The defending 2A State Champions from Lakeland’s Victory Christian Academy (5-5) are going through a rebuilding process this season, but they’re in the playoffs nonetheless and ready to defend their title when they travel to Deltona’s Trinity Christian Academy (6-4) this Friday.

Filling the shoes of Caleb Lewis is no easy task–after all he threw for 2,600+ yards last season and helped lead his team to a state championship. It’s a task that new signal-caller Dalton Jenner (6-4/215) is working on–and it’s a task that he’s steadily becoming more comfortable with and productive after a rough start to the season for the Storm.

Jenner transferred before the start of the season from Lake Gibson after seeing extremely limited time for the Braves attempting just eight passes with four completions for 39 yards and an interception. After a summer grind at camps and working on his skills–and an 0-4 start to the year–Jenner has begun to flourish under Head Coach Tommy Lewis and it’s no coincidence that Victory has won five of their last six games heading into the postseason.

As mentioned during that tough start, Jenner averaged just 124 yards per game and through zero touchdowns against Pasco and Berkeley Prep. During the Storm’s 0-4 start, Jenner threw as many interceptions (3) as he did touchdowns. The last six games tell a much different story, with VCA’s only loss in the stretch coming to district champions Foundation Academy out of Winter Garden in OT 34-28 and Jenner averaging 175 yards passing per game. He has also tossed eleven touchdowns to just four interceptions.

This season, Jenner’s compiled seven games where he’s thrown for 100+ yards and has a 200+ yard performance to his credit against Cardinal Mooney. He has been credited with 1,549 of VCA’s 1,939 total yards on the season, which makes him such a valuable player–an impact player–for the Storm as they make this journey towards Orlando once again.