Ocoee prevails over Winter Park in overtime

OCOEE, FLORIDA – Justyn Yancy made a key stop in overtime, and Marlon Munoz kicked a 23-yard field goal Thursday to give the Ocoee Knights a 31-28 overtime victory over Winter Park in a non-district football game.

Ocoee gave Winter Park the ball first in the overtime. The Wildcats tried three runs to Amaris Shaw, who ran for 128 yards on 21 carries. A 7-yard gain, a 1-yarder and a no-gainer left the Wildcats with fourth and goal at the Ocoee 3.

Winter Park quarterback Aidan Warner tried an option run right. But Yancy stayed at home and took Warner down for a 6-yard loss to give Ocoee the ball.

“It’s a lot of adrenaline We’ve been going at it all game,” Yancy said. “I just had to make a play.”

After a motion penalty on the Knights’ first overtime play put Ocoee at the 15, Keyondray Jones ran for 2, 6 and 1 yards. Then the Knights turned the game over to Munoz’s leg. He cleared the kick easily to give the Knights the victory.

“I was thinking about making it without overthinking it,” Munoz said.

Munoz’s field goal capped a game that remained a dogfight all night. Winter Park (5-1, No. 2 in FHSAA’s Class 4Metro rankings) and Ocoee (5-1, No. 12 in 4Metro) each carried stellar defenses into the game. The Wildcats came in allowing 6.6 points per game, while Ocoee was allowing 5 points per game, giving up no more than 14 points all year.

However, the first half made it seem as if the team with the last possession would win. Ocoee led 28-21 at the half after Darien Wharton dodged a couple would-be tacklers, then heaved a 35-yard pass into the back of the end zone. Asaad Waseem, a Division I recruit, caught the pass in the back of the end zone over several Winter Park defenders. Wharton said he just saw Waseem in the back of the end zone and gave him a chance to make a play.

Wharton completed 10 of 20 passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns. Waseem caught six passes for 75 yards and two scores.

“I saw how they played defense, and I liked my team over their team,” Wharton said. “Athletes are athletes. I like my team all day long.”

That touchdown was one of a couple that Winter Park coach Tim Shifflet lamented. Waseem’s touchdown grab was set up by a bad punt snap that gave the Knights possession at the Winter Park 37 with 41 seconds left.

The other one he lamented came on a first-quarter fumble. Acetron Ealey scooped up the fumble and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown that put the Knights up 14-7.

“We made the adjustment to not get beat with 2 seconds by a go route and not to fumble the ball for a touchdown,” Shifflet said. “We tried to run the ball and did a good job of it. We just didn’t finish off a couple drives – one in overtime and one at the end of the game with about 2 minutes to go. We learn from it and move on.”

Winter Park drove 93 yards to tie the score 28-28 with 9:24 left in the game. Warner hit Izaiah Jean-Baptiste on a 3-yard corner route for the tying score.

A shanked punt gave the Wildcats a short field at the Ocoee 34. But on fourth-and-5, Ahlston Ware picked off a corner-route pass in the end zone. Ocoee tried to rally, but Wharton couldn’t get out of bounds quick enough on a scramble to force another play.

Warner completed 10 of 21 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. Teammate Amaris Shaw ran for 128 yards on 21 carries. Jean-Baptiste caught five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown, and he also ran for a score.

Both teams are jockeying for playoff position. Winter Park hosts unbeaten Hagerty on Oct. 17, then closes at Colonial, vs. Timber Creek and vs. Lake Brantley.

The Knights host Edgewater on Oct. 14, then close vs. Windermere and at Dr. Phillips.

“We got the W, but we still have work to do,” Wharton said. “We’ve got Edgewater next week. We’ve got work to do.”