Unlikely heroes help Seminole to 29-28 win, district title.
Trailing by 14 in the second half of a championship game, any team will need a hero or two to step up. In Seminole’s case it was an offensive lineman and a first-year player.
Down 28-22 with 1:39 left in the game, Seminole’s Ethan Pritchard recovered a Lake Mary fumble in the backfield. On the first play after the turnover, Noles quarterback Karson Siqueiros-Lasky’s pass was tipped, and that’s when offensive lineman Dallas Hudson pulled off what may have saved the game for the Seminole.
“The one thing I saw was just a ball go up in the air,” Hudson said. “The one thing I just had to do was catch the ball. That was just the one thing on my mind – catch the ball and well run, it was either that or the game would be over.”
Hudson went 13-yards down the sideline to keep hopes alive as the Seminoles and first-year head coach Karl Calhoun downed Lake Mary 29-28 for the district title.
“We made it through a gauntlet schedule and then to come back and win the district means everything,” Calhoun said. “We let it go last year we came back and redeemed ourself this year.”
After Hudson’s catch, Siqueiros-Lasky hit Justin Rosado with a 48-yard catch then senior running back Treyvin Clark capped off the three-play drive with a 21-yard game-tying touchdown with 1:02 left. Siqueiros-Lasky ended the night 21-of-31 for 274 yards with Rosado getting most of those yard – 116 yards on four receptions. Clark had 105 yards on 15 carries.
Then it was Seminole’s second hero’s time to shine. With the game tied at 28, first-year kicker Liam Allen’s line up to do something he practiced all summer long.
“I practice that exact same situation all summer with Cale (former Seminoles’ kicker Cale Tomlin),” Allen said. “Right hashmark, left hash, down the middle all for a district championship against Lake Mary.
“So I just went out and executed it.”
Executed he did as the Junior sent the ball down the middle of the up rights and a one-point Noles lead.
“First year kicking and he’s getting better every game,” Calhoun said of his kicker. “Plus we’re blessed that we have him back next year.”
Lake Mary would drive to mid field, where the Noles defensive did what it has done all year, come up big when Seminole need it most. Senior Preston Watson’s out reached hands tipped a Lake Mary pass and Jovan Peterson intercepted the ball to seal the district title.
“Preston is one of the best I’ve ever coached,” Calhoun said. “He comes up with big plays, he got after it all game. He kept saying he really wanted to get in get pressure on (Lake Mary quarterback Noah Grubs).
“Preston showed again why he is one of the best players in Central Florida.”
Tied 14-each at the half, Lake Mary built its 28-14 lead with a pair of fumble recoveries and two turnovers on down by Seminole in the second half.
“I told them just keep playing football,” Calhoun said. “Then I told them don’t look at the scoreboard just keep doing what we do running our plays. Running our offense.”
The Noles took that to heart with drives of 97 and 82 yards in the second half for the win.
Seminole heads into a bye week Nov. 3, but will be back in action Nov. 10 for the FHSAA playoffs with an opponent yet to be decided.
