Thunder trounces Kings in Homecoming rout

LAKEWOOD RANCH — At any given moment, Out-of-Door Academy senior Chris Ragone can be found on the field scorching defenses and hauling in touchdown passes or wreaking havoc on opposing offenses.

Such was the case Oct. 22, when Ragone caught a touchdown from backup quarterback Evan Wilson and rushed in for another score, propelling ODA to an early 35-0 first-quarter lead over Southwest Florida Christian Academy.

But on that particular night, Ragone wasn’t just the Thunder’s potent wide receiver or its shutdown defensive back — he was also ODA’s King. In front of hundreds of screaming fans clad in navy blue and white, Ragone was crowned Homecoming King during ODA’s first-ever on-campus Homecoming game.

The celebration only continued for Ragone and his teammates as the host Thunder went on to defeat the Kings 49-8 in Class 1B-District 6 action. With the win, ODA improves to 4-3 (4-1) on the season.

After finding the end zone five times in the first quarter, ODA coach Brett Timmons began emptying his bench, allowing some of his younger players, including third-string quarterback TD Dietrich, to play in front of their families and friends.

“It’s important because they don’t get rewarded often with playing time on Friday,” Timmons said. “It’s our way of saying ‘thank you’ and ‘we appreciate your service.’

“I think all the kids who haven’t played a majority of minutes (stood out),” he added. “They got an opportunity to perform in front of their family and friends.”

Wilson got the call under center for the second straight game, replacing injured quarterback Brian Ragone. The sophomore threw a pair of touchdown passes to Ragone and sophomore Jimmy Donnellan before turning the ball over to Dietrich early in the second quarter.

ODA continued to light up the scoreboard as junior running back Christos Eraclides rushed for nearly 150 yards and three touchdowns. Following Eraclides’ final touchdown in the third quarter, the Kings coaching staff agreed to a running clock for the remainder of the game.

Dietrich connected with tight end Ryan Kaminski for the Thunder’s final score of the night.

“I think they were pretty pumped up,” Timmons said. “The student section was lively and that energy — our kids fed off it throughout the whole game.”

ODA returns to district action at 7:30 p.m., tomorrow night at Moore Haven.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].