Mount Dora, Fla. — Four touchdowns, five takeaways and one key play on special teams lifted The Villages High School football team to a crucial road victory Friday night in Mount Dora.

The Buffalo found the end zone four times — three coming after forcing one of five Mount Dora turnovers on the night — before VHS blocked a game-tying extra point late to stun the Hurricanes, 27-26, at MDHS Stadium. 

With the win, VHS (5-3 overall) sits a little more comfortably in the Class 2A-Region 2 playoff race with just one week to go, as the Buffalo now look ahead to a district matchup next Thursday night on the road at Astronaut in Titusville.

"The message all week long to our guys was that we had to execute, and they did that for most of the game tonight," said VHS head coach Richard Pettus. "When we do that and we play as capable as I know we can, good things will happen to us. Good things happened for the Buffalo tonight."

The night started with a pair of surprises, as Mount Dora (8-2) lost a fumble on just the second play of the game. The Hurricanes entered the contest having surrendered just eight turnovers over their previous nine games this season.

That's when VHS junior quarterback Patrick Harding also trotted out to lead the Buffalo offense, in place of sophomore Ja'dence Kennedy, who previously started the past three games for The Villages after replacing Harding earlier this year. Pettus categorized the change as a "coach's decision," with Harding promptly leading VHS on a six-play scoring drive, capped by a 7-yard touchdown run from Maleek Williams.

"I've said all year that I truly believe we've got two great quarterbacks who can run our offense efficiently," Pettus said. "I'm really proud of Pat (Harding) for coming in there and leading us, but you saw it, J (Kennedy) was right there supporting him and our team. We know we're going to continue to need both of them ready to go."

The Buffalo extended their lead to 13-0 after methodical 10-play, 95-yard possession, marking the longest scoring drive this season for VHS. The series featured a pair of third-down conversions and another on fourth down, with Harding finding Omari Hill on a 7-yard slant for a score with 8:19 left in the second quarter.

Mount Dora cut into the lead with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jake Sepe to Zyshonne Perry to make it 13-7 just a minute later, before the Buffalo again hit the end zone off a Hurricanes turnover.

An interception by Jayden Danforth set VHS up in good field position, with the Buffalo cashing in on a 41-yard scoring strike from Harding to Hill again to make it 20-7 with 1:09 left before halftime.

"I trust my guys and Coach Pettus, and I know they're going to make the most of our opportunities," Harding said. "I know our receivers are going to go make plays and our line is going to block for me. You go back to the two touchdowns in the first half, they did a great job blocking and I had time to throw, and Omari (Hill) just went out there and made plays."

The Hurricanes halved their deficit with a 24-yard field goal from Cayden McCoy as time expired in the first half, sending the Buffalo into the break with a 20-10 lead. VHS also held a 186-139 advantage in offensive yards in the first half, largely thanks to 99 yards on the ground from Williams.

Following a scoreless third quarter, Harding found his older brother, senior tight end Jon-Jon Harding, on an 18-yard touchdown pass to push VHS up 27-10 with 1!:30 to play in the fourth quarter. That closed a brief three-play drive, which was set up by an interception in plus-territory from Landry Steele-Denley.

But that's when Mount Dora started to make its push back into things, as Tymir Gaines scored on a 3-yard touchdown run and McCoy added another field goal to make it 27-20 with four minutes to play. The Buffalo were quickly forced to punt on the ensuing possession.

And on a fourth-and-short at their own 14-yard line, the Hurricanes struck for an 86-yard touchdown pass from Sepe to Tanner Waring, bringing Mount Dora within 27-26 with 2:01 remaining. But it was Buffalo senior Connor Cook who made the game-saving play, as he sprinted off the left edge and dove to block the extra-point attempt from McCoy, preserving the win for VHS following a successful onside kick recovery.
 
"We knew we had to go block it," Pettus said. "I'm just so proud of the kids for coming through there because we talk about it all the time, you sometimes only have one play to be perfect on special teams. That phase of the game played such a big part in our win tonight and in that one play, they were perfect."

Patrick Harding finished 10-of-17 passing for 106 yards, with six completions tallying 52 yards for Jon-Jon Harding, while Cook also recovered two fumbles on defense in the win.

The Buffalo now head to Titusville on a short week to take on Astronaut (5-4), who sat one spot ahead of VHS in seventh in the Class 2A-Region 2 playoff rankings entering this week, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. on Nov. 7.

"We've got to be real smart on Monday and Tuesday with how we choose to practice, because we obviously have to try and go take care of business down there," Pettus said. "They're a good football team — but we can compete with them — and now we really know what's at stake."


Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment via email at cody.hills@tvcs.org.