ALL-COUNTY FLAG FOOTBALL -- Edwards, Husbands led Longhorns, county

Harmony dominated the flag football scene in 2023, winning its third consecutive Orange Belt Conference championship, outscoring county opposition 140-6. So it should come as no surprise that the Longhorns dominated the Osceola News Gazette’s All-County team with six selections – including the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.

Sophomore quarterback Martha was the Offensive Player of the Year for the second year after throwing for 47 touchdown passes and rushing for five more in leading the Longhorns to OBC and district championships. Edwards is 31-6 in her two years as starting quarterback, while accounting for 86 total touchdowns.

Ellah Husbands, a freshman, is the Defensive Player of the Year. She led the Longhorns in both interceptions (12) and pass break-ups (17), including two interceptions against Horizon in the district championship game. A twoway standout, Husbands also had 51 receptions and 12 touchdowns on offense.

“It was my first season of playing flag and I was a little nervous,” Husbands – who also started on the district champion Longhorns basketball team — said. “But my teammates and coaches made me feel so welcome that it made me relax.”

Drea Thompson, who led Harmony in interceptions last year as a junior with 10, would have been a solid choice to repeat as Defensive Player of the Year. She had seven interceptions this season and broke up nine passes. She also had a good year offensively with 48 catches, nine touchdowns and 18 extra points.

“There’s no question that Ellah benefitted, because a lot of our opponents knew not to challenge Drea,” Coach Paul Strauch said. “But Ellah’s play was certainly more than deserving of Defensive Player of the Year consideration. She was absolutely fearless back there and made play-afterplay all season for us all season long.”

Husbands and Thompson led a Harmony defense that allowed just 4.4 points per game and registered 12 shutouts.

They are joined on the All-County team by teammates Kinzie James (60 catches, 9 touchdowns, three interceptions and 11 pass breakups), junior center Francheska Moreno, who anchored the offensive line and also caught 70 passes as a safety release valve, and WR/LB Alex Ceballos, who led the team with 78 flag pulls, while adding 16 pass breakups and five interceptions. St. Cloud, who finished 11-4, had three players on the team: seniors Deliah Macdonald and Nila Frost and sophomore Priscilla Rodriguez. A pair of twoway standouts, Macdonald tallied 15 touchdown recept i ons and five interceptions; while Rodriguez had 12 touchdowns and four picks on defense. Frost, a team captain, has three interceptions.

Rounding out the 17-member All-County team was Celebration’s Lena Bolejack and Sofia Sherry; Gateway’s Nyaziah Peterson and Vanessa Diaz; Liberty’s Janalees Casado and Kayla Brown; and Alexa Melendez (Osceola) and Makaila Longway (Poinciana).

Liberty went 9-7 this season with seniors Casado (27 total touchdowns, 1,500 passing yards) and Brown (57 receptions, 8 touchdown, 8 interceptions) leading the way for the Chargers.

Bolejack and Sherry has solid seasons for the Storm, Bolejack rushed for 600 yards and had 25 total touchdowns; while Sherry led Celebration in flag pulls (65) and receptions (35). Peterson had 11 receiving touchdowns and led the county with 15 interceptions; while Diaz – the ONG’s Girls Basketball Player of the Year – accounted for 16 touchdowns as Gateway’s quarterback.

Although Strauch was voted OBC Coach of the Year by his peers, the Harmony coach was adamant that there were more deserving candidates. With that mind, Osceola’s Samantha Lynch and Liberty’s Ethan Fournier are the ONG’s selection for “Co-Coach of the Year” honors. A year after Osceola went 1-6 and had to forfeit several games for not being able to field a team, the Lady Kowboys went 7-9 this season under Lynch. Aftera4-10record in 2022, Liberty posted its first winning season in school history and played in the OBC championship game against Harmony