Surprise—the 2025 football regular season ends this week. (Didn't it just start?)
Although the playoff picture is clear, there is a lot to the teams to play for—including playoff positioning, pride, the record book and momentum heading into next year.
The biggest game of the week will take place in St. Petersburg, where Osceola (6-3) will square off Friday with Lakewood (8-1). Kowboys coach Eric Pinellas said a win over the No. 3 ranked team in 2A might be enough to affect Osceola’s playoff position.
“I feel pretty good that we have already secured a home playoff game,” Pinellas said. “But a win Friday might be enough to push us to fourth in the region and give us an opportunity to host a second game.”
It will not be easy for the Kowboys. The Spartans gave state runner-up Osceola all they wanted last year (28-22) and appear to be significantly improved this season. Led by senior QB Ayden Wallace (68.8%, 2,113 yards. 18 TD), Lakewood averaged 40 points per game. In Wallace’s spreading the ball about, Shodderick Pritchard leads with 43 catches for 759 yards, but four different receivers have over 20 catches.
They are far from onedimensional. Wallace will scramble out of the pocket (295 yards, 12.3 avg.) and with a stable of running backs the Spartans are at 1,900 yards rushing on the season.
“They have some decent size on the line and great team speed. Defensively, they are big, but they are extremely athletic. Add to the fact it is going to be homecoming and senior night so you know they will be jacked for us,” Pinellas said.
Although it may not have as much effect on St. Cloud’s playoff seeding, the Bulldogs (7-2) have a ton to play for as its hosts Lake Minneola (1-8), the team Bulldogs’ signal caller Jeremiah Lattier transferred from, Friday night. A win would give St. Cloud an eighth regular season win for the first time since 2008.
“The rankings system is sort of a mystery to a lot of us, so I am not sure how much margin of win is really factored in,” St. Cloud coach Mike Short said.“But that is not the concern. First, we want to get a victory. It is our Senior Night, so if things work out, I would like to get my senior reserves some meaningful snaps in the game. Finally, our fan support has been fantastic this year, so we want to put on a good show for them.”
Momentum and a chance to finish with a .500 record is on the line for Gateway, Harmony and Tohopekaliga.
The Panthers (4-5) are coming off their bye week and will play at Celebration Thursday night. Gateway can reach .500 for the first time since after winning three of its last four.
“This game is incredibly important for this team’s psyche,” Roberts said.“We’ve made some solid strides this season but to reach .500 for the year would give us a lot of momentum for next year.”If the Panthers win, Roberts said he would look for a bowl game for his players.
“Coach Blanton is in a similar situation as we are. He also has a young team and is trying to introduce a new culture. He has some good athletes, who also do not give up. I have spent all week trying to convince our players and coaches, that we better strap it on, because it is not going to be walk through the park.”
With a loss to Lake Nona and a third-place district finish, Tohopekaliga may be a stretch for the post-season. Still the young Tigers (4-5) have had some solid moments this year and Coach Anthony Paradiso wants to see his team finish strong Friday night against Avon Park (6-3).
“We are in the exact same position we were in last year but with a younger but more competitive team,” Coach Anthony Paradiso said.“We got win five last year against them and our focus is to work hard this week and to finish strong.” Whether a bowl game or playoff game is in the offing, Tigers QB Sabby Meassick will have at least one more game to add to his county records for career attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns.
Harmony’s Don Simon says his young team has improved over the course of the season. _e Longhorns (4-5) and reach .500 with a win over Colonial (2-7).
“Our kids have started to understand that winning football means preparing the right way and always fighting through adversity. We have been drilling into them that when things go bad, you can sit and dwell on it or you can ght through it and change the circumstance. It’s never over and there is always something you can do it about it,” Simon said.“_e one thing I was most proud of last week was when we went down 14-0 in the second half, this group never gave up and fought to the end.”
Poinciana (3-6) will seek a fourth win when it travels to Timber Creek (3-6) on _ursday night. Although the Eagles could not match last year’s eight-win season, Poinciana had a lot of sophomores and juniors in the starting line-up this year and a win could propel that group to bigger things next season.
Liberty (0-9) concludes its season Thursday night at Lake Buena Vista (3-6). Those teams have faced two common opponents this year. Each lost lopsided decisions to Innovation; while LBV defeated Oak Ridge (26-25); while the Chargers dropped a six-point decision (32-24) in Week 2.
