Lake Mary outlasts Dr. Phillips, 24-13, to advance to first state championship game

Rams score 14 unanswered points in 4th quarter to rally past Panthers in Class 7A semifinal battle

The Lake Mary Rams are poised to go toe-to-toe with the Dr. Phillips Panthers in a FHSAA Class 7A state semifinal / Lake Mary Rams Football Instagram

RECAP

In a game of momentum shifts, it was the Lake Mary Rams that made the last charge a winning one in one of Central Florida's biggest showdowns of the 2024 season.

Trailing 13-10 with 2 minutes, 28 seconds left in the third quarter and its offensively seemingly collapsing, Lake Mary scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and used a stellar defensive effort to beat visiting Dr. Phillips, 24-13, in a Class7A state semifinal on Friday night. Parker Perales proved to be the offensive hero for the Rams, scoring on TD runs of 18 and 2 yards in the final 11 minutes, and Rodney Joyner, Luke Prieto, Jack Lorenz and Aireese Martin led a determined defense for the winners.

In avenging its 26-21 loss to DP on Sept. 20, Lake Mary (12-2) advanced to play Venice (13-1) in the Class 7A state championship game on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Florida International University in Miami. Venice held off Miami Columbius, 33-27, in the other semifinal.

"If I'm being honest, it doesn't even feel real," said an elated Perales. "I love this team and all the hard work we've put in has paid off. Every single one of us put our heads down and told ourselves we are going to Miami and everything fell into play from there. Other than that, nothing new for us. Big win and job's not finished.

"State champs or bust has been our saying since Day 1 and that won't change until we have a ring on our finger," Perales said. "God's got a plan. All we have to do is trust it and execute like we've been taught to."

The latest showdown between DP (12-2) and Lake Mary proved to be just as nail-biting as the first go-around. The Rams led just 7-0 at the end of the first quarter and 10-6 at halftime as both schools employed ball-control offenses over the first 24 minutes.

Lake Mary looked sharp on its first two possessions, getting a 1-yard TD run from quarterback Noah Grubbs and a 29-yard field goal from Emilio Bacardi to take a 10-0 lead with 11:58 left in the second quarter.

DP seemed poised to counter after getting new life on a roughing-the-kicker penalty on a punt, keeping its drive alive. But the Panthers ran out of gas on the Rams' 20-yard line as quarterback Stanley Anderson-Lofton was forced to throw the ball away on a fourth-down play for a turnover on downs.

After a Lake Mary punt, Anderson-Lofton hit Mykel Calixte, who got behind the safety for a spectacular 78-yard catch-and-run for a TD with 1:50 left in the first half. DP missed the extra-point kick and trailed 10-6.

Grubbs then ripped off three straight completions of 17, 19 and 18 yards to Carson Friedman to set the Rams up at DP's 11-yard line. But multiple penalties backed up Lake Mary, and Bacardi missed a 21-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

The field goal miss was the beginning of an uncharacteristic dry spell for Lake Mary's offense, which was forced to punt the ball away on the opening possession of the second half. DP then ripped off an impressive time-gobbling 17-play, 92-yard drive culminated by a 5-yard TD run from Amari Major out of the Wildcat. After the PAT, the Panthers led 13-10 with 2:28 left in the third quarter.

Lake Mary went on to punt again, but the Rams' defense stepped up on DP's next possession, forcing a punt. Grubbs hit then Frieman on a pair of 21- and 27-yard passes to set up Perales' 18-yard TD with 10:16 remaining,

Later in the fourth, a shanked DP punt set up Lake Mary at the Panthers' 15-yard line. Four plays later, Perales smashed in from the 2-yard line to give the Rams a 24-13 lead with 2:30 left.

An interception by Lake Mary's Curtis Woods with 1:31 left helped secure the victory.

Read below to see the whole game unfolded:

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Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, and High School on SI will have live updates from the game right here.

You can also watch the game live on the NFHS Network.

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Lake Mary vs. Dr. Phillips Live Updates

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PREGAME

- Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm ET

Rams have won nine straight heading into this rematch with Dr. Phillips, which won 26-21 on Sept. 20. The Panthers are 3-1 all-time in state semifinals, having won it all in 2017.

Winner of DP-Lake Mary takes on either Venice (12-1) or Miami Columbus (9-3) in the state championship game on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 12:30 p.m., at FIU's Pitbull Stadium in Miami.

