Alijah Jenkins runs for daylight. (Photo/Taylor McFee)
In a rematch of two state runner-up football teams, the Lake Mary Rams used two second half scores to record a 17-12 come-from-behind win to spoil Osceola’s home opener.
The Rams (2-0) fell behind 12-0, but outscored the Kowboys (1-1) 17-0 in the final 29 minutes of the game.
It was a disappointing finish for Osceola, which appeared to have the game in hand early. Osceola took the opening kickoff and moved 78 yards in 13 plays – burning nearly nine minutes off the clock – to take a 6-0 lead on Jeff Sinophat’s 6-yard touchdown run.
On the ensuing possession, Osceola sacked Lake Mary quarterback Noah Grubbs twice and then forced a shanked punt. A A34-yard pass from Amaree Rutland to Alijah Jenkins set up another 6-yard run from Sinophat and Osceola led 12-0.
The game’s turning point may have come on Osceola’s next possession. With the defense forcing another quick three-and-out, the Kowboys took possession on their own 30 and moved down to the Rams 15 on a 41-yard completion from Rutland to Jakyri Watson. But a short run, followed by a delay of game penalty, an incomplete pass, and then a bad snap from center forced a turnover on downs and the Rams took over on the 16. From there, Grubbs directed a drive down to the Osceola 8, where Tyler Taub’s booted a 20-yard field goal at the buzzer to make it 12-3 at the half.
“On paper the first half may have looked okay, but I really was not pleased with the way we played,” Osceola Coach Eric Pinellas said. .”We missed some open receivers, had some bad penalties and made some bad decisions on where to go with the ball. There’s a big difference between being up 18 or 20-0 instead of 12-3.”
If Pinellas was not totally happy with the first half, he really didn’t care too much for what he saw second. It started when Osceola shanked the second half kickoff, Josh Robinson fielded it on the 35, broke one tackle and raced 65 yards for a touchdown.
“The kickoff was supposed to go to the left and we were defending for that, but the kick went off the side of the foot right, we were out of position and when he broke the first tackle we didn’t have anyone there to make a play,” Pinellas said.
The touchdown gave the Rams momentum. Although Osceola picked up three first downs on their next possession, the next three plays netted just five yards and Osceola turned the ball over on downs when Rutland was sacked. Taking over on the Kowboy 33, Grubbs picked up a couple of first downs on quick completions. He was then sacked, but Osceola was penalized 15 yards for excessive celebration on the play. Grubbs then completed a 24-yard pass to Terrence Dixon and then found Dixon in the back of the end zone for 17-yard touchdown and a 17-12 lead.
Osceola simply struggled to move the ball after that. Sinophat and Jenkins were both out of the game with injuries and their absences were magnified by a turnover, two quarterback sacks and three penalties.
The Kowboys still had a last chance to pull the game out. They forced a punt and took over on their own 5 with 4:36 remaining. Although they picked up a couple of first downs, two incomplete passes ended the drive.
“The last drive was really frustrating,” Pinellas said. “We were supposed to be in our two-minute drill and it seems like everyone the field was just lackadaisical. We took way too much time getting the play called, lining up and getting the snaps off. As head coach, that is on me but the inexperience of our quarterback really played a role. We need to get that fixed.”
Osceola, which outgained the Rams 184-52 in the first half, managed just 91 yards in the second half on three possessions.
The Kowboys travel to Winter Haven next Friday where they will face another 2024 playoff team. The Blue Devils are 2-0 and have pitched a pair of shutouts – outscoring their opposition 81-0.
