By: J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola
Much like college football with the transfer portal and professional football with free agency, the school choice initiative enacted a few years ago by the state of Florida has dramatically changed the face of high school sports.
And while there are still rules against school representative recruiting players from other schools, an athlete is still pretty much given carte blanche to transfer if he desires. In his three previous years as head coach at St. Cloud, Mike Short has been on both sides of the equation.
Last year he saw all-county kicker Adrian Gonzalez and lineman Conner Howse transfer to Osceola; while two years ago star receiver Alex Springs transferred in. “It’s really a weird situation,” Short says. “If a kid wants to go somewhere for an academic program, I’m in favor of letting him do that. But to leave your school and your classmates just to play sports at another school still doesn’t feel right to me. At the end of the day, the rule is the rule and we simply do not have control over who comes and goes.”
Personal feelings aside, Short says transfers may have a big impact on his 2025 team. St. Cloud graduated 75% of its offense from it’s 5-5 team last year, including Springs, electric running back TJ Griffin and record-setting quarterback Logan King. The departures left significant holes heading into spring ball last May.
But despite facing a massive rebuild. Short came out of spring football with an optimistic outlook. That confidence comes in a large part from sophomore quarterback Jeremiah Lattier, who transfers in from Lake Minneola.
In the Bulldogs’ spring jamboree with Viera and Leesburg and threw for four touchdowns and completed 75% of his passes in his first game with St. Cloud. “He’s big (6-3) and can make all the throws,” Short said of Lattier. “He already has made some connections with our receivers and seems to have a lot of composure for a young player. We’re excited about what he can already do and obviously being so young, he obviously has the potential to get better.”
Jude Crockcroft (Osceola) and Jason Wells (Tohopekaliga) are two more transfers that may play key roles. Crockcroft, a sophomore last season, received limited playing time in Osceola’s stacked defensive line. But at 6-3, 240, he had an outstanding spring and joins returning DE Dominic Cammarasana (46 tackles, 16 TFL, 5 QS) to give St. Cloud a pair of fast, athletic defensive ends. Wells is expected to replace some of the production lost with the graduation departure of three-year starter Landon Millman.
Bryce Williams, Stacy Taylor and Jaden Taylor return to give the Bulldogs a solid and experienced secondary.
Offensively, Short says junior Michael Cuyler is ready to shine at running back and shares a lot of the attributes of Griffin; while TE Owen Sullivan can split out and has already established himself as one of Lattier’s favorite targets. Gunner Freeman and Stacy Taylor each caught 20 or more passes last year and will also factor into the St. Cloud’s offense.
Short says finding one or two players to replace Daniel Elizando, who handled all kicking duties for St. Cloud last year would be a priority. “We’ve had some pretty good kickers and punters the last couple of seasons and it is such an important part of the game,” Short said.
St. Cloud will once again compete in Class 7A, District 10 with Harmony, Lake Nona and Tohopekaliga. The Bulldogs went 2-1 in district play last year, finishing second to Lake Nona after a 23-10 loss where they were leading at halftime. Short says the Lions will probably be pre-season favorites, but any of the four teams will have a chance.
“It should be a really competitive district,” Short noted. “Lake Nona had a good QB transfer in and will be tough again. With Don Simon back as head coach at Harmony and Nick Lippert being able to concentrate on just defense, they are going to be a lot better. Tohopekaliga has Sabby (county record-setting quarterback Sabby Meassick) back and you know they are going to throw the ball all over the place. The only automatic path to the playoffs is to win your district, so that is obviously one of our goals.”
St. Cloud is 20-11 under Short, including a self-described “disappointing” 5-5 season last year. “We had high expectations heading into 2024, but we let two or three very winnable games slip away from us,” the veteran coach said. “Getting off to a good start is going to be paramount for us this season.”
The Bulldogs open with Freedom, Pine Ridge and Poinciana before playing three tough games at Osceola, at Merritt Island before hosting Lake Nona in its district opener. “We are going to need to take care business early in our schedule because that three-game stretch in the middle is going to be brutal,” Short said.
St. Cloud Bulldogs 2025 Schedule
Head Coach: Michael Short
Class 7A, District 10
2024 Record: 5-5
8/15 at Innovation (Kickoff Classic) 7 p.m.
8/22 at Freedom 7 p.m.
8/29 Pine Ridge 7:30 p.m.
9/5 at Poinciana 7 p.m.
9/12 at Osceola 7 p.m.
9/19 at Merritt Island 7 p.m.
9/26 Lake Nona 7:30 p.m.*
10/3 Gateway 7:30 p.m.
10/17 Tohopekaliga 7:30 p.m.*
10/24 Harmony 7:30 p.m.*
10/31 Lake Minneola 7:30 p.m.
*District Game
