Dunnellon grinds out playoff win over Mount Dora

Dunnellon’s Sean Martin (4) strips the ball from Mount Dora’s Aaron Staples (17) during the regional quarterfinal at Dunnellon High School in Dunnellon, Fla. on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. Dunnellon won the game 28-7. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

When postseason football rolls around, the team that makes the best adjustments usually wins the game. After tweaking its blocking scheme at halftime, a physical Dunnellon squad came out for the second half and ran the ball with a vengeance as senior running back Dylan Donahoe rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries to lead the Tigers to a dominating 28-7 win over Mount Dora in Friday night’s Class 3A-Region 2 quarterfinal at Richard Kennedy Stadium.

The hard-fought win improved Dunnellon, which won its fifth game in a row, to 8-3 on the season. The playoff victory was just the ninth in the last 25 years for the Tigers, who rushed for more than 200 yards against the Hurricanes.

“That’s a huge win,” said Dunnellon coach and graduate Tommy Sutton. “We went in at halftime and our offensive staff did a phenomenal job and saw some things and we went back to what we do, which is smashmouth football. We got in the Wing-T and went to work. Our defense was lights out because number nine (Tymir Gaines) is a heck of a football player and is the second leading rusher in the state. We knew we had to contain him and hats off to the defense for playing four quarters.”

Mount Dora, the number six seed, finished the season with a record of 8-3. The Hurricanes were led by Gaines, who picked up a hard-earned 91 yards on 16 carries against a swarming and relentless Tigers’ defense.

Dunnellon struck first on its second possession of the game after a good punt return gave the Tigers excellent field position at the Mount Dora 25. Four running plays moved the ball to the one and senior tailback Jeffery Vickers found the end zone from a yard out behind outstanding blocking by his offensive line. Vickers gained 52 yards on 11 carries. The extra point by senior kicker Mark Pastorella gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Mount Dora answered with its best drive of the night two possessions later. The Hurricanes marched 71 yards in eight plays, with Gaines ripping off an 18-yard scoring scamper around left end. The point after by Caden McCoy tied the score at 7-7 at the half.

Dunnellon, which attempted seven passes in the first half, took the second-half kickoff and proceeded to gouge the Hurricanes defense with strong inside runs by Donahoe and quick sweeps to the outside by senior Jayvyn Fraziars and Vickers. Fraziars capped the nine-play, 77-yard drive with an eight-yard scoring run. The extra point by Pastorella put the Tigers on top by a score of 14-7 midway through the third period.

Mount Dora moved the ball to the Dunnellon 28-yard line on its ensuing possession, but a fourth-down pass by Hurricane quarterback Jake Sepe fell incomplete, giving the ball back to Dunnellon. The Tigers extended their lead when sophomore Tony Tanner broke several tackles on his way to a 17-yard touchdown run. The point after made it 21-7 early in the fourth quarter.

The Hurricanes went nowhere and were forced to punt. Dunnellon took over at midfield and wasted no time in finding the end zone as Donahoe, who also plays middle linebacker, went untouched on a 40-yard touchdown run through the heart of the Mount Dora defense. The extra point gave the Tigers a commanding 28-7 lead with 5:55 left in the game.

“I’ve been here a long time and Dylan will go down as a legend in school history,” coach Sutton said. “He’s a great football player, but an even better person.”

Mount Dora continued to battle and moved the ball to the Dunnellon 40-yard line before time ran out. The Tigers, the number three seed in the regional, will play at Bishop Moore (Orlando) in a regional semifinal on Nov. 22. The Hornets, who are the number two seed, defeated Gainesville Eastside by a score of 35-6 on Friday night.

“This is a great win and we’re going to enjoy it tonight and tomorrow and then get ready to play a really tough Bishop Moore team,” coach Sutton said. “We’re going to focus on us and if the best version of us shows up next Friday, and I know it will, we’ll like the result.”

Vanguard 35 Leesburg 10
Vanguard defeated Leesburg by a score of 35-10 in the Class 4A-Region 2 quarterfinals on Friday night at Booster Stadium. The Knights will host Lake Wales on Nov. 22 in a regional semifinal.

Providence 26 Trinity Catholic 7
The Providence School (Jacksonville) beat Trinity Catholic by a score of 26-7 in the Class 1A-Region 2 quarterfinals on Friday night. The Celtics finished the season with a record of 2-9.