Homecoming thriller
Seminoles rally past Lake Mary 21-19 to remain unbeaten
Tyree Howard scored on a 78-yard run to seal the Seminoles’ win over Lake Mary. He finished with 228 all-purpose yards on the night.
Blocked field goal, a fourth-quarter comeback lift Seminole to 7-0
A king. A queen. Homecoming. Your biggest rival. A blocked field goal. A 78-yard touchdown run.
And just for good measure, throw in a 12-point deficit and a comeback that had the stadium rocking Friday night.
You couldn’t have written a much better script.
Seminole rallied from 12 points down to knock off archrival Lake Mary 21-19 on Friday night, giving the Seminoles a homecoming victory, bragging rights and a perfect 7-0 record.
It wasn’t always pretty, but rivalry games rarely are. And when Seminole needed a big play, somebody stepped up.
“Lake Mary-Seminole was always going to be a big game,” Seminole coach Karl Calhoun Jr. said. “It’s always going to be, no matter the records. Emotions are always going to be crazy. We got down early, but the boys continued to fight through the adversity.”
The Seminoles found themselves trailing by 12, but instead of letting the game slip away, they kept battling, finding ways to make plays on offense, defense and special teams.
“You can’t expect to come out here and everything is going to go smooth,” Calhoun said. “Keep playing football and play the next play.”
And that’s exactly what they did.
One of the biggest plays of the night came from Tyree Howard, who broke loose for a 78-yard touchdown run that helped swing the momentum back in Seminole’s favor.
Howard finished with 115 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries, averaging more than 16 yards per attempt. He was just as dangerous catching the football, hauling in six passes for 113 yards to finish with 228 all-purpose yards.
Quarterback Daniel Proenza delivered an efficient performance, completing 13 of 17 passes for 192 yards while adding 17 yards on four carries. The Seminoles finished with 407 yards of total offense, including 215 on the ground, and did not commit a turnover.
Jamar Buckner gave Seminole another weapon in the backfield, rushing for 56 yards and a touchdown on nine carries while adding a 13-yard reception.
But this one wasn’t decided by offense alone.
The Seminole defense had its hands full with the Rams, but came up with critical stops when it mattered most.
Jamarion Coleman led the Seminoles with 13 tackles, including three tackles for loss, and delivered one of the biggest special teams plays of the game with a blocked field goal.
Mason Wills was all over the field, recording 12 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries.
King Manley added 11 tackles, including seven solo stops and three tackles for loss, while Jaxson Wade finished with 10 tackles and a pass breakup.
The Seminoles also kept pressure on Lake Mary’s punting unit throughout the night, narrowly missing two additional blocks.
“We’ve blocked a few field goals all year, and that was another big one to help us get the win,” Calhoun said. “We were right there on two punts. Right there. Next time they’ll get there.”
Calhoun credited the special teams pressure with helping keep Lake Mary uncomfortable, even when the Seminoles couldn’t get a hand on the football.
“Anytime you can get them off the spot, kind of give them a little pressure, it was good for us,” he said.
In the end, it came down to a handful of big plays, a defense that refused to quit and an offense that found a way to get things done when it mattered most.
For Seminole, the win was about more than another victory in the standings.
It was Homecoming 2026, complete with the crowning of the king and queen, a packed stadium and another chapter in one of Central Florida’s biggest high school football rivalries.
And when the final whistle sounded, it was the Seminoles celebrating.
