Orlando Christian Prep overpowers First Academy in 1M-2 showdown

Warriors clinch tie for district title with 31-7 romp

Author:
Jeff Gardenour
Updated:
Oct 4, 2022 8:32 AM EDT
Original:
Oct 4, 2022

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – If Orlando Christian Prep’s football team wanted to send a message about its playoff potential, the Warriors definitely did on Monday night.

Getting superb balance on offense and a punishing defensive effort, visiting OCP (3-3) overpowered The First Academy 31-7 to clinch at least a tie for the Class 1M, District 2 title. The Warriors (3-0 in 1M-2) broke the game open with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to ice the win – their third in the last four games.

OCP got two touchdown runs and 99 yards passing from quarterback Vilay Nakkoun Jr., a TD run from Demarion Jenkins, and a pair of long TD passes from backup quarterback Makai Elder to Evan Sierra. The Warriors can win the district title outright with a win at Trinity Prep on Oct. 28.

“We played great,” OCP coach Guerschom Demosthenes said. “We responded when we needed to. We started off pretty slow, had some things we had to overcome.”

Orlando Christian Prep quarterback Vilay Nakkoun (2) scrambles while looking to pass against The First Academy.
Photo by Jeff Gardenour

Early on, OCP looked it was going to run away with it. Jenkins took a handoff on the Warriors’ second play of their first possession and raced 60 yards for a touchdown.

But TFA (4-1, 1-1) showed it wasn’t going to get run over easily when it drove to the OCP 15-yard line on its next possession, only to fumble the ball away. The Warriors, however, failed to capitalize when Nakkoun threw an interception.

The Royals pounded the ball back into OCP territory again but eventually were forced to punt. The Warriors responded by driving to the TFA 5-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.

OCP finally got on the scoreboard again with 57.8 seconds left in the second quarter when Nakkoun scored on a 10-yard keeper. The Warriors led 13-0 at halftime.

Nakkoun kept OCP’s momentum going when he scored on a wild 9-yard scramble on a broken play on the first series of the second half. The Warriors ran the ball eight times on the 10-play drive.

“I felt like it was a good win,” Nakkoun said. “We started off a little slow, but we picked it up in the second half. We came together as a team.”

TFA responded with its only scoring drive of the night when it drove 78 yards in 12 plays, capped by a spectacular 36-yard run by Ryon Smith. OCP led 19-7 at the end of the third quarter.

The Warriors then broke the game open with 36- and 46-yard TD passes from Elder to Sierra.

“We’re a different football team now,” Demosthenes said. “We’re the team that we’re used to seeing. We did it on offense and on the defensive side of the ball.

“Pretty pleased with how we played in the second half,” Demosthenes said. “I’m excited. We have a lot to build from.”

OCP racked up more than 440 total yards and held TFA to less than 170 yards.

Despite the loss, TFA showed it can move the ball against one of the state’s better teams. Smith rushed for 101 yards.

“OCP is a really good team,” TFA coach Leroy Kinard said. “They put up 57 on Foundation and 50 on Orangewood Christian (in a pair of wins). I thought it was important for us to come out and play hard.

“I thought it was important for us to play through this thing,” Kinard said. “Win, lose or draw, we still have an opportunity to make the playoffs.”