By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

Three football games today and three more Friday will give Osceola County football fans an indication of where county teams stand as spring practice wraps up.

Osceola, Poinciana and Celebration take the field today. Friday, St. Cloud, Gateway and Harmony will suit up.

Osceola and Poinciana both host games at 7 p.m. The Kowboys welcome former district rival Lakeland Lake Gibson, and Poinciana will meet Orange City University. Celebration travels to Auburndale.

St. Cloud will host Olympia Friday at 7:30 p.m. Lake Nona visits Gateway at 7 p.m. and Harmony will be at Mount Dora at 7 p.m.

Osceola Coach Doug Nichols said tonight’s game will be all varsity with live kicking.

“It’s a regular game, all the way. Lake Gibson’s not bringing its junior varsity,” Nichols said. “When we get done, we’ll have a pretty good idea of where we stand. That’s the whole idea, to find your weaknesses and have the summer to get things straightened out.”

Nichols said returning starter Kieron Williams will see most of the action at quarterback. He said starting spots may be on the line in both the offensive and defensive backfields.

Poinciana’s game also will be all varsity, Coach Michael Timpson said.

The Eagles have had a good spring, the coach said, but he will be looking for improvement at all positions.

“Remember, we didn’t win a game, so all positions are under evaluation,” he said.

Timpson said linebacker Theron Ellis has looked solid through the spring drills.

St. Cloud originally planned to host Olympia and Orlando Evans for a three-team jamboree, but Bulldogs Coach Mike Short said Evans withdrew last week. Friday’s game will be three quarters of varsity and the fourth quarter will feature the junior varsity.

The Bulldogs have one of the state’s premier quarterback prospects in Phillip Steinmetz and a strong receiving corps, but Short will be paying close attention to his linemen Friday. He didn’t like what he saw from his offensive line last week.

“We had an under-the-lights scrimmage Friday. We could be in some serious trouble if the (offensive line) doesn’t come together,” he said.

It will be Short’s first spring game as the head coach after taking over for Bill Buldini last winter. He was the acting head coach against Edgewater last season while Buldini was investigated by the School District for housing a player.

At Celebration, Coach Ben Aarestad is looking for players to fill the void of 14 departed  seniors when the Storm sees the Bloodhounds tonight.

“We’re going to start eight freshmen. That group is our best class right now,” he said. “We’re only going to have five seniors this year.”

Luckily, he has a quarterback who’s taken varsity snaps. Sophomore William Santry stepped in last year, when Miguel Torres-Bruno got hurt about halfway into the season. He and freshman Quentin Lewis will get the snaps tonight on a night where limiting mistakes will be a goal.

“In full contact, we haven’t fumbled it this spring. That and penalties are what we’re trying to avoid,” he said.

Coach Marlin Roberts is beginning his third season at Gateway and is interested to see progress from a core of returning starters. Like Coach Short at St. Cloud, he wants to see his linemen at work.

“We’re ready as we can be. The offensive line, as always, is our big issue,” he said.

Harmony will play its first game under Coach Jerrad Butler at Mount Dora.

“Eleven of our 22 starters have never played a down of varsity football,” Butler said. “We are going to get everyone in, evaluate our kids in different positions, and make some determinations.”

The Horns suffered a blow with the loss of returning defensive starter Zach Williams to a knee injury. He will be out next season.