Alijah Jenkins hauls in a 19-yard touchdown pass, a score that'd be the winning margin for Osceola Friday over Viera, 13-10. (Photo/Taylor McFee)
Like they've done annually since 2011, the Osceola Kowboys are district football champions and will play into November.
The Kissimmee kids used a lightning bolt of offense at the end of the first half to take a 13-10 they'd make stand up in the second half against Viera Friday thanks to the defense. Defensive coordinator Brad Lennox's unit got two stops on fourth down and a Jamari Lofton interception, his second of the night, with 1:09 left to seal the game.
"It was, 'Let's see what the heck we can get,'" Pinellas said of the three-play 75-yard touchdown drive that took less than a minute. "Javontay (Barnett) did a great job because he was a lead blocker, saw the quarterback in trouble, scrambled out and found a spot in the (zone) defense, just a heads up football play."
Alijah Jenkins, who also rushed eight times for 82 yards and score, caught a touchdown pass from Amaree Rutland with three seconds left before halftime to give Osceola (5-2, 2-0) a lead it'd never lose to Viera (4-3, 0-1), despite the Hawks creating its own opportunities they just couldn't cash in because of Osceola's defense rising up at all the right times.
The win, despite not being pretty, clinched District 6A-5 and a Class 6A regional playoff spot.
"But there are no ugly district championships," Pinellas said post-game.
The game started well enough for Osceola. Janari Lofton intercepted Eric Nelson’s first pass attempt, and four plays later Alijah Jenkins scored on a 24-yard run to put the Kowboys up 7-0 five minutes into the game.
Viera answered with a drive and a 35-yar Dominck Maxwell field goal, then forced an Osceola punt. The Hawks took the lead with 2:57 left before the half on Duke Butler's nine-yard TD run. The scoring drive featured a fourth-down fake punt punt conversion and two other first downs by penalty.
The Hawks looked to have snatched all the momentum when Blake Thomas intercepted Rutland in Kowboys territory, but the Kowboys defense held and forced a 35-yard field goal that banged off the left upright.
Getting the ball back with 54 seconds left, Osceola struck lightning, going 75 yards in just three plays to snatch the lead back. Jeff Sinophat ran for 40 yards, then Rutland found Barnett for 16 yards, then found Jenkins in the back corner of the end zone with a fine throw with 3.4 seconds left. The PAT was blocked but OHS led 13-10 at the half despite running just 16 first-half offensive plays.
Oseola had the chance for a two-score lead to start the third quarter, but a dropped fourth-down pass kept Viera close. The game got tense when an Osceola fumble gave the Hawks the ball at the Viera 33 with 8:57 left. They'd try another fake punt from midfield, and came up just short with 5:18 left.
After Osceola picked up a first down, it gave the ball back again with Viera's Dimitri Jean intercepted Rutland at the 20 with 2:12 left. The Kowboys snuffed out a third-down screen pass for a seven-yard loss, the Lofton put it away with his clinching fourth-down interception with 1:09 remaining, letting Rutland take two knees and the Kowboys claim another district title.
Sinophat, who rushed for 119 yards on 13 carries, went out late with a possible concussion, and guard Jaeden Bellamy limped off in the second half as well.
The Kowboys, now playing for regional playoff seeding, will host Apopka, whose game against Cocoa was postponed until Nov. 3 due to flooding in Brevard County, next Friday.
