By:  J. Daniel Pearson

To say it’s a big week in Osceola High School sports is a massive understatement.  

Football rivalries grab top billing tonight as the 20th Soldier City Classic between St. Cloud and Harmony is slated for the Ranch at 7 p.m. .  Less than 30 miles away, Poinciana travels to Liberty for the 18th playing of the Battle of the Boulevards. Tohopekaliga can clinch a share of a district football championship with a win at Lake Nona tonight. Toss in Osceola’s Friday game at highly-ranked Lake Wales and it is a tasty menu of football this week.

“If you love high school sports, this is an incredible week of action,” Osceola County Athletics Director Ryan Adams said.  “we have some great football rivalries tonight.”

In terms of interest, the Soldier City Classic has become the top football rivalry in the county in terms of interest.  Although the game lacks the 101-year history of the St. Cloud–Osceola rivalry, it does draw the most overall interest in the county.  Part of that is due to the fact that Osceola has dominated the St. Cloud series for the better part of two decades; while Harmony-St. Cloud has developed into a close, and hotly-contested rivalry with the Bulldogs holding a narrow 10-9 series lead.

“For it to be a true rivalry there has to be a sense of competitiveness,” St. Cloud AD Bryan Smart said.  “Unfortunately that has been lacking in the Osceola game.   The Harmony game is the most important game on our schedule.  Ten miles separate the two schools and most of Harmony’s athletes grew up playing youth sports in St. Cloud.  They know our kids and our kids know theirs.   For the most part, we’re all friends – except one day a year.”

Both teams are coming off big wins last week, as St. Cloud (4-4, 1-1) overcame a 24-10 halftime deficit to keep in the district race with a 31-24 win over Lake Tohopekaliga. (Read about that game here:  https://www.positivelyosceola.com/alex-springs-three-touchdowns-and-key-turnovers-propel-bulldogs-past-tohopekaliga-keeping-st-clouds-district-championship-hopes-alive/ ).   Harmony (2-6, 0-2), who has played some solid defense this year but has had trouble scoring points, got a much-needed 21-2 win over Celebration.  In that game, Harmony’s defense allowed just one first down.

The importance of the game is not lost on either head coach.  

“I cannot overstate what this game means to both teams.  Dreams clash and rivalries ignite,” Bulldogs Coach Mike Short said.  “Our kids know that this game is part of something bigger – every play echoes in the hearts of our players, coaches, fans and our awesome community.”   

For his part, Harmony coach Nick Lippert knows his team will need a similar effort he got at Celebration from his defense, but also knows they will need to move the chains on offense and limit St. Cloud’s opportunities.   “The keys are pretty simple for us,” Lippert said.  “We need to Show Up, Stay Focused and Increase our Intensity.  Given the nature of this rivalry, I would hope that would not be an issue.”

From the beginning, the Battle of Boulevards has been lopsided in favor of Liberty – who won the first 15 games, often by double digit margins.  That changed two years ago with Poinciana’s first win and they made it two in a row last year with a 35-8 win.  It’s a trend Poinciana Coach Taron Mallard hopes will continue.

Mallard, in his first year as head coach and a Poinciana grad, played on the losing side of this rivalry several times but doesn’t believe history will have a lot to do with the outcome.  “Most of our kids never lost to Liberty and I’m not sure history is that big of a deal to them.  But it will be an intense game and it is a rivalry in every sense of the word.  These kids all know each other and with social media being what it is, there’s already been a lot of trash talking and chirping back and forth.  To tell you the truth, my most important job will be to prepare our guys like it’s just another game.  We need to stay calm and just try to take a business-like approach.”

Other important games this week finds Osceola (6-2) traveling to Lake Wales (5-2) and Tohopekaliga’s district-deciding matchup at Lake Nona.  The Kowboys can go a long way in earning home field playoff advantage with a win over the highly-ranked Highlanders, after clinching the a district championship on Tuesday with a 49-9 win over Viera and following it up three days later with a 14-6 road win over rugged Apopka.

Taevion Swint rushed for 316 cumulative yards and six touchdowns on just 33 carries in the two wins and Osceola’s defense continued to dominate as they ran their winning streak to four.

A 2022 State Champion, Lake Wales is currently the 11th ranked team in 4A. Their only losses this year have been state powers Jones and Seminole and they have also won 36 of their last 40 games. “Nothing new, we will get ready to play a really talented, highly-ranked team on the road,” Pinellas said.  “I am a strong believer in getting ready for the post-season by playing the hardest schedule you can play and this is just another step in that process.”   A win would greatly improve Osceola’s chances of hosting playoff games.

The Tohopekaliga (4-3, 1-1) game at Lake Nona (5-3, 2-0) will go a long way in determining the 7A, District 10 champion and will have definite playoff implications. It will also be a bit of a homecoming for Tohopekaliga coach Anthony Paradiso, who was the long-time Lake Nona head coach before moving to the Tigers in 2022.

Tohopekaliga (4-3, 1-1) can clinch a tie for a district championship with a win over Lake Nona (5-3, 2-0).  

District ties are broken by final rankings.  Should Tohopekaliga win and St. Cloud win at Harmony would make it a three-way tie between Tigers, Bulldogs and Lions at 2-1.  A Toho win and a Harmony victory would eliminate St. Cloud and make it a two-way tie between the Tigers and Lake Nona.  Should that happen, it would give the Tigers a head-to-head advantage over Lake Nona and could be a deciding factor in the final rankings.

Paradiso said he was absolute focused on that aspect of the game, rather than his ties to his former school.  “This game is certainly not about me,” Paradiso said.  “It’s about our players and another opportunity to get better.  We are 4-3 and have a lot to play for.  We’re going to regroup this week and try to find a way to win a football game against a talented team. We still have a chance to win the district and make the playoffs and that is where our entire focus lies.”