Here is a recap of the action of the past week in Osceola County sports -- one of the last weeks of this athletic season:
Celebration's deep run in the boys volleyball postseason came to a heart-breaking end Friday when it dropped a state quarterfinal to No. 2 ranked Winter Park, 22-25, 25-22, 25-17, 22-25, 12-15. The Storm (21-10) started the season 1-4 but finished with 13 wins in their final 15 matches while winning OBC, district and regional titles along the way.
In qualifying for their fourth trip to the state championship, Celebration appeared headed for a trip to the semifinals after winning the second and third sets. Unfortunately, Winter Park (27-4) won the fourth and fifth sets to advance.
"We came out a little nervous in the opening game but settled down and frankly dominated the next two games. Unfortunately we simply could not close it out," Storm Coach Pedro Davila said.
As has been the custom all year, senior Darion Graham and junior Diego Rivera led the charge for Storm, finishing the match with 23 and 21 kills respectively. Libero Keith Harrison had 29 digs.
Despite the narrow loss, Davila said he was extremely proud of the team and the fight they exhibited this season.
"We did not get off to a great start this season but we kept fighting through it and improved throughout the season. We played with, competed with, and ended up beating some of the best teams in the state this year. At the state tournament, there were eight teams and I strongly believe any of those eight could have won the tournament. They were that close in talent. Volleyball is a game of momentum and we had it on our side for a while in the Winter Park match and unfortunately let it slip away."
Although Celebration loses Graham, Harrison and three other talented seniors to graduation, Davila remains upbeat about the future.
"We have some good talent returning and some promising young players moving up from junior varsity. This group of seniors enhanced and carried on the legacy of Celebration volleyball and will be missed. Still, we have established a winning culture and fully expect to be competitive again next year."
Track and field: Out of the large contingent of athletes from Osceola County who qualified for the FHSAA Class 3A and 4A state meets, four individuals and Osceola girls' 4x100 meter relay team claimed All-State honors.
Gateway's Amela Johnson was the first to reach the podium when she finished sixth in the Class 3A 400-meter run with a time of 56.85. Johnson also earned a spot in the 200, where she finished 16th.
Saturday's 4A championships saw three more individuals from Osceola County finish in the top eight to score team points. Tohopekaliga's Javon Andrew-Brown placed sixth in the triple jump with a leap of 45'-8". Celebration's Catalina Edwards capped her sensational career with a seventh place finish in the girls' 1600 meters (5:08.66) and Drea Thompson finished tied for eighth in the high jump (5'-1 3/4"). Osceola's 4x100 relay team of Quayana Jenkins, Zanaya Bright, Shannon Levy and Kadreah Vernado also made it to the podium with a seventh place finish (47.88).
Several other athletes posted good performances at the state meet: Osceola's David Buggs (12th in discus) and Levy (14th in the 100), St. Cloud's Yadiel Rivera-Alonso (11th in triple jump) and Jahleek Lawrence (14th in high jump), and Harmony's Alex Tuyo (15th in 400 hurdles) and Lailana Decker (girls 1600 meters) all had solid performances. Harmony and Celebration's girls 4x800 relay teams finished 12th and 15th, while the Longhorns' boys 4x800 relay team posted a 12th place finish.
Spring football: Osceola Kowboys Coach Eric Pinellas has a reloading job in front of him as Osceola graduated 15 seniors, including five who signed Division I scholarships, off of last year's 10-3 Class 7A semifinal team. They took that first step this spring, a 24-7 spring game loss Wednesday to state power Edgewater.
Rising junior star running back Taevion Swint scored the lone touchdown for the Kowboys; while Notorious Reynolds, a wide receiver last year, took the majority of snaps at quarterback.
"We don't worry too much about wins or losses in spring games," Pinellas said. "With most of our offensive line back and Taevion, we feel pretty good about our offense. Our goal this spring was to get our defense to gel as a cohesive unit and I thought we were able to accomplish that despite missing some guys for the game."
Kyri Watson, Je'mario Bradford, and Jeremiah Wiggins-Baker are three defensive players who missed the spring game and are expected to see extensive time in the fall. Pinellas also noted that rising senior Gunner Holland, the Kowboys backup quarterback the last two seasons, will not play football in the fall. Holland, a two-time state wrestling champion, will concentrate on that sport his senior year.
Poinciana (28-0 over Gateway) and St. Cloud (41-14 over Freedom) came away with impressive victories in their respective Friday night spring games. The Osceola News-Gazette covered both games and you can read the game report here.
Tohopekaliga's ended early in a 14-14 tie with Hagerty due to inclement weather, but Tigers Coach Anthony Paradiso said his team managed to get 40 minutes of solid work in. Tohopekaliga scores came on a touchdown pass from Sabby Meassick to Louis Figueroa and a "scoop and score" fumble recovery from Delvin Pryor.
Paridiso described the spring "as a work in progress" for his Tigers, with the only goal being to "get better each day and each practice." He did cite the play of linebacker Rashaud James this spring, as a player that "has shown tremendous improvement and has a chance to become an outstanding football player."
Just minutes into Celebration's spring game with George Jenkins Thursday, a severe thunderstorm settled over the Storm campus and forced cancellation of its spring game. Second-year head coach Jeremy Palmer said he was pleased with both his participation numbers in the spring, as well as the attitude of his young squad.
"We lost a lot of senior playmakers graduation that we need to replace and we have a lot of young kids playing varsity for the first time. Still, I have been extremely encouraged by the attitude of this group. They were angry and upset when we told them the game could not be resumed. They want to be here and want to play and that's a good sign."
After losing top running backs, wide receivers and quarterback to graduation, Palmer will rely on a young but experienced offensive line to provide leadership this season. Junior Anthony El-dib will anchor that unit.
"We sort of threw that young offensive line into the fire last year as freshman and sophomores and they had their struggles, but they also showed a lot of potential. They will be a year older, a year bigger and a year more experienced next fall. Through hard work in the weight room and spring ball, they showed a lot of improvement."
The Storm will most likely start sophomore Landen Yaw at quarterback this fall, a player Palmer describes as, "Absolutely fearless. He has a good grasp of the offense we want to run and can make most of the throws it requires."
On Tap: The final two contests of the academic year are slated for this week. On Wednesday, Nick Lippert will lead the Harmony Longhorns in a spring game at Mount Dora. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. At 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Liberty, under new head coach Dee Hart, will host Winter Haven Ambassadors Academy and Discovery in a jamboree. Each team will play the other two teams for a half.
