The South Lake High School Eagles earned a hard-fought district win on Friday, September 26, defeating Ocala Forest 30-25 on the road. The victory improves the Eagles’ season record to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in district play.
The game opened with a 30-yard field goal by Chris McKenna, followed by a quarterback keeper from Tre Kelly, giving South Lake a 10-0 lead at halftime. Coming out of the break, senior standout Keydrick Powell electrified the field with an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, extending the lead to 17-0.
The Eagles’ defense continued to dominate, blocking a punt that set up senior Tyrese Thompson—who rushed for 138 yards on the night—for a 16-yard touchdown run. South Lake surged ahead 24-0 before the Wildcats began their comeback.
Forest answered with a touchdown, but the extra point was blocked by Tyger Darden. Another Wildcat score at the end of the third quarter cut the Eagles’ lead to 24-12. Kelly struck again early in the fourth quarter with his second rushing touchdown, extending the margin to 30-12.
However, the Wildcats refused to back down, connecting on a series of big plays that quickly narrowed the gap to 30-25 with just over six minutes left. With momentum shifting, the South Lake defense stepped up. Junior Jesse Barker Jr. delivered multiple sacks, forcing a turnover on downs with 3:50 to play. The offensive line then cleared the way for sophomore Ahvioume Scott to pick up a key first down, allowing the Eagles to run out the clock and secure the victory.
Defensively, Barker Jr., Tyson Williams, Chase Coello, Scott, and Julian White all made critical stops throughout the contest.
After the game, the Coach Lord reflected on the narrow finish:
“We could have put this team away early but let them hang around. When that happens in high school football, games get interesting. We need to clean it up this week at practice. Players have to embrace the process.”
The Eagles will have a bye this week before returning to action on Friday, October 10, when they host Horizon High School for Homecoming.
