The 2025 football season was highlighted by the performances of several outstanding offensive players in Osceola County.
Record- setting quarterbacks Sabby Meassick and Jeremiah Lattier had big years, as did running backs Nydrell Thigpen, Jeff Sinophat, and Xaevez Brown; while the performances of wide receivers Bryce Williams, Chance Frazier, and Cecil Punter were all notable.
But after careful consideration, Osceola senior and multi-tool weapon Alijah Jenkins is the Osceola News-Gazette Offensive Football Player of the Year.
Jenkins played a key role as the Kowboys not only won another district title and won seven games, but were also the only Osceola team to advance past the first round of the FHSAA playoffs – beating Durant in the quarterfinals and narrowly losing to South Lake in the Region 6A-2 semifinals.
Listed as a wide receiver on the roster, Jenkins caught a modest 19 passes—and averaged more than 18 yards per reception and scoring three touchdowns. And while injuries forced him to occasionally line up in the backfield, it was on the jet sweeps where he really excelled, averaging 8.8 yards per carry (103 rushes for 904 yards) and scoring four additional touchdowns.
Jenkins was explosive on special teams, with averages of 29.5 yards per kickoff return and 23.8 yards on punt returns. Overall, he totaled 1,520 all-purpose yards on just 132 touches—a healthy 11.52 yards per attempt.
“It’s really an honor be selected Offensive Player of the Year, I know a lot of other guys had outstanding seasons,” Jenkins said. “I was prepared to just play wide receiver this year, but injuries allowed me to play some running back. Late in the season, I had to play some defensive back too. It wasn’t easy learning new positions, but my attitude was the same, I just wanted to be on the field and do whatever it took to allow us to win games.”
And while the other candidates were certainly deserving of consideration, the fact that Jenkins piled those stats up against opposition that included eight regular season games against state playoff teams, including Class 7A state champion Lake Mary (12-3 record), 4A runner-up Jones (12-3), 4A regional semifinalist Lake Wales (10-3) and 2A regional quarterfinalist Lakewood (11-2). Overall, Jenkins faced 10 playoff teams.
“We were a banged-up team all season, including Alijah,” Osceola coach Eric Pinellas said. “Although he only missed one game, Alijah was playing hurt a lot of the season. But he would give us everything he had. Catching, running the ball or on special teams, he was our best offensive player.”
“We lost a lot of key players to injuries this season, so I was proud of how we held it together,” Jenkins said. “Osceola football is family and I am going to miss that family, but I am also super excited to begin the next chapter in college.”
All-County Offense
Player of the Year: Alijah Jenkins, Osceola, Sr., WR-RB-KR-PR
Coach of the Year: Mike Short, St. Cloud
All County Team:
Quarterback: Sabby Meassick (Tohopekaliga), Jeremiah Lattier (St. Cloud)
Running Back: Jeffrey Sinophat (Osceola), Jaxson Hardnett (Osceola), Nydrell Thigpen (Gateway), Xaevez Brown (Tohopekaliga), Cameron Dalton (St. Cloud)
Wide Receiver: Jenkins, Bryce Williams (St. Cloud), Tre Punter (Tohopekaliga), Chance Frazier (Poinciana), AJ Wise (Tohopekaliga), Stacy Taylor (St. Cloud)
Tight End: Owen Sullivan (St. Cloud), Dory Thimote (Gateway)
Offensive Line: Marcus Ferrer (Osceola), Reggie Frost (Osceola), Collin Anderson (Gateway), Shawn Eplin (St. Cloud), Kayden Polite (Osceola), Jaeden Bellamy (Osceola), Nathaniel Redmond (Harmony), Dominic Miranda (Tohopekaliga), Danny Omurkuluv (St. Cloud)
Kicker: Brayden Buehler (Harmony)
Athlete: Jakyri Watson (Osceola). Kamari Lewis (Poinciana)
