Does Opportunity For Legendary Status Await the Osceola Kowboys With This Weekend's Championship Game?

By: J. Daniel Pearson

“Remember Kid, There are heroes and there are legends…

Heroes Get Remembered, But Legends Never Die”

In the movie “Sandlot,” the ghost of Babe Ruth reminds baseball player Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez that greatness can await those who are willing to accept the challenge to become unforgettable. The same situation awaits the Osceola Football team on Friday, when they can become legends with a win in the FHSAA Class 6A State Championship Game.

Kickoff between the Kowboys (12-2) and undefeated Boca Raton Bulls (14-0) is set for 12:30 p.m.

As with Benny “the Jet” and his challenge to “pickle” the beast Hercules, the challenge for the Kowboys is equally immense. “They are undefeated for a reason,” Osceola coach Eric Pinellas said. “We poured over game films all day Sunday — trying to find their weaknesses — and we’re still looking.”

Boca Raton has run roughshod over its 14 opponents this year, scoring 33.6 points per game and allowing just 8.3 points for a scoring differential of 25.2 points. They are a perfect 11-0 against playoff teams this year and excel on offense, defense and special teams.

“They can be a bit of a nightmare on offense,” Osceola defensive coordinator Brad Lennox concedes. “The issue is they can run and throw the ball equally well. They are really an explosive, well-balanced and efficient football team.”

The Bulls offense starts with two rotating quarterbacks that play almost equal snaps in Mason Mallory and Trey Moran. Mallory, the better runner, has rushed for 676 yards and 10 touchdowns this season; but is also an excellent thrower – completing 67.5% of his passes for 1555 yards and 16 touchdowns. Moran is more a pure passer, completing71.1% on the season for 1121 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Combined they have 2676 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and just seven picks.

Defending those two will be made difficult by how well they spread the ball around. Last week, against Osceola, Buchholz QB Trace Johnson threw a lot but most of the passes went to one of two receivers. The difference this week is that West Boca’s quarterbacks target up to 15 different players – five of which have caught 20 or more balls this season.

Billy Clancy III (45 receptions – 512 yards-7 TDs) is a top target; but so is Mark Haniford (38-536-9), Zach Walls (24=379-4), Jaccorian McCray (29-355-2) or Kyle Andrews (24-344-1). Ten different receivers have caught touchdowns this year for the Bulls.

Both quarterbacks are also effective runners.

Mallory averages more than 10 yards a carry and has scored 10 touchdowns with 676 yards on 67 carries. Moran would rather stay in the pocket and throw, but has also rushed for five touchdowns. WR/RB McCray is a double threat catching the ball and running sweeps and averaged 6.6 yards per carry. The great unknown will be running back Jayden Lockhart, who has missed games with an injury. He did not play last week but if he comes back this week he will present another challenge to the Osceola defense as he is close to 1000 yards rushing (964 yards, six touchdowns).

“They are tough to defend because they are multi-dimensional. You have to account for all six players that can touch the ball on every play,” Lennox said. “They clearly have two number one quarterbacks, both of which efficient either throwing or running the ball. We going to have to play disciplined, assignment-based football and get some stops.”

For as explosive as the Bulls are on offense, there is little to no drop off on the other side of the ball.

Defensive linemen Grant Edmond (48 tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss, 6 quarterback sacks) and Xavier Reid (90 Tackles, 31 TFL, and 7 QS) anchor the defensive line; while Jamar Thompson (55 Tackles, 14 TFL) is also a force. Linebacker Max Reid (100 tackles, 14 TFL) does a lot of clean-up work; while Delorean Hall (67 Tackles) is an outstanding strong safety, who is exceptional at run support. Damon Allen (4 Interceptions, 9 Pass Defenses) can be a “ball hawk” at corner for the Bulls.

“They are not the biggest defense we have faced this season, but their very athletic and sound,” Pinellas said. “Whenever you game plan, you look for areas of weakness, places you think you can find success. We haven’t found too many holes in their defense.”

West Boca’s special teams are – in just a word – special. Lucas Barker has put 35 of 47 kickoffs through the end zone, Trey Moran averages 42 yards per punt and John Fanfar is 49 of 51 on extra points and on the few occasions he has tried to kick of field goal, he has met success on 2 of 3 attempts. They have blocked seven kicks this season.

To have a chance, Osceola will have to do what they do best. Run the ball, play great defense, and control the clock.

The Kowboys come into the game averaging almost 300 yards rushing per game. Taevion Swint has rushed for 1799 yards and 25 touchdowns and Jeff Sinophat is also closing in on a 1,000 yard season (109-892-9 TD). Elijah Hickson (144-683-5 TD) has been steady pounding the ball up the middle.

Defensively, Osceola is allowing just 14.3 points per game. Up front, the Kowboys have great depth on their defensive line and usually play nine or 10 players during a game. It’s that luxury that played a big part Osceola’s win over Buchholz last week – where quarterback Trace Johnson dropped back to pass in all but three plays.

“They dropped back to pass 50 times last week, if we only had four guys to play on the DL they would have been dead by the fourth quarter. Instead we were relatively fresh and made plays in the fourth quarter,” Lennox noted.

Osceola has more than its share of standouts on the rest of the defense. Robert Lee and Elijah Melendez give Osceola a solid linebacker corps; and its defensive backfield — including Jakari Watson, Larenz Walker, Ja’Mario Bradford and Jeff Banks have been solid all season. Osceola got a huge lift from rover Nathaniel Barnett, who created two turnovers last week that directly led to 10 points in Osceola’s 41-35 upset of Buchholz.

Both teams have been exceptional in taking care of the ball this year, with each committing just seven turnovers. Given that stat, being able to come up with defensive stops and limiting penalties will be critical to each team.

For Pinellas, the message to his team is clear. “Everyone talks about the 1998 team. These guys weren’t even born when Osceola won that last state championship. I will remind these guys all week, they have a chance to do something really special. Win a state championship you will be remembered forever.”

With 12 wins and another state championship appearance, it’s safe to say that hero status has been obtained for these gritty, tenacious and hard-working Kowboys. The big question is can they “pickle the beast” and become legends?

Schedule and Results West Boca Osceola

Regular Season Regular Season

Benjamin, W-14-13Treasure Coast, W, 21-7

Palm Beach Central, W, 28-7Lake Mary, L, 7-24

Seminole Ridge, W. 42-8South Dade, W, 21-7

Treasure Coast, W, 48-0St. Cloud, W, 56-6

Dwyer, W, 42-0Jones, L, 34-28 (OT)

Western, W, 38-27Melbourne, W, 48-7

Bishop Verlot, W, 35-14Viera, W, 49-9

Palm Beach Gardens, W, 48-0Apopka, W, 14-6

Atlantic, W, 48-7Lake Wales, W, 28-17

Royal Palm Beach, W, 43-7Lakewood, W, 28-22