By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

In four tries, Poinciana has yet to celebrate in the Battle of the Boulevard, the team’s annual football game against rival Liberty.

The Eagles, 2-7, will try again today at 7:30 p.m. at Liberty’s Charger field.

“It’s definitely a big game, the one that the guys want to win because Liberty is just five miles down the road,” Eagles Coach Corey Fleming said.

Liberty Coach David Benson knows what Fleming is talking about.

“It’s always a huge game for our guys. It’s the one that gives you bragging rights for 365 days,” Benson said.

The Chargers, 3-6, raised their 7A-6 district record to 3-2 Friday with a 37-3 win at Celebration. But, because St. Cloud beat Harmony and Gateway lost to Osceola, Liberty was eliminated from the playoff race.

“That’s OK. We finished 3-2 in the district for the first time. Technically, you could say that this is our most successful season ever,” Benson said.

The Chargers were 8-3 and won the Osceola County Scholarship Bowl championship in 2009, but that team had a losing district record, Benson said.

Poinciana, 2-7, slipped to 1-4 in 5A District 7 after a 40-28 loss to Eustis last week.

Fleming said Poinciana has struggled defensively despite the team devoting extra time to the defense in practice.

“It’s funny, because we don’t spend that much time on the offense, and they do fine, but we’ve had problems stopping people all year,” Fleming said.

The Eagles still can win three games by beating Liberty, which would be the most wins in a single season for Poinciana since 2000.

Benson is concerned about containing Eagles quarterback/receiver Michael Cirino, a senior who is capable of taking over a game the way he did in Poinciana’s victory at Lake Nona three weeks ago. Cirino scored four touchdowns and intercepted two passes in that game.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one player dominate a high school game the way he did in that one,” Benson said. “Coach Fleming does a good job of moving him around to get the most production out of him. That’s what you do in high school, you get your playmaker the ball. We expect to get a heavy dose of him.”

Fleming said the Chargers will see Cirino in a variety of positions today.

“We move him around, quarterback, running back, receiver. We do what we can to get him the ball, because he’s the best athlete on the field,” Fleming said.

Cirino scored twice against Eustis last week. Joey Decomo and Theron Ellis also scored touchdowns.

The Chargers have the county’s leading passer in sophomore Terrell Bonds, who has passed for 1,852 yards and 17 touchdowns, both school records.

Ameer Thompson leads the county in receiving with 666 yards. He has caught six touchdown passes.

Liberty probably will finish the season without senior Demetrious Taylor, one of the team’s top receivers and defenders. Taylor suffered a bone bruise three weeks ago and has been unable to return.

While the Chargers have had their share of injuries, Benson said he likes the progress he has seen from young players like Bonds and receivers like Joey Casillas and Marion Brown, all sophomores.

“It’s a good testament to our players and staff that even with a very young team we’ve been able to hang in there against some good teams and continue to show progress,” Benson said. “You always would like to see more wins up there, but I’m proud of what our guys have been able to accomplish.”

Fleming said the Eagles are confident as they go for their first win against their rival today.

“We’re coming into the game with a pretty good frame of mind, better than we have before. We’ve played against a pretty high level of competition all season, so the kids believe they can play with anybody,” he said.

This will be Liberty’s Senior Night.