By: J. Daniel Pearson
Positively Osceola
Although its ticket to the post season was punched with its district clinching win over Viera earlier this month, Osceola (6-3) faces an important regular season finale this week when it travels to the St. Petersburg area to face Lakewood (8-1), a team ranked number three in the state in Class 2A.
It is the final game of a two-year contract that saw Osceola win 28-22 last year at Markus Paul Stadium. At stake for the Kowboys is playoff seeding. “Looking at the rankings, I feel pretty good that we have already secured a first-round home game,” Kowboys coach Eric Pinellas said. “But a road win over a highly ranked Lakewood team would give us a possible shot at a second home game in the playoffs.”
“It’s going to be a tough game,” Pinellas said. “Offensively they are balanced and gifted. Defensively they are on the smaller side but are very athletic. They have great team speed. On top of everything, it is homecoming and senior night, so you know they will be jacked to play.”
Pinellas remained upbeat after last week’s 35-27 upset home loss to Lake Wales (7-2). “I really felt our offense started to wake up. We ran the ball well, didn’t turn it over, and we forced turnovers on both special teams and defense. I thought the defense actually played well,” Pinellas said. “We were playing an inexperienced safety and as a team we allowed three big plays, we shut those down and it would have been a different outcome.”
Osceola had almost 400 yards in total offense in the loss. Jeff Sinophat, back from concussion protocol, rushed for 122 yards and Alijah Jenkins (16-102) also topped the century mark. Amaree Rutland threw for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Coming off an emotional 14-7 win over Harmony in the Soldier City Classic, St. Cloud (7-2) is in position to hit eight regular season wins for the first time since 2008, when they host Lake Minneola (1-8).
This game holds some interest as Bulldogs sophomore quarterback Jerrmiah Lattier (271 yards per game, 20 touchdowns and 8 interceptions) will be facing the school he transferred from last year.
Although the Bulldogs have been good on offense, head coach Mike Short says it has been the defense that has made the difference this year. “We have been solid both up front and in the box and I truly believe our secondary is one of the fastest in the state. Our defense has not gotten the credit they deserve this year.”
Led by Bryce Wiliams (8 interceptions, 15 PD) and DE Jude Cockcroft (4 QS), the St. Cloud defense has recorded 15 sacks, 20 interceptions, 36 pass defenses, and 46 tackles-for-losses this season in allowing opponents just 14 points per game.
Although a win would not necessarily help St. Cloud’s seeding, Smart hopes the Bulldogs will be on top of their game. “The rankings formula is sort of a mystery, so I’m not sure whether a big point differential would really matter. The first goal is to win but I want to put a good show on for our fans because they have been so great in supporting us all year. It’s also senior night, so if the game allows, we want to get some quality playing time in for our senior reserves.”
After back-to-back losing seasons where the Longhorns won five games total, Harmony (4-5) can reach .500 on the season with a home win over Colonial (2-7). Other than a 43-7 week one blowout loss to Windermere, the Longhorns have been basically in every game all season and have improved considerably as the year progressed.
“Our kids have started to understand that winning football means preparing the right way and always fighting through adversity. We have been drilling into them that when things go bad, you can sit and dwell on it or you can fight through it and change the circumstance. It’s never over and there’s always something you can do it about it,” Simon said. “The one thing I was most proud of last week was when we went down 14-0 in the second half, this group never gave up and fought to the end.”
Coming off its bye week, independent Gateway (4-5) can reach .500 for the first time since 2018 with a win in Week 11 at Celebration (1-8). Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday night. Although Roberts believes the Panthers let several winnable games get away from them early in the season– the Panthers have won three of their last four.
“This game is incredibly important for this team’s psyche,” Roberts said. “We’ve made some solid strides this season but to reach .500 for the year would give us a lot of momentum for next year.” If the Panthers win, Roberts said he would most likely look for a bowl game for his players.
Despite Celebration’s record, Roberts says he is not taking the game for granted. “Coach Blanton is sort of in a similar situation as we are. He also has a young team and is trying to install a new culture. He has some really good athletes, who also do not give up. I have spent all week trying to convince our players and coaches, that we better strap it on, because it is not going to be walk through the park.”
After a loss to Lake Nona last week, Tohopekaliga (4-5) can finish at .500 with a road win Friday at Avon Park (6-3). “We are in the exact same position we were in last year but with a younger but more competitive team,” Coach Anthony Paradiso says. “We got win five last year against them and our focus is to work hard this week and to finish strong.”
Poinciana (3-6) will seek a fourth win when they travel to Timber Creek (3-6) on Thursday night. Although the Eagles could not match last year’s eight-win season, Poinciana had a lot of sophomores and juniors in the starting line-up this year and a win could propel that group to bigger things next season.
Liberty (0-9) concludes its season Thursday night at Lake Buena Vista (3-6). Those teams have faced two common opponents this year. Each lost lopsided decisions to Innovation; while LBC defeated Oak Ridge (26-25); while the Chargers dropped a six-point decision (32-24) in Week 2.
Week 11 Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 30
Gateway at Celebration, 7 p.m.
Tohopekaliga at Avon Park, 7 p.m.
Liberty at Lake Buena Vista, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 31
Osceola at Lakewood, 7 p.m.
Colonial at Harmony, 7 p.m.
Lake Minneola at St. Clo
