The Lake Wales Highlanders picked up one of their biggest victories of the season Thursday night, defeating Orlando Jones 28-6 in a rain-soaked district matchup in Orlando.
The victory improved Lake Wales to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in Class 4A, District 7, putting the Highlanders in control of the district championship race.
It was also a measure of revenge for Lake Wales, which lost twice to Jones last season, including a 24-10 defeat in the regional playoffs that ended the Highlanders’ season.
Heavy rain created difficult playing conditions throughout much of Thursday’s game. Both teams struggled with wet footballs, fumbles and mishandled snaps, but Lake Wales eventually took control behind its defense and a strong second-half performance from sophomore quarterback Kingston Loydd.
The Highlanders led 8-0 at halftime after senior running back Kamari Smith scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. Lake Wales added a safety when a bad Jones snap went into the end zone.
Jones briefly made things interesting early in the second half, capitalizing on a Lake Wales interception to cut the deficit to 8-6.
However, the Highlanders responded.
Loydd directed a scoring drive that included several strong runs by Smith and a 17-yard completion to Ja’quez Robinson. Loydd finished the possession with a 16-yard touchdown run to extend the lead.
Lake Wales continued to capitalize on Jones mistakes, recovering another fumble before Loydd connected with senior receiver Kaneilius Purdy for an 8-yard touchdown.
The Highlanders added another touchdown in the fourth quarter when Loydd found Purdy again, putting the game out of reach.
Lake Wales’ defense was particularly impressive against a Jones team that entered Thursday riding a four-game winning streak.
Lake Wales’ biggest stars certainly showed up when they were needed, but Thursday night’s victory was very much a team effort. The Highlanders’ defense was outstanding, special teams helped create multiple turnovers, and once the offense found its footing, Lake Wales took control of the game. That was especially impressive considering just how difficult the conditions were. Heavy rain left the field soaked and made simply handling the football a challenge at times, but the Highlanders adjusted to the conditions, took advantage of Jones’ mistakes and made big plays in all three phases of the game.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Jones fumbled eight times, with Lake Wales recovering six of them. The Tigers struggled to establish any consistent offense against the Highlanders’ defense.
The victory was Lake Wales’ sixth consecutive win since a season-opening 35-34 loss to DeLand.
During that winning streak, the Highlanders have defeated Sebring, Winter Haven, Lake Region, Osceola, Brandon and now Jones.
Thursday’s victory was particularly significant because Jones had become a difficult opponent for Lake Wales. The Tigers defeated the Highlanders 48-22 during the 2025 regular season before eliminating them from the playoffs in November.
This time, Lake Wales came away with the victory.
The Highlanders will return home to Legion Field on Thursday, October 22, to face Kathleen in another district matchup.
A victory would complete an undefeated district schedule for Lake Wales.
