Middleton, Fla. — The Villages High School football team looks to keep its postseason hopes alive tonight from The Range at H.G. Morse Stadium.
The Buffalo (1-5 overall, 0-1 district) will host the Mount Dora Hurricanes (5-1, 1-0) in a Class 2S-District 10 tilt at 7 p.m. in Middleton, where VHS will seek its first district win and keep a potential state playoff tiebreaker in its favor this fall.
The Villages dropped its lone district matchup to date back on Sept. 29 at Eustis, who currently sits atop the standings at 2-0, while Mount Dora is 1-0 in league play after beating Umatilla two weeks ago.
District champions receive an automatic berth into the state playoffs at season's end, while at-large bids are determined via the state's power rankings system.
THE MATCHUP
The Villages Buffalo
Record: 1-5 overall, 0-1 district
Class 2S Rank (MaxPreps): 43
Head Coach:
Richard Pettus, 21st year
Mount Dora Hurricanes
Record: 5-1 overall, 1-0 district
Class 3S Rank (MaxPreps): 32
Head Coach: Luke Hutchinson, 2nd year
THE SCENE
Date: Friday, Oct. 13
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.
Location: The Range at H.G. Morse Stadium, 2210 Dr. Randy McDaniel Way, Middleton (Fla.)
Surface: FieldTurf
Series: Mount Dora leads 5-2
Last Meeting: Mount Dora 42, The Villages 7 (Oct. 14, 2022)
Live Updates: @VHSFootballFBT (Twitter/X)
Website: athletics.tvcs.org
Tickets: $8
THE STANDINGS
Class 2S-District 10
1. Eustis: 2-0 district, 4-3 overall
2. Mount Dora: 1-0 district, 5-1 overall
3. The Villages: 0-1 district, 1-5 overall
4. Umatilla: 0-2 district, 0-6 overall
FOUR DOWNS
1. Wall It Off: VHS will look to shore up its run defense tonight against Mount Dora, after surrendering a season-high 341 yards on the ground in last week's 41-0 loss to Mitchell. The Buffalo defense also allowed four rushing touchdowns.
2. Finish Those Drives: The Buffalo offense has come away without points in four of its last five trips into opposing territory. VHS was kept off the scoreboard in all three visits to the plus-side of the field last week against Mitchell.
3. Sepe Slings It: The Hurricanes are led offensively by junior quarterback Jake Sepe, who has completed 65% of his passes this season. He has thrown for 11 touchdowns to just one interception.
4. The Hutch Way: Second-year head coach Luke Hutchinson is 11-5 overall at Mount Dora. His 11 wins to date are more than the three previous seasons for the Hurricanes combined (7).
FROM THE HEADSET
"We know what we're up against and how much of a challenge (Mount Dora) is going to be, but our kids will show up and they'll be ready." —
VHS head coach Richard Pettus
Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment at cody.hills@tvcs.org or by calling (352) 259-6890.
