. What also played into the lack of focus could also have been the Trojans getting too comfortable. They had already defeated Jesuit and were holding a 13-6 lead on CCC.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that too,\u201d Odum said, \u201cOnce the kids get out there and realize they\u2019re better than the other team, that\u2019s always that killer instinct. You gotta have that. You gotta develop that. We\u2019ll be fine. We\u2019ll be good to go next fall.\u201d<\/p>

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The bright spots Saturday, at least in the early stages, was the play of the Evans defense, new quarterback Will Jackson and transfer running backs O\u2019Ryan Hartfield, from Ocoee, and Davion Williams from Poinciana.<\/p>\n

Orlando-area 2026 spring football game schedules<\/p><\/blockquote>\n