By: J. Daniel Pearson
The highly anticipated 101st edition of the long-standing rivalry between the St. Cloud Bulldogs and the Osceola Kowboys is set to take place tonight at Thomas Gannerelli Field in St. Cloud. Known simply as “The Game,” this historic matchup has been a cornerstone of Osceola County football since the teams first clashed in 1925.
Long before Gateway High opened in 1986, there were just two high schools in Osceola County.
For decades, the C-31 Canal that connects the East Lake Tohopekaliga to Lake Tohopekaliga was the dividing point, with students living on the west side of the canal attending Osceola High (founded 1887) and the students residing on the east side going to St. Cloud High (established 1909).
The two schools played their first football game in 1925 and other than 1942 when the game was interrupted by World War II, it has been played every year since. And as with the tradition, the two schools will meet again this Friday night at Thomas Gannerelli Field in St. Cloud for the 101st edition of what has simply became known as “The Game.”
And while the contest may not generate the same pageantry and excitement that the 100th game did last year at Markus Paul Stadium in Kissimmee, make no mistake that the contest still important and will draw a ton of interest from the players, coaches and fans of both schools – many of which have had three or four generations of family members involved in previous contests.
For Osceola, who comes into the contest with a 2-1 record, it is a series they have dominated, holding a 69-27-4 advantage, including 13 straight wins on the field since St. Cloud’s last win (41-35, in 2010). That game was later forfeited over player eligibility issues, so Osceola’s official streak is 19 wins.
Despite the lopsided nature of recent games (Osceola’s average margin of victory in the last 10 games has been 33.9 point), the contest still means a lot to the players, coaches and fans of both schools.
“There is no question that Harmony is now our biggest rival in football and practically every other sport,” St. Cloud Athletics Director Bryan Smart noted. “But for history alone, this game still means an awful lot to our parents and fans.”
Osceola coach Eric Pinellas says that despite his team’s success against the Bulldogs – including a 49-3 win last season and a 42-3 win in 2022 – the game continues to capture the attention of his team. “There’s been a little chirping on both sides popping up on social media, so I know our kids are going to be excited to play in the game,” Pinellas said. “Whenever you have this type of history, where fathers and grandfathers have played against each other, it makes it special. Obviously, our players know the recent history and want to keep the current streak going.”
Although both teams are 2-1 on the season, Osceola has played the tougher schedule and on paper looks to have the better personnel – especially on defense. The Kowboys defeated 2023 FHSAA playoff teams Treasure Coast and South Dade by identical 21-7 scores and held top 10 Lake Mary to just 10 points through three quarters in a Week 2 loss.
“Our defense has been playing lights out this season,” Pinellas said. “The South Dade quarterback was running for his life last Friday and they only managed to score in the third quarter with the help of two 15-yard penalties. When we get the kind of effort we got last night, I think we’re a pretty good football team.”
Despite having his carries limited because of a shoulder injury, Taevion Swint still managed to run for a couple of touchdowns and Osceola opened its passing game up a little, as Cameron West threw for a season-high 130 yards and a touchdown.
St. Cloud comes into the game after a disappointing loss 19-7 loss to Poinciana. The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak to the Bulldogs – dating back to last year’s Osceola loss. Their wins this season came against Freedom and Pine Ridge.
“We had three turnovers on the night and two of them were huge,” St. Cloud coach Mike Short said of the Poinciana loss. “We got behind in the game I think we just started pressing. But that game is in the past and we are now facing a really good Osceola team. We can’t make the mistakes we made last week and hopefully we can get some takeaways. Our best shot will be to move the chains, avoid turnovers and try to keep the score close into the fourth quarter. If we can do that, anything becomes possible.”
St. Cloud will need a trio of seniors to come up big if they are to have any chance of the upset. Two-way star Alex Springs has the ability to break loose on any play. He has eight catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns this season and is also an outstanding defensive player. TJ Griffin is having a big year both running the ball (28-157) and catching it out of the backfield (6-140); while Logan King (29 for 50, 417 yards, 6 TD) provides leadership at quarterback.
Still, it is on defense where St. Cloud must excel in order to keep the Kowboys running game in check. Osceola has rushed for more than 500 yards this season against some outstanding defenses –including 272 against Treasure Coast and 190 against South Dade last week.
Game Notes: Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. A large crowd is expected and fans are encouraged to arrive early. Although it is the 101st playing of the game, it’s actually the 100th year anniversary (1925-2024), of the game as the teams played twice in 1927 and 1931 and no game was played in 1942.
