By: J. Daniel Pearson
At the end of the day, Osceola got everything it wanted against District 5 opponent Melbourne. The Kowboys running game clicked, it won the special teams game, its defense dominated, and Osceola got out of the game without any serious injuries in a 48-7 win Friday night.
The win pushed Osceola to 4-2 in the season and 1-0 in district play; while Melbourne fell to 3-3, 0-1. Osceola now heads into its bye week and will just need to beat Viera (3-3) on the road Oct. 11 to clinch another district championship and secure an automatic bid into the state playoffs.
In the early going, it did not look like it was going to be easy for the Kowboys.
On the game’s first snap, Melbourne quarterback Michael Rogers threw a quick screen to James Knolmayer, who lateraled it to Cannan McCarthy who sprinted down the right side 80 yards untouched for a score.
Although Osceola moved the ball well on its first possession, Melbourne came up with a fumble recovery and held a 7-0 lead after four minutes.
That would be the absolute extent of the Bulldogs highlights for the evening.
Osceola’s running game and defense would take total control for the rest of the game.
Things started to turnaround just two plays after the Kowboys turnover, as Melbourne running back Kymarrion Johnson was slammed hard at the line and fumble; Osceola recovered deep in Bulldog territory. Two plays later, Elijah Hickson scored on a 2-yard plunge to tie it, 7-7.
A quick three-and-out set up a 32-yard touchdown run from Taevion Swint and one play later, Elijah Melendez would snag a one-handed interception and race 24-yards as Osceola took command, 21-7.
Melendez would then recover an on-sides squib kickoff, and four plays later Jeff Sinophat scored from 17 yards out. In all, Osceola needed just over six minutes of clock time to score four touchdowns and take a 28-7 lead.
Osceola would add touchdown runs of 55 yards from Sinophat and 27 yards from Hickson, as Osceola built the lead to 41-7 at the half.
Taking the second half kickoff, Swint capped a 7-play, 67-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. The score pushed the lead to 42 points and brought the running clock. Osceola would play its reserves for the remainder of the game.
“When a team is over-matched physically, you know they are going to resort to some trick plays,” Osceola coach Eric Pinellas said. “To their credit, the first one worked. But even after we fumbled on our first series, I didn’t sense any panic. We simply went out and dominated the rest of the game.”
The overall numbers were staggering in Osceola’s favor.
Osceola rushed for 302 yards on just 32 carries. Swint (7-107) and Sinophat (6-101) led the way; while Hickson added 52 yards on eight carries. All three scored two touchdowns each. Overall, the Kowboys outgained Melbourne 403-109, averaging more than 10 yards per play.
Swint, who missed most of the Week 2 game with Lake Mary with a shoulder injury, has continued a remarkable string despite playing hurt. He has now rushed for 431 yards and six touchdowns on just 27 carries over the last four games. “We are certainly trying to limit his workload but Taevion has been outstanding,” Pinellas said of his senior running back. “This bye week is coming at a great time for us. It will give Taevion and some other guys a week to heal because we have some really tough games coming up in the second half of the season.”
Osceola allowed just 29 net yards on 35 plays after the opening big play. Its defense forced two turnovers, had a quarterback sack and five other tackles for loss.
Score by Quarters
Melbourne 7 0 0 0 –7
Osceola 28 13 7 0 –48
M: Cannan McCarthy 80 Pass from Michael Rogers (Malachi Reid kick)
O: Elijah Hickson 2 run (Adrian Gonzalez kick)
O: Taevion Swint 32 run (Gonzalez kick)
O: Elijah Melendez 24 interception return (Gonzalez kick)
O: Jeff Sinophant 17 run (Gonzalez kick)
O: Sinophat 55 run (Gonzalez kick)
O: Hickson 27 run (Kick failed)
O: Swint 2 run (Gonzalez kick)
