By: J. Daniel Pearson
For one county team, deep runs into the post-season has been commonplace, while the other is seeking their first playoff win since 1980. Both will be looking to advance to the regional semifinals when Osceola (6-4) host Durant (5-5) and St. Cloud (8-2) entertains Lake Nona (7-3) in the first round of the FHSAA State High School Playoffs on Friday night.
For Osceola, the District 5, 6A champions, it will be their 19th consecutive trip to the playoffs that included state runner-up finishes in 2024-20-15-14; as well as Final Four appearances in 2012-13-22. St. Cloud will be playing in their first FHSAA playoff game since 2015.
Although Osceola struggled down the stretch with back-to-back losses this season, Head Coach Eric Pinellas is optimistic as his injury-plagued team has had the week off to get healthier. Although Durant possessed a solid offense and aggressive defense, Pinellas said the execution of his team should be the deciding factor.
“The formula for us is pretty simple,” Pinellas says. “As always, we want to establish the run and stay ahead of the chains. But more importantly, we need to finish those drives with points and avoid turnovers. Winning the battle on special teams and not giving up chunk plays on defense will also be the key to moving on.”
Behind dual threat quarterback Sam Themar (12 TD passing, 6 rushing), Friday’s opponent Durant is a run-first team averaging 117 yards per game with 19 TDs; but stopping the big pass plays will also be paramount as Ryan Porter and King Rivera are big-time receivers who collectively average more than 20 yards per catch with 11 combined receiving touchdowns.
Defensively, Durant is a solid unit that has 60.5 tackles-for-loss and 27.5 quarterback sacks this season. Defensive lineman Jeh’cire Hargrett (4 QS, 5.0 TFL) and Caleb Walters (4 QS, 8.5 TFL) lead the Cougars up front; while Machi Mack is a small but quick and physical linebacker that leads the team in tackles (75), including 7.5 behind the line of scrimmage.
Health has been an issue for the Kowboys during the last month of the regular season. More than a dozen starters or key reserves have either missed games or been severely limited. While many of those are scheduled to play Friday, several others – including RB Jaxson Hardnett—remain out.
The friendly confines of Markus Paul Stadium should be a plus as Osceola has won their last seven home playoff games. Should Osceola prevail, they would take on the winner of the #2 South Lake (Clermont) vs. #7 Plant (5-5) game.
St. Cloud draws an unexpected opponent in district rival Lake Nona in the first round. It was widely thought that Dr. Phillips would be the opponent, with the only question being whether it would be a home or road game.
But a Dr. Phillips loss to a higher-ranked West Orange team dropped them from third to seventh in the region, while Lake Nona jumped to fifth with a win over Innovation and St. Cloud moved up a spot to fourth with a blowout of Lake Mineola to secure a first round home game.
That caused a quick reversal in preparations for St. Cloud coaches after Thursday’s playoff announcement. “100% shocked to find out we would be playing Lake Nona in the first round,” St. Cloud coach Mike Short said. “We were hoping our big win over Minneola and Dr. Phillips loss would cause the standings to flip one spot so we could get a home game, but I was surprised as anyone that Dr. Phillips would drop to seven. Being in our district, we played Lake Nona in the regular season and we know what they are about, but they can say the same thing, so I don’t think there is an advantage either way.”
St. Cloud defeated Lake Nona, 25-17, back on Sept. 27. That game defined the district race as the Bulldogs won the District 10 title with a 3-0 mark and the Lions finished second at 2-1. Since the St. Cloud loss, the Lions went on a roll – winning their last four games by an average of 29 points per game. In the first game, St. Cloud jumped out to a 21-7 but had to hold on as the Lions, behind back-up-quarterback Luke Ramsey rallied the team in the second half.
Ramsey, who started the season as a defensive back, has been their most consistent quarterback and has finished the last two games. He is a threat as both a passer (55.6%, 695 yards, 6 TDs) and a runner (260 yards, 5 TD). Lake Morgan is more of a pocket passer (510 yards and 8 TDs) and both may see action. Nash Allen and Jordan Stokes, with five touchdowns each, are the leading receivers. “Ramsey is probably a bigger concern,” Short added. “He’s a baseball kid and is a threat both as a thrower and runner.”
Short says the game will most likely become a battle of the defenses. Lake Nona features a pair of outstanding senior defensive linemen in Deanthony Lafayette (24 TFL, 14.5 QS) and Khalid Feliz (19 TFL, 8.5 QS); while junior Anthony Moreno is quick linebacker who leads the team in tackles (109) with 17 TFL.
St. Cloud features one of the best secondaries in the region. Led by senior two-way star Bryce Williams, who has a school record nine interceptions and 21 pass defenses, the Bulldogs have a fast, ball-hawkish secondary that 22 interceptions and 42 pass defenses this year. Up front, linebacker Dashawn Reese (101 tackles) leads a group of front seven that has recorded 20 quarterback sacks and 55 tackles-for-loss this season.
“Although both teams have really good offenses, I expect this game to be a defensive struggle,” Short added. “It would not be surprising if this game turned out to be a 14-13, 20-17 type game. With great fan support, we’ve been undefeated at home and are happy to get this one at home, where we haven’t lost all season.”
A St. Cloud win would put them in a regional semifinal game against the winner of the game between #1 seed Vero Beach (10-0) and East Ridge (6-4).
