Unbeaten Osceola No. 6 in Class 7A; Playoff berth near

By Rick Pedone

Sports Editor

There is being on a roll, and then there are the Osceola Kowboys.

The  Kowboys, 7-0, are ranked No. 6 in Class 7A and are co-leaders in 7A District 6 after blanking Harmony, 61-0, last week.

Osceola will host Liberty Friday for homecoming at 7:30 p.m. with an opportunity to clinch its sixth straight playoff berth.

The Kowboys have won four games in a row by a running clock, have allowed only one touchdown over the past four games and they are riding a 10-game winning streak at home, counting spring games, kickoff classics and playoff games.

“We’re playing well,” Coach Doug Nichols said. “I thought we played as physical last week as we have since the Palm Bay game (in week 3). We had cats out there flying around everywhere.”

Liberty, 1-6 and 1-2, is shaking off a frustrating 21-20 loss to St. Cloud. Although the Chargers have only one win, they have generally played competitively against a schedule that has potential playoff teams like Bishop Moore, University and Freedom on it.

Chargers Coach David Benson said turnovers and mistakes in crucial situations have plagued his team this season. Last week, two turnovers in the red zone, and a short punt, gave the Bulldogs scoring opportunities.

“You can’t turn the ball over and win football games,” Benson said.

The Chargers led 14-0 in the first half and could have had more.

Then, Liberty opened the door for St. Cloud’s comeback by turning the ball over on its first two possessions of the second half.

The plus for Liberty has been the improving play of freshman quarterback Isaiah Wilson, who hit 14-of-28 for a career high 280 yards passing last week.

“Think about what he’d be like on the freshman team,” Benson said. “He’s coming along, improving every game. He threw the ball well and didn’t turn it over.”

Wilson led the Chargers on an 80-yard drive, hitting six of seven passes, to pull Liberty within a point with 1:46 to play.

Nichols, the Liberty coach from 2007-09, said most of the Liberty players he coached have graduated.

“Jalen (Benn) is one of the few left there that I had much interaction with because we talked about bringing him up to the varsity when he was a freshman,” Nichols said.

Osceola came out of the Harmony game in good shape and seems equipped to record the team’s third unbeaten regular season since 2001.

“These guys really are a special group. On defense, they all fly around. Offensively, we’re at the point where if we have to get into the shotgun 40 times for whatever reason, I wouldn’t be worried about it because (quarterback) Daequan (Harrison) is really making strides. People don’t realize that he never played quarterback until he took his first snap in May. Before that, he was a split end,” Nichols said.

Benson said that versatility is what makes OHS a formidable foe.

“The way they are throwing the ball this year, you really can’t get up and cheat on the run,” Benson said. “You have to respect their ability to throw it down the field.”

The Kowboys secondary, long a strength, seems to be playing exceptionally well this season, Nichols said. Hassan Childs, James Farley and safety Dominic Lee, who returned returned an interception for a touchdown last week, all have been effective.

“You have to give credit to Coach (C.J.) Santiago and Coach (Ray) Hines for the job they are doing with those guys, and Coach (Robert) VanSickle is doing a great job with the defensive line,” Nichols said.

Osceola allowed only 25 net yards to Harmony. The defense is yielding an average of 6 points and 112 yards per game. Conversely, the offense averages 40 points and 365 yards.

The Kowboys can clinch at least a runner-up playoff spot with a win Friday. They can win the district title by beating Gateway next week.

“We’ve talked all year about winning one game at a time, then preparing for the next opponent,” Nichols said. “They know that if we do that, we’ll end up where we want to be.”