Versatility – along with record breaking seasons – were the highlighting factors in determining the 45-member Osceola News Gazette’s 2022 All-County Football Team.
The squad was selected by the paper’s staff, with significant input from county coaches, the Orange Belt Conference All-Conference team, and other observers.
Although players were listed at only one position, many – like Osceola linebacker Jalen Bell – played hybrid positions. Bell, who was named to the team as a linebacker, often lined up as a defensive end or defensive back for the Kowboys.
It was but one example of the versatility of this year’s All-ONG Team.
Tohopekaliga senior Nick Rawls Jr. earned a spot on the All-OGN team as a wide receiver with 893 yards and 12 touchdowns but was also one of the top defensive backs in the county this year and is being considered for the paper’s “Ironman of the Year,” which will be announced next week in our Players of the Year story.
Osceola defensive backs Bo Mascoe and Ja’Keem Jackson, two players who are expected to sign Division-1 scholarship offers, are another example of players from the ONG Defensive Team who made significant plays on offense and special teams; as did Poinciana’s Perry Garrett, who rarely left the field for the Eagles.
Not surprisingly, Osceola High School – long the powerhouse in Osceola County and one of the top programs in the region and state – led the All-ONG team with a county-high 16 selections. Harmony, who earned a playoff spot in 4S, had 10 selections; while Tohopekaliga and St. Cloud had seven each; while Poinciana – who had just its second winning record in 31 years and first in more than two decades – placed five on the ONG All-County Team.
Here is the Osceola News Gazette’s All-County Football Team for 2022:
THE DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINE (8): Elijah Palermo (Osceola, Sr.), Derrick LeBlanc (Osceola., Sr.), John Walker (Osceola., Sr.), Aiden Cooper (Gateway, Sr.), Tyler McMorrow (Harmony, Sr.), Daquan Pinner (Tohopekaliga, Sr.), Elijah Wilkins (Celebration, Sr.), Jayden Swaby (Poinciana, Sr.)
For the last three years, Osceola’s front four has been one of the best in the region – if not the state. LeBlanc (Oklahoma commit) and Walker (UCF commit) combined for 20 quarterback sacks and 37 tackles for loss this season but don’t overlook the work Palermo did at nose tackle (58 tackles, 8 quarterback sacks). Aiden Cooper had a monster year for Gateway with 17.5 quarterback sacks and 22 other tackles for loss. Jayden Swaby (14 TFL, 12 QS) played a major role in helping Poinciana’s defense to limit opponents to 15 points per game.
LINEBACKERS (8): Noah Carr (St. Cloud, Sr.), Dalten Phelan (Harmony, So.), Joshua Moss (Harmony, Sr.), JC Gonzalez (Tohopekaliga, Sr.), Jalen Bell (Osceola, Jr.), Drevan Lee (Osceola, Sr.), Robert Miklal-Lee (Osceola, So.), Kymani Chevannes (Celebration, Sr.) St. Cloud’s Noah Carr and Harmony’s Joshua Moss are a pair of tough kids that led their respective teams to winning seasons not only with standout play on defense but with their leadership on and off the field. Carr posted 98 total tackles with 20 tackles-for-loss this season; while Moss had 77 tackles, including 17 behind the line of scrimmage. Sophomore Dalten Phelan has started since day one for the Longhorns and he posted another stellar campaign – leading Harmony in total tackles with 102. Sophomore Robert Mikal-Lee is one of three Osceola linebackers to earn a spot on the All-ONG Team. Lee posted 82 total tackles, including 19 for loss for the Kowboys, who allowed just over 12 points per game against one of the toughest schedules in the state (11 of 14 opponents found themselves in the playoffs this season). Tohopekaliga’s JC Gonzalez (54 tackles, 6 TFL) and Celebration’s Kymani Chevannes (61 tackles) round out selection for the ONG linebackers.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (8): Bo Mascoe (Osceola, Sr.), Ja’Keem Jackson (Osceola, Sr.), Jayden Bradford (Osceola, Sr.), Lacory Walker (Osceola, Sr.), Joseph Clukey (St. Cloud, Sr.), Alex Nash (Harmony, Jr.), Brayden Adams (Harmony, Sr.), Michael Centeno (Poinciana, Sr.)
Led by Rutgers commit Bo Mascoe and Florida commit Ja’Keem Jackson, the All-ONG defensive backfield is perhaps the deepest unit on either side of the ball. This group intercepted 25 balls while knocking down 42 passes. Competition for spots on the All-ONG team was fierce — the entire OHS unit is on here — as these stats do not include the contributions of Rawls (5 interceptions) – who made the All ONG Team as a wide receiver or Harmony senior Brayden Sheldon (4 interceptions, 9 pass defenses), who just missed being selected. Not only is this group fast and athletic, but they are not afraid to hit either as evidenced by Adams (78 tackles) and Clukey (37 tackles).
KICK RETURNER (1): Alijah Jenkins (Osceola, Fr.)
