By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

The football season is over for Celebration, and it probably is for Gateway unless the Panthers play a bowl game.

With a 37-3 loss at Liberty, Celebration completed one of the most challenging football seasons any team in Osceola County has endured.

The Storm, 0-10, depleted by graduation and preseason defections, were unable to compete effectively against any of their opponents this year while fielding a team composed primarily of underclassmen.

Coach Ben Aarestad said his players deserve credit for persevering through a frustrating season.

“I thought the kids played hard until the very last game,” he said. “Our two best games of the season were against Liberty and Gateway.”

Liberty Coach David Benson was impressed with the Storm’s effort last week.

“You have to take your hat off to Celebration and that staff. Their kids never quit in our game, and when you get that kind of effort, anything can happen,” Benson said.

Aarestad said better times are ahead at Celebration.

“We have a good group of sophomores and freshmen, so hopefully we can build a team around that group of kids,” he said.

Gateway Coach Marlin Roberts said that he considered an opportunity for the Panthers to play a Gridiron Challenge bowl game, but he said Tuesday that Gateway would not participate.

“I’ve been talking to the guy, but it’s a situation where most of our kids are already off doing other sports,” Roberts said. “It might be different if this wasn’t our open week and we were playing, but the way it is now, it would be a problem to get everyone together.”

Roberts said the Panthers would have hosted the bowl game, which presented additional challenges.

“I’m not sure what the soccer schedule is for next week, and the field is already torn up,” he said.

Roberts still was tempted since Gateway hasn’t played in a bowl game since a 2004 Scholarship Bowl win over Olympia.

The Panthers finished the regular season 5-5 after a 58-7 loss at Osceola that saw the game tied at 7 in the second quarter before the Kowboys scored 30 unanswered points.

“That’s what can happen against those guys. They are explosive,” Roberts said. “Our guys played well at times.”

Roberts saw progress this season as the Panthers won more games than they have in seven seasons. And, help is on the way, he said.

“We’ve got some pretty talented freshmen who probably could have played for us this year,” Roberts said. “And, we’ll have more seniors than anytime since I’ve been the coach.”