By:  J. Daniel Pearson
Positively Osceola

On paper some may view Friday’s 6A, District 5 opener of St. Cloud (3-1. 0-0) at Lake Nona (4-1, 0-0) as a possible post-facto district championship game.  After all, the Lions have looked extremely impressive this season – losing only to Winter Park in overtime while recording impressive wins over Edgewater and Evans; while St. Cloud has not lost in the state of Florida and have wins over two 2025 playoff teams in Osceola and South Sumter.

Although he considers it a huge game, St. Cloud coach Mike Short stops short of calling it a “must-win” game.  “Lake Nona was considered the favorite in the district coming into the season and they should have been.  They are a really tough team, they like to go vertical on offense and apply pressure with the blitz on defense,” Short said.  “But its only the first district game for both of us and there are other teams in the district you can not rule out.  Marlin (Gateway coach Marlin Roberts) is doing a great job with the Panthers (4-0) and say what you will about Tohopekaliga graduating Sabby (record-setting quarterback Sabby Meassick) they are still able to chuck the ball around. Harmony is out biggest rival and you know you can toss the record book out for that one.  But still, this is still a  hugely important game for us.”

After a big win over Lake Minneola two weeks ago, Short said last week’s bye could not have come at a better time.  “Between the Osceola contest, the game in Georgia, and South Sumter match-up we played three really physical ball clubs and were beat up.  We are going to need to be as healthy as possible this week so although I usually don’t like byes coming off a win, I think we needed this one.”

Short added the Bulldogs would need a great defensive performance against the Lions, who feature a balanced attack behind quarterback Elijah Nickerson (67%, 9 TD, 2 INT), running back Noah Green (86 yards per game, 3 TD) and a stable of outstanding receivers including Sebastian Lord (4 TD) and deep threat Jeremiah Allen (19.8 yards per reception).  In all, five Lake Nona players are averaging more than 10 yards per reception.

“They are hard to defend because they can go deep but they also like to get the ball out quick to receivers in space and make defenders miss.  Solid tackling with be a key,” Short added.

How well St. Cloud’s offensive line can hold up against the blitzing Lions could be a major factor.  Jeremiah Lattier has seen his completion percentage (47.7%) and passing yards per game (179.3) fall off from last year, but several factors – including three really physical opponents have played into that.  The Bulldogs have run the ball effectively this season, averaging 111 yards per game that has created a solid balance.

In the end, Short believes special teams could play a major factor.  “We have been pretty good in the return game this year and we also came close to blocking some punts.  When two good teams meet, big plays on special teams sometimes become the determining factor.”

Kickoff Friday at Lions Stadium is 7 p.m.

This week’s action around the county also includes Thursday night football.

Tohopekaliga (3-1, 0-0) will play its first home game of the season when it hosts Harmony (1-4, 0-1) in Tigers 6A, District 5 opener.

Tohopekaliga is coming off a bye week after a 48-0 mercy-rule win over Celebration; while the Longhorns lost its fourth straight last week against Titusville, 46-6.  Under new coach Tyler Anderson, the young Harmony squad continues to play hard but has been overmatched against more physical opponents – having scored just three combined touchdowns in the last four games.

The Tigers on the other hand have averaged 31 points per game behind the play of quarterback Gabe Velez (64.9%, 289 yards per game, 15 TD, 5 INT) and receivers AJ Wise (19-287-6 TD) and sophomore Zion Williams (26-414-3 TD).

Thursday will also find Gateway (4-0, 1-0) taking on Nova Lakes (2-3, 1-2) in a non-district match-up on the Rattlers home field.  The Panthers went to 4-0 for the first time in school history with a hard-fought 17-7 road win over Poinciana last week.  In that game, junior start running back Nydrell Thigpen ran for 200 yards for the second straight week (28-204), as he continues his assault on the Gateway record book for all-time rushing yardage, with 2804 rushing yards in less than two-and-a-half seasons.

But the Panthers early success can also be traced to a tough defense that has allowed just eight points per contest.  Still, Coach Marlin Roberts says he is approaching the game against first-year Nova Lakes with extreme caution.

“For a first-year program with no seniors, they continue to improve week-in and week-out,” Roberts said.  “We tell our kids that as soon as the last game is over, they need to put it out of their minds.  We are not good enough and we don’t have the history to take any opponent lightly.”

While picking up two early wins this season, the Rattlers have dropped back-to-back decisions to Freedom (29-0) and Colonial (36-20).  Still head coach Anthony Rivers says he continues to see improvement in his team, which was led last week by Jaden Dionisi (126 rushing yards, 2 scores) and freshman George Ferguson (14 tackles, fumble recovery).  “The boys are improving, as we are making less mental mistakes each week and are getting better with our techniques.  Some leaders are starting to emerge, which is critical for us.  Still, we need to cut down on our penalties,” Rivers said.

Friday’s action finds three district games as Osceola (2-3, 0-1) hosts Lake Gibson, East Ridge (3-2, 0-0) travels to Celebration (0-4, 0-0) and Poinciana (3-2, 1-0) is on the road at Winter Haven (3-2, 1-0).  Liberty (1-3, 1-0) travels to Windermere (3-2, 0-1) for a non-district game.

Last week, dropped its second straight game by double digits to powerful Lake Wales, 35-3.  Despite an all-around solid effort by Javontay Barnett, the team continues to have offensive line and injury troubles, including the loss of guard Jaudan Reed (knee) and playing without wing Zylin Garrett (rib).

After the rough start marked by injuries, inconsistent quarterback play and other factors, Coach Eric Pinellas says his focus has switched to simply getting better.  “No one is going to feel bad for us because of our injuries and inexperience.  We still have to spot the ball and play the game.  As far as I’m concerned, we still have an opportunity to win out, and that starts Friday against a good Lake Gibson team.  Right now, we just have to find a way to get better.”

The winner of the Eagles-Blue Devils game will move to 2-0 in league play and take control of the 6A, District 9 race.  It will be a tough test for Taron Mallard’s Poinciana squad that dropped a decision to Gateway last week and must find a way to contain Winter Haven’s running game that is averaging more than 200 yards a game.

Celebration is coming off a much-needed bye week as the young Storm team has been out-matched physically on both offense and defense this year – being out-scored 182-7.  East Ridge’s only two losses this year came to 4-1 South Sumter and last week to 5-0 Forest.

Liberty picked up its first win in almost two years last week, taking down Discovery in the completion of a suspended game.  The Chargers must now contend with Windermere, a team that pounded Olympia (42-3) last week and has won 23 of its last 25 games.

This Week’s Schedule

Thursday, Sept. 24

Gateway at Nova Lakes. 7 p.m.

Harmony at Tohopekaliga, 7 p.m.*

Friday, Sept. 25

Lake Gibson at Osceola, 7 p.m.*

East Ridge at Celebration, 7 p.m.*

St. Cloud at Lake Nona, 7 p.m.*

Liberty at Windermere, 7 p.m.

Poinciana at Winter Haven, 7 p.m.*