Remember the name Alijah Jenkins because the rising sophomore could be a star in the making. In limited opportunities as a freshman, he averaged more than 45 yards per kickoff return and a stellar 18 yards per punt return.
THE OFFENSE
Quarterbacks (2): De’Kwan Bradley (Poinciana, Sr.) and Logan King (St. Cloud, So.)
Without question, this was the toughest position for our panel to decide. All candidates had some great credentials but all had some question marks. Tohopekaliga freshman Sabby Meassick (who will be named Freshman Player of the Year in our Players of the Year Story) set county passing records for yards (3044) and touchdowns (37) in his first season; but in the four losses his inexperience did show a little (5 touchdown passes, 13 interceptions). Osceola senior David Buggs led the Kowboys all the way to the state semifinals, but he completed less than 50% of his passes and was occasionally careless with the ball while trying to make things happen (12 interceptions). Harmony’s Aiden Parks was an expert at running Harmony’s grind it out offense but only threw the ball 50 times this season.
With those factors in mind, the ONG’s All-County quarterbacks are Poinciana senior De’kwan Bradley and St. Cloud sophomore Logan King. Bradley completed 64.3% of his passes for 2213 yards and 23 touchdowns and was also the team’s second leading rusher with 403 yards and 8 more scores to account for 31 total touchdowns in leading the Eagles to their first eight-win season in school history. King was a 55% passer for 1922 yards and 18 touchdowns. Both quarterbacks took pretty good care of the ball with 41 combined touchdown passes and just 14 interceptions.
Running Backs (5): Taevion Swint (Osceola, So.), Tyler Emans (Harmony, Sr.), Cooper Richards (Harmony, Sr.), TJ Griffin (St. Cloud, So.), Churandy Duval (Tohopekaliga, Jr.)
The 2022 All-ONG running back unit is led by two terrific record setting backs. After a freshman season where he was splitting time with his older brother Ja’Randy Swint, Taevion Swint still managed to account for 1100 all-purpose yards and scored 15 touchdowns. He had a sensational sophomore season with 1666 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. With two years remaining, it would be tall chore for Swint to challenge Willie Green’s school records of 2,664 single season and 7,947 career rushing yards but his two-year totals of 2278 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns are extremely impressive.
Harmony senior Tyler Emans holds the Longhorns’ single season and career rushing marks, as well as the career touchdown record. Emans, who will attend Ivy school Brown after turning down several Division-1 offers, rushed for 1372 yards this year and finishes his career with 3976 rushing yards and 53 rushing touchdowns. He is joined on the All-ONG team by teammate Cooper Richards, a versatile back who rushed for nearly 700 yards and accounted for more than 1100 all-purpose yards and scored nine times.
The other two running backs selected include St. Cloud sophomore TJ Griffin and Tohopekaliga junior Churandy Duval. Griffin rushed for nearly 500 yards and scored nine touchdowns this season; while Duval rushed for 741 yards and caught 84 passes mainly on shuffle passes and screens to add 550 additional yards. He scored 10 times.
OFFENSIVE LINE (8): Jamarion McCrimon (Osceola, Sr.), Joseph Green (Osceola, Jr.),Thomas Gearity (Osceola, Jr.), Jayden Gomez (Harmony, Sr.), Ryan Capranica (Harmony, So.), Jonathan Ogbuagu (Tohopekaliga, Sr.), Mason Green (St. Cloud, Sr.), Conner Howes (St. Cloud, So.), Gabriel Gonzales (Poinciana, Sr.)
Perhaps it’s is no surprise that the two Osceola teams that qualified for the post-season was also the two best teams at running the ball this season. Those two teams, Osceola and Harmony, filled five of the nine spots on the All-OGN team. Look for the Kowboys to be strong on the OL line next year, as four of the five starters on the interior offensive line will return.
WIDE RECEIVERS (5): TJ Massey (Osceola, Sr.), Nick Rawls Jr. (Tohopekaliga, Sr.), Julian Nasco (Tohopekaliga, Jr.), Owen Conner (St. Cloud, Jr.) and Perry Garrett (Poinciana, Sr.)
Collectively, Nick Rawls Jr. and Julian Nasco had a lot to do with Meassick’s record breaking season. Rawls (67 receptions-893 yards-12 TD) and Nasco (66-873-12) posted almost identical numbers in scoring a combined 24 touchdowns. TJ Massey was the leading receiver for the Kowboys; as was Conner for the Bulldogs (43-865-6). Perry Garret not only was a standout during the regular season with 48 catches for 708 yards and six touchdowns, but was also a starter in the defensive backfield and on special teams. He scored twice in the Osceola vs. Lake Senior All-Star Cure Bowl earlier this month.
KICKER (1): Alex Tuyo (Harmony, Sr.)
When Kevin Lavigne graduated, Harmony needed a kicker for 2022 and found the answer on its soccer team. Alex Tuyo stepped in and was good on 10 of 14 field goal attempts and 25 of 28 extra points to score 55 points. He also booted 28 kickoffs for touchbacks and averaged 38 yards in punts to edge Osceola kicker Devin Calhoun for All-ONG kicking honors.
