By: J. Daniel Pearson
Positively Osceola
Published 10/6/2025
The Osceola Kowboys (4-2, 1-0) can punch their ticket to the post-season on Friday night when they host Viera (4-2, 0-0) in a District 5, 6A showdown on Friday night at Markus Paul Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
With an 18-10 win over Melbourne two weeks ago, Osceola can secure the small three-team district title with a win over Viera. The teams met twice last year with the Kowboys winning 49-9 in the regular season and 58-14 in the first round of the 6A playoffs.
Osceola coach Eric Pinellas says the Hawks are an improved team this year. “They have a dynamic quarterback who is pretty effective with the run-pass option and they have a big back who they like to hammer to the inside,” he said. “Defensively, they play a four-man front but I expect them to go to a 5-man front to try to take away our running game. I’ve watched all of their game films this year and they are sort of a hard team to figure out. They have looked really good in some wins but have taken some questionable losses too.”
Viera is 4-2 this season and is led by quarterback Eric Nelson, is a 62% passer and the team’s second leading rusher. Running back Duke Butler (6-1, 190) is a big back that has amassed 600 yards rushing this season.
Osceola used a “bye-week” to get some key players back. Although starting running back Jaxson Hardnett (ankle) will miss the game, two-way standout Jakyri Watson and starting tight end Cole Vanderkin will return to the starting lineup.
“They are a solid team,” Pinellas added. “As always, we need to take care of our business. Cutting down on penalties and turnovers, which plagued us in our last game, will be the key.”
With a win, Osceola would clinch its 19th consecutive playoff appearance and take the district championship for the 13th time in its last 14 tries (no district play was held in 2020 because of Covid).
Elsewhere, Harmony (3-3, 0-1) can stay alive in the District 10, 7A race with a road win over Lake Nona. Both teams were idle last week and like the Longhorns, the Lions (3-3, 0-1) must win to stay alive in the district race that also includes Tohopekaliga (3-3, 1-0) and St. Cloud (4-2, 1-0).
“Not a huge fan of bye weeks, but it did allow us to get healthier,” Simon said. “It’s obviously a huge game for both teams. We used the bye week to get back to basics.”
Already down four starters, Tohopekaliga lost record-setting quarterback Sabby Meassick to a shoulder injury in the first quarter of a 43-7 loss to Lake Brantley. The game remained close in the first half, with the Tigers trailing just 14-7. Gabriel Velez entered for Meassick and was 5-for-14 for 34 yards. Xaevez Brown carried 16 times for 92 yards.
The Tigers will attempt to rebound this week when they host Master’s Academy for a non-district match-up. Master’s is a two-time defending Sunshine State Athletic Conference champion (2023-24) are 4-3 this season.
Poinciana (2-4) is coming off a 20-6 loss to Lake Region and will host a solid Auburndale (4-2) team on Friday night. The Eagles fell behind to Lake Region, 6-0, on a pick six and gave up touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters to fall behind 20-0 before closing the gap on a Daveon Williams touchdown run. Auburndale’s two losses this season have gone to state-ranked powers Jones and Lakeland.
Following a tough 27-0 loss to St. Cloud (Read story here: St. Cloud Bulldogs Dominate Gateway in 27–0 Shutout Victory ), Gateway (2-4) travels to Lake Placid (2-3) on Friday night. Despite the final score, the Panthers played a solid game against the Bulldogs, moving the ball effectively on the ground as sophomore Nydrell Thigpen rushed for a career-high 158 yards. Still, they were unable to crack the goal line and turned the ball over five times in the loss. “We’re a really young team but we have to find a way to put the ball in the end zone, take care of the ball and stop with the stupid penalties,” Coach Marlin Roberts said.
After getting their first win of the season with a 24-6 win over Liberty (0-5) on Friday night, the Celebration (1-5, 0-1) will travel to Olympia (1-5, 0-1) for a District 9, 7A game. In the Charger win, Celebration’s Jayden Rodriguez scored twice and Landon Yaw fired a touchdown pass to Noel Astor-Nubin. Yael Estevez posted Liberty’s lone score. Liberty will host a surprising Space Coast (6-1) on Friday.
With the Gateway win, St. Cloud hits its bye week before returning to action Oct. 17 against Tohopekaliga in a key district game for both teams.
FRIDAY’S WEEK 8 GAMES
Viera at Osceola, 7 p.m.*
Celebration at Olympia, 7 p.m.*
Space Coast at Liberty, 7 p.m.
Gateway at Lake Placid, 7 p.m.
Master’s Academy at Tohopekaliga, 7 p.m.
Harmony at Lake Nona, 7 p.m.*
St. Cloud, bye
*Indicates District Game
