By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

St. Cloud Coach Mike Short remembers well last year’s shootout against Osceola, a 41-35 St. Cloud overtime victory, but aside from the winner, he doesn’t want a repeat.

“It was a little hard on the nervous system,” he said. “I don’t want 7-6, either; maybe something more toward the middle.”

Last year, the teams combined for eight touchdowns in the fourth quarter and the overtime.

The Bulldogs later had to forfeit the win over Osceola, its first in five seasons, because of an ineligible player, but the result proved that St. Cloud is capable of winning against its arch-rival. That is especially important this season, because Friday’s 7:30 p.m. game at Kowboys stadium will count in the 7A-6 district standings.

The Bulldogs are 0-5 after last week’s 38-36 loss to Leesburg, a game that saw the Bulldogs suffer three turnovers. The Yellow Jackets also cashed in on a punt block that they returned for a touchdown.

St. Cloud forfeited wins against Agape Christian and Gateway last week for using an ineligible player. The reversal dropped the Bulldogs to 0-1 in the district, leaving them little wiggle room to earn a playoff spot.

“I’ve told the guys that all of our goals, everything we want to accomplish, is intact,” Short said. “No matter what your record is after five games, if we go 5-0 from here we’ll be in the playoffs and probably host a game.”

The Bulldogs’ explosive offense was on display late in the first half after Leesburg went ahead, 25-14.

In a span of less than two minutes, Dogs quarterback Phillip Steinmetz hit Pat McCloskey on a 36-yard touchdown pass, linebacker Jeff Spelman recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and Steinmetz scored again on a 2-yard run to lift the Dogs to a 29-25 halftime advantage.

The Jackets scored a TD to go in front early in the second half before the Dogs countered quickly on Austyn Jandrew’s 88-yard TD reception. The difference was a pair of Jackets field goals, the last coming with 11 minutes left in the game.

“I was surprised there wasn’t more scoring in the second half. We did a good job shutting them down in the second half with adjustments we made at the half, and they did the same thing,” Short said.

Eric Pfeifer, the county’s leading rusher (61-634, 7 TDs), put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a 69-yard run. Cole Harvey caught a deflected pass in the end zone for St. Cloud’s second score of the first quarter.

“I was kicking myself a little after the game for not getting Eric six or seven more carries in the second half,” Short said. “He had over 100 yards and he only had 12 carries.”

The Bulldogs will meet a Kowboys team Friday that is playing as well as it has all season after an impressive 42-13 romp over 7A-4 leader East Ridge in Clermont last week.

The key for the Bulldogs is to slow down the Kowboys’ ground attack. Osceola has one of the best running games in Central Florida, and St. Cloud has had problems defending the run all season.

“They do a lot of things out of that Wing-T triple option they run. They’ve got the big fullback-type kid in Stafon McCray, who you really can’t stop, but you try to limit him. Then, they have the real quick wing guys like Reggie (Hall), Scooter (Fagan) and the (Devante) Small kid,” Short said. “Their quarterback, (Kieron) Williams, is a big part of their offense. He’s got that outside burst, and he does the midline reads really well. He’s definitely a force.”

The Kowboys also have an experienced, and big, offensive line.

If St. Cloud can clog the running lanes, though, the Kowboys could be in trouble. They have attempted just 18 passes all season, completing four.

But, as long as Steinmetz (57-102, 788, 8 TDs) has time to throw, St. Cloud is a threat to score from anywhere on the field with an impressive stable of receivers that includes Jandrew, Harvey and Brett Biller, who have combined for 64 receptions and 798 yards.

Excitement is rarely a problem when the Kowboys and Bulldogs hook up. Short, who was the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator last season, said he will swap the thrills for a three-touchdown lead late in the game.

“In a perfect world, that’s the way it would happen,” he said. “I’m not sure that’s the way it’s going to go, though. They are a talented team. But, the Bulldogs are going to be there, ready to play. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Both St. Cloud and Osceola have open dates Oct. 14.