November Football Fever: Osceola Kowboys Extend Playoff Streak to 20 Years, Gateway and St. Cloud Earn Postseason Berths

By: J. Daniel Pearson
Positively Osceola

The FHSAA announced its 2026 post-season on Friday and three Osceola County schools will be playing meaningful football in November. Although they finished with a 3-7 record and a 1-4 mark in district play, the Osceola Kowboys will find themselves in regional field for a 20^th consecutive year. In fact, the Kowboys ended up with a number three overall seed in the region and will host #6 Melbourne (8-2) on Friday night at Markus Paul Stadium. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.

“We’re thankful for the opportunity to keep the season going. Between injuries and other factors, this team has faced a lot of adversity this season and now we have a chance to keep playing and have another Monday,” coach Eric Pinellas said.

In Melbourne, Osceola will face a district runner-up that not only comes into the game on a six-game winning streak but also features one of the top running backs in the state in sophomore Tyrese Jefferson, who is averaging 173 yards per game (10 yards a carry) and has scored 21 touchdowns.

Stopping Jefferson will be the key for the Kowboys.

“He’s a terrific back that no one has been able to contain all year,” Osceola coach Eric Pinellas said. Jefferson was held to under 100 yards just once all season, gaining 69 yards and scoring two touchdowns in just one quarter of play during a 69-0 win over Lyman. He had 277 rushing yards in the 42-35 loss to Oviedo.

The status of linebacker Colton Carter, who was injured in the season finale but may be able to return against Melbourne, will be a huge factor for the Kowboys. “It’s an injury that will require surgery after the season,” Pinellas noted. “But he still may be able to play Friday if he is cleared. He has been the key to our defense all season.”

Osceola has struggled offensively all season and former running back Javontay Barnett will start just his second game at quarterback this week. “It will be important for us to get our running game going and shorten the game,” Pinellas added.

If the Kowboys win, they will face the winner of the #2 Oviedo vs, #7 Bartow. With a victory by Osceola and a win by Bartow, the Kowboys would also host a second-round game. “When Lakeland was pushed into the open division, I felt the region became wide open,” Pinellas noted. “I believe Oviedo is probably the top team in the region, but I think anyone is capable of winning the region.”

Pinellas noted that making the post-season would have several benefits – regardless of how the team fares. “At the end of the year, we had eight sophomores and two freshmen in our starting lineup and that is unheard of for an Osceola High football team. The experience these players will gain in the playoffs will be extremely valuable in the future. In addition, the older players will get another game or two to put on their college recruiting tapes.”

For a second straight year, the FHSAA is hosting a 16-team Florida Invitation Tournament (FIT) for the highest ranked teams in 4A-6A who were not selected for the playoffs. When the selections were announced, both St. Cloud (6-4) and Gateway (8-2) were selected for the tournament.

Gateway, the number three seed in the South Bracket, will host Doral Academy (4-6) on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.; while St. Cloud, the number five seed in the North bracket, will travel to #4 seed Jacksonville Riverside (3-7) on the same night.

The Panthers enjoyed their best regular season in school history, but a third-place district finish had their post-season future in doubt. Instead, the Panthers will have a chance to add to their school-record eight wins this season and with a victory would face the winner of #1 Park Vista vs. #8 Golman game the following week.

Gateway will rely junior running back Nydrell Thigpen to carry the load. Thigpen finished the regular season with 1368 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. With another full season to play, Thigpen’s 3411 career rushing yards has already exceeded Philip Bangura’s former school record of 3306.

But the Panthers are no longer one dimensional on offense. Johnny Reyes (751 all-purpose yards, 7 TD) has become a threat on offense, defense and special teams; while Aristotle Span Jr. continues to improve at quarterback.

Defensively, the Panthers have allowed just 10.9 points per game. Standouts include Dylan Dindle (63 tackles, 6 TFL), Tavian Martinez (21 TFL, 10 QS) and Rocco Demando (12 TFL); while their defensive backfield of Reyes (3 INT), Dionyous Doud (4 INT) and Nate Cadogan (3 INT) have 13 total picks and 30 pass defenses this year.

“We had a watch party and when they announced St. Cloud as a fifth seed and left us out in the north bracket, it just took all the air out of the room,” Gateway coach Marlin Roberts said. “Then they announced us in the south bracket and the whole room went crazy. These kids deserved a chance to play in the post-season and I am so happy they will get that opportunity.”

Gateway has never won a FHSAA-sanctioned playoff game of any type, going 0-3 in previous opportunities.

Over at St. Cloud, head coach Mike Short was pleased the Bulldogs were selected for the tournament but questioned the seeding and ranking. “I thought we played a tough schedule, won six games, placed second in the district. I definitely thought we warranted a top three seed and a home playoff game,” he said. “Instead we get placed in the north and sent on a four-hour bus ride.”

“We just started reviewing film on them today (11/6). They are not that explosive offensively and they are not a big team but they do everything well and are extremely fast,” St. Cloud coach Mike Short said of Riverside. “They played in a really tough district, so their record is misleading.”

Riverside is led offensively by quarterback Rocco Manago (57%, 813 yards passing, 302 rushing yards, 9 total touchdowns). Defensively Ron Williams (DL) and Kenton Stork (LB) lead the way with 21 combined tackles-for-loss. A ball-hawkish secondary has picked off nine passes this season.

Short went on to say he was hopeful WR/DB standout Jayden Taylor, who missed the final three games of the regular season with injury, would return for Thursday’s game.

Both Poinciana and Tohopekaliga also opted in for FIT, but neither team was selected and saw their seasons end with 6-4 and 5-5 records respectively.

FHSAA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Class 5A, Region 2 Championship

Friday, Nov. 13 (all games 7:30 p.m.)

#1 Sebring at #8 Wiregrass Ranch

#7 Bartow at #2 Oviedo

#6 Melbourne at #3 Osceola

#5 Lake Gibson at #4 Gaither

Class 4A-6A Florida Invitational Tournament

Thursday, Nov. 12 (all games 7:30 p.m.)

North Bracket

#8 Tocoi Creek at #1 Lake Howell