1ST QUARTER

Lake Mary kicks off to DP

MISTAKES riddle DP's first drive with timeout before first snap and then a false start on 4th-and-1, forcing a punt.

LAKE MARY on the march behind star QB Noah Grubbs, who is running and passing!

TOUCHDOWN! Lake Mary mixes the run and pass on monster time-consuming 56-yard TD run, with Noah Grubbs capping things with a 1-yard keeper with 6:13 left in 1Q. Grubbs ran 4 times for 31 yards on the drive! Lake Mary 7, Dr. Phillips 0.

DP forced to punt on 3-and-out.

Lake Mary's Parker Perales showing great moves at running back!

LAKE MARY getting great contributions at running back with Parker Perales and Gavin Isaacs!

END OF FIRST QUARTER: Lake Mary 7,Dr. Phillips 0.

2ND QUARTER

FIELD GOAL: Lake Mary's Emilio Bacardi booms 29-yard field goal with 11;58 left in 2Q. Rams lead Dr. Phillips, 10-0!

DP forced into 3-and-out but Lake Mary flagged for roughing the kicker.

PANTHERS ON THE MARCH! At Lake Mary 28-yard line.

STOPPED! DP drives to Lake Mary 21-yard line but bad snap on 4th down resiults in QB Stanle Anderson-Lofton throwing incomplete pass. Turnover on downs. 5:20 left in 2Q. Lake Mary leads 10-0.

LAKE MARY big 35-yard pass from Noah Grubbs to Carson Hinshaw.

Dr. Phillips secondary steps up, forces Lake Mary punt. DeMarco Henderson deflects pass on 3rd down for Panthers.

TOUCHDOWN! Panthers strike! QB Stanley Anderson-Lofton beautiful pass to Mykel Calixte, who scores on 78-yard catch-and-run. Dr. Phillips, however, misses the PAT and trails 10-6 with 1:50 left in 2Q. LAKE MARY 10, DR. PHILLIPS 6

LAKE MARY drives to Dr. Phillips 5-yard line, but Emilio Bacardi misses 21-yard field goal on last play of first half. Lake Mary 10, Dr. Phillips 6

END OF SECOND QUARTER: Lake Mary 10, Dr. Phillips 6.

SECOND HALF

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3RD QUARTER

LAKE MARY drives to DP 46-yard punt, Noah Grubbs delivers nice punt to 8-yard line.

PENALTIES hurting Lake Mary.

TIMEOUT Dr. Phillips 7:42 left 3Q.

DR. PHILLIPS converts 2 key 3rd-and-1 situations to get 1st down at Lake Mary 45-yard line.

TOUCHDOWN! Amari Major powers in from 5 yards out in Wildcat for Dr. Phillips! Panthers lead Lake Mary for the first time, 13-10, with 2:28 left in 3Q.

DEFENSE: Dr. Phillips forces 3-and-out. Lake Mary punts 1:28 left 3Q.

END OF THIRD QUARTER: DP 13, Lake Mary 10

4TH QUARTER

DEFENSE! Lake Mary forces 3-and-out!

PASS INTERFERENCE on DP on long pass from Lake Mary's Noah Grubbs.

TOUCHDOWN! Parker Perales amazing 18-yard scramble gives Lake Mary 17-13 lead over Dr. Phillips with 10:16 left! Big 27-yard pass from Noah Grubbs to Carson Friedman set up TD!

LAKE MARY DEFENSE stuffs Dr. Phillips at its 1-yard line, forces punt. But the Panthers flip the field with huge 63-yard punt!!

LAKE MARY punts to Dr. Phillips 6-yard line with 5:54 left in game! Rams lead 17-13!!

LAKE MARY INJURY TIMEOUT. Number 50

DEFENSE!! Lake Mary forces another 3-and-out!! DP shanks punt.

LAKE MARY closing in on another TD.

TOUCHDOWN! Lake Mary's Parker Perales crashes off left tackle for big 2-yard score!! Rams lead Dr. Phillips, 24-13, with 2:30 left!!

Lake Mary crowd shouting "Defense, "Defense" with time running out.

INTERCEPTION!! Lake Mary picks off DP pass near its sideline with less than 1:30 left. Lake Mary leads Dr. Phillips, 24-13!

LAKE MARY punts ball, only 28 seconds left.

FINAL SCORE: Lake Mary 24, Dr. Phillips 13. Rams advance to their first-ever state championship game!!

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POST GAME NOTES

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