Middleton, Fla. — An explosive first-half offense and a stingy second-half defense led The Villages High School football team to victory Friday night in Middleton.

The Buffalo picked up a 38-20 victory over visiting Lecanto at H.G. Morse Stadium, improving to 2-0 overall with their second home win in as many weeks to open the 2025 season.

VHS racked up 302 rushing yards and four scores on the ground, while the defense kept the visiting Panthers (1-1) off the scoreboard entirely in the second half.

"What an overall team effort and team win tonight," said VHS head coach Richard Pettus. "That thing could've gone either way, especially early, but we really found a way to persevere and get a win against a great football team."

Kevonte Corbin was the catalyst to the Buffalo effort for the second straight week, as the senior do-it-all athlete ran 12 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Corbin also hauled in two receptions for 70 yards and a score to go along with two tackles on defense.

The VHS offense also featured a new wrinkle, as Corbin lined up in the quarterback position at various points throughout Friday night's win and trudged ahead on the ground. The former dual-threat quarterback scored twice in the first half out of the direct-snap attack, including a 3-yard touchdown to cap an eight-play, 82-yard scoring drive on the first series of the night.

"We put it in a couple weeks ago and we needed it a little more tonight," Pettus said of the new-look rushing attack. "It really worked to our advantage and it helped us get on the scoreboard first."

It appeared Lecanto was going to take a 20-17 lead into halftime, but the speed of Antwon Johnson denied that opportunity for the visitors with less than a minute to play in the second quarter. The junior receiver motioned left and took a toss that same direction, before using his speed to squirt through the defense for a 76-yard touchdown run and a 24-20 advantage for the Buffalo at the break. 

That sparked a run of 21 unanswered points by VHS to finish the night, as Jadence Kennedy hit Corbin for a 54-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and Jeremiah Wimes added a 17-yard touchdown run in the fourth for the final margin.

Kennedy finished 10-of-14 passing for 126 yards, Ja'Marian Clark had a team-high three receptions and Cole Logan rushed for 56 yards. Wimes and Logan led the way defensively with 13 and 11 tackles, respectively.

Up next, the Buffalo (2-0) will take to the road for the first time this season, as they battle South Lake (2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday night in Groveland.

"It gives you a lot of confidence as a football team when you have to go and earn a victory like this, especially early in the season," Pettus said. "We've got to continue to get better. We know what's ahead of us with a big, physical South Lake team, and we've got to be ready to go."


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