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Harmony quarterback Martha Edwards took the OBC by storm as a freshman, leading the Longhorns to a conference and district title. She returns as a sophomore for more. The OBC tournament is later this month. FILE PHOTO
After dominating the Osceola County flag football scene for the last two years, Harmony will be looking for its third straight Orange Belt Conference Championship in 2023, but look for cross-town rival St. Cloud to challenge them.
This year, the OBC champion will be determined by a weeklong tournament later this month (March 28-31).
The Lady Longhorns have won 15 consecutive regular season games against county opposition – including going a perfect 7-0 last year when the OBC title was determined by round-robin competition.
Harmony Coach Paul Strauch returns plenty of talent from last year’s team that went 15-3, won a district championship and advanced to the regional quarterfinals. That talent includes sophomore quarterback Martha Edwards, who posted big numbers as a freshman starter to earn 2022 Osceola News Gazette’s Offensive Player of the Year. Edwards’ top targets include wide receivers Drea Thompson and Alex Ceballos.
A senior, Thompson is a multi-sport star was the ONG Defensive Player of the Year for 2022. Other key returners for the Longhorns include juniors Francheska Moreno, Hannah Simmons, Arianna Ross and Ashlyn Scarborough.
“Kinzie James was all conference as a freshman and is a key part of what we do,” Strauch said. “Senior Alanna Laureano has played a lot for us and will find time on the field.”
Ross, Moreno and James were also on the ONG All-County team last season.
Not only does he return much of the talent and depth from last year’s OBC Championship team, Strauch says he is excited about watching freshman WR/DB Ellah Husbands develop.
“We have a lot of solid players returning, but we have a long way to go,” Strauch said. “We hope to keep getting better as the year progresses and build our depth.”
Harmony is off to a solid 4-1 start this season with its only setback coming to state power Lennard (40), 13-7. Their wins have included a 7-6 win over Dr. Phillips and a 13-7 win over Tampa Wharton.
The last Osceola County team to beat Harmony was St. Cloud. The Lady Bulldogs lost a regular season game to the Longhorns in 2021, but came back to defeat them in the district final and advance to regional competition.
St. Cloud is coming off a 9-7 season, and Coach Shawn Beck returns a ton of experience including senior receiver Delia Macdonald, sophomore quarterback Vanessa Vohs, sophomore receiver Priscilla Rodriguez and senior receiver Karen Prado.
Newcomers Savanah Kroener (center), Arianna Vierra (safety) and Karyna Rivera (slot receiver) will see action for the Lady Bulldogs.
“From the beginning, we’ve been excited about the 2023 season,” Beck said. “We have some solid athletes that have been working hard and buying into our system and goals. Some of the new girls have never played flag before but their athleticism has brought them into important starting roles for both offense and defense.”
After going 1-6 and scoring just 18 points all season, Osceola is off to a 3-1 start this year with big wins over Lake Nona and Freedom. Coach Samantha Lynch said her team features many newcomers but will rely on returning linebackers Temira Beck and Nicole Caraballo for experience and leadership.
“Our early season results have far exceeded our expectations. Last year we forfeited some games because we didn’t have enough players to this year when we could field two full teams,” Lynch said. “Our goals are to continue to improve and finish with a winning record.”
Celebration’s top returning players include quarterback Lena Bolejack and receiver/cornerbacks April Herrera-Calderon and Diana Houmaidan.
“We have two talented seniors and a loaded junior class,” Storm Coach Jeremy Palmersaid. “These young ladies have come out and competed every day and I am excited to see what they can accomplish this year.”
Several other county schools are off to solid starts, including Liberty (3-0) and Poinciana (2-1). Gateway is 1-2; while Tohopekaliga (0-1) will be seeking its first win when the squads return from spring break.
