If the Osceola (10-2) wants to claim a regional championship and secure a spot in the FHSAA Class 6A Final Four, they will have to travel down I-4 to Seffner Friday and defeat Armwood (120) – the third ranked team in 6A and ninth ranked team in the entire state.
The Kowboys are 7th in 6A and 39th overall in rankings done through the end of the regular season.
“It’s obviously going to be a big test for us, but that’s nothing new,” Osceola Eric Pinellas said. “Look at our regular season schedule we play yearin and year-out. We face a lot of ranked teams so there will be no intimidation factor.”
In 2024, nine of Osceola 10 regular season opponents qualified for the post-season. But Armwood will still present a stern test.
The Hawks average more than 43 points per game while allowing under 7. They have posted six shutouts and only had one regular season game was decided by less than 20 points – a 31-27 win over Tampa By Tech, who’s still in the 5A playoffs. They did need two fourth quarter touchdowns in 21-17 come-from-behind win over Plant last week.
Armwood is led by junior quarterback Rhys Brush (2,256 yards, 36 TDs, 2 INTs, 62% completion rate), senior running back Girard Pringle (1,190 yards 19 TDs, 9 yds/carry) and receivers Tyler Williams (796 yards, 10 TDs), Tyler Tuel and Kendrick Ford (287, 2 TDs) and tight end Tuel (587 yards, 11 TDs).
“There offensive game plan is not a mystery,” Pinellas said. “They like to pound the ball with their running back and when teams finally have to put eight in the box to stop it, Brush goes over top with playaction. Pringle is an outstanding back and their receivers are really athletic.”
Defensively, the Hawks are led by defensive linemen Jordan Bellamy, Cameron White and Greg Lott, who’ve combined for 26 quarterback sacks and 57 additional tackles-forloss. Kellen Wiley (13 TFL, 75 tackles) is their top linebacker and Olontae Dean (4) leads and experienced secondary that intercepted 19 passes.
What makes this match-up intriguing is that the fact that Osceola has been really good at stopping the run—which is a Hawk strength. Just three schools this year have rushed for more than 100 yards against a Kowboys’ defense that has allowed less than 70 yards per game against all opponents.
“Right now, I like the way our defense is playing,” Pinellas said. “Earlier in the season, our secondary would be a little bit too aggressive, but they have played much better in recent weeks.”
Offensively, Osceola hopes to use its potent running game to dominate possession and limit Armwood’s offensive opportunities. Senior running back Taevion Swint, despite nagging injuries this season, has been spectacular. Although he is averaging just over 11 carries per game, he has 1,438 yards and 22 touchdowns. Jeff Sinophat and Elijah Hickson have combined for 1,300 more as part of Osceola’s attack.
“The keys to the game are pretty simple. Defensively, we need to make them onedimensional by stopping the run and we have to be able to run the ball, move the chains and keep possession. Getting off to a fast start and playing from out front would make it easier. They are a really good team, but I would like to think we are too.”
This is Osceola’s second regional final in the last three seasons. In 2022, they defeated Vero Beach, 31-7, before giving up two fourth-quarter scores in a 14-7 loss to eventual state champion Lakeland in the semifinals.
The state will re-seed the regional champions to determine next week’s state semifinal matchups. The FHSAA state championships will be held at FIU’s Pitbull Stadium the following week in Ft. Lauderdale.
