Palmi, Williams named top Athletes
Osceola senior volleyball player Cate Palmi was named OBC Female Athlete of the Year. (Photo/Taylor McFee)
On a night Osceola County honors the best in the past season of its high school athletics, Osceola High volleyball player Cate Palmi and St. Cloud football star Bryce Williams walked away with the Orange Belt Conference female and male athletes of the year; while Harmony reclaimed the All-Sports Award as the county’s top overall athletic program at the OBC Annual Awards Dinner at Heritage Park.
In addition, Harmony’s Ryan Kading was named M. Dean Cherry Coach of the Year.
Palmi, a four-time OBC Volleyball Player of the Year, had a sensational senior season with 478 kills, a .371 hitting percentage, 283 digs and 76 aces in leading the Lady Kowboys to a 26-5 record and a Class 7A Final Four appearance.
It could have just as easily been a career achievement award. She led Osceola to two Final Fours, two regional championships and four district championships to go with a 96-27 record—with the vast majority of those losses coming to highly-ranked state or national powers.
“Honor and humbled to be selected as there are a lot of great athletes in Osceola County,” said Palmi, who is enrolled and plays volleyball at the University of South Florida. “Any individual accolades I have earned are a reflection of the great teammates I have been blessed to play with.”
Williams, who earned seven varsity letters in football, baseball, basketball and weightlifting, helped lead the Bulldogs to eight wins and a 2025 district championship. He did it all: he was third in the state with nine interceptions, caught 50 passes for 800 yards and 11 touchdowns and was the first football player in county history to be voted first team All-OBC on defense, offense and special teams, where he earned the nod as the county’s top punter.
“I’ve always been a two-way guy but when we lost our punter I volunteered to try it and just sort of got the hang of it,” the Middle Tennessee State signee said.
A scholar athlete in his own right, Williams has already completed five college courses and has set his sights on graduating before his senior year in college. He also has set a lofty goal of making all-conference and Freshman All-America in his first year.
After a one-year hiatus, Harmony reclaimed the coveted OBC All-Sports Award as the county’s top overall program. The Longhorns won OBC team championships in baseball, flag football, boys’ volleyball, boys and girls wrestling, girls soccer, girls cross country, and boys and girls swimming; it took all that to barely edge out defending champ St. Cloud by one point.
Celebration’s Clara Vazquez and Zane Zelmanski were the OBC Female and Male Academic Athletes of the Year. Vazquez, who competed in swimming and tennis, ranks second in her class with a perfect 4.00 GPA (4.7288 weighted); while Zelmanski participated in football, wrestling and lacrosse while compiling a 3.9091 GPA (4.5182 weighted) and completed 14 Advance Placement courses.
Tohopekaliga (3.81) and Harmony’s (3.698) swim teams were the top female and male academic teams, while St. Cloud was the top Academic GPA Champion for a second straight year and fourth time in the last six. Bulldog athletes combined for a 3.417 GPA.
M. Dean Cherry Coach of the Year winner Kading coaches both the boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams and girls’ beach volleyball. In 2025-26, the boys team went 21-4 and won its first OBC and district championships and regional playoff game.
“Beyond the wins and championships, Ryan’s greatest strength lies within his character and to help shape and develop his athletes into role models,” Harmony AD Joey James said in his nomination form for Kading.
Other Dean Cherry nominees were Rebecca Camis (Celebration girls soccer), Justin Marino (Gateway girls basketball), Mike Short (St. Cloud football), Steve Mason (Osceola boys basketball), Maya Mariner (Poinciana girls volleyball), Don Toney (Tohopekaliga boys soccer) and Steve Ross (Liberty boys basketball), Coaches of the Year at their schools.
St. Cloud’s Bryan Smart earned the OBC Athletic Director of the Year award for the third consecutive year. The Bulldogs were second in the All-Sports race, won a district football championship, both golf teams placed at the state tournament, six weightlifters and three track athletes reached the state championship podiums and his school earned the country’s top cumulative GPA for a second year in a row.
“I’m honored but undeserving,” Smart said. “The fact of the matter is St. Cloud has great coaches and student athletes. I simply try to find the best coaches and stay out of their way.”
Named after the legendary coach and mentor to all, the Mike Fields Distinguished Leadership Award goes to the county coach that most closely mirrors the sportsmanship, leadership, academic performance and community service aspects that Coach Fields represented. Winner Christina Kading, St. Cloud’s cheerleading coach, was noted by Smart for, “Her ability to inspire and motivate her athletes. It’s evident in every aspect of her program. She has built a culture rooted in trust, respect, and accountability, where athletes feel supported not only as competitors, but as individuals.”
Bryanna Garrett was selected as the Athletic Trainer of the Year; while Celebration High won the Advent Health Community Service Award. Among the Celebration Marathon, its reading to elementary students program, and several other initiatives, Celebration Storm athletes volunteered almost 8,000 hours of time to charities and institutions in the 2025-26 school year.
