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Harmony defender Dalton Carlson closes in on Celebration's Lucas Morton-Carlson in Friday's 41-0 Harmony victory. PHOTO/KATIE WILLIAMS
From the gridiron:
A battered and bruised 0-2 Osceola team will look to avoid an 0-3 start for the first time in more than three decades when it hosts state-power Jones on Friday night; while the Tohopekaliga Tigers (1-0) will look to remain undefeated when they travel to Winter Garden to host feisty, small-school Foundation Academy (2-0) to highlight Week 3 action among county schools.
Bad weather forced the cancellation of the Tigers’ and St. Cloud Bulldogs’ games against Fort Meade and Pine Ridge (that one will be made up Oct. 17) and Poinciana and Gateway had early-season bye weeks.
The “only game in town” – Harmony’s 41-0 win over Celebration – saw Jeremy Hilliard rush for 177 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries and Aiden Rapier add two more scores. Coach Nick Lippert said he was pleased by his squad’s “total team effort,” and lauded the play of linebacker Ian Brigham and defensive back Chase Adams.
“We played downhill all night, and Ian was all over the place making play after play,” Lippert said.
Harmony will face a big test this week on the road against Palm Bay (1-1). The Pirates have defeated the Longhorns two consecutive years, including a 13-12 win last season. “A tough well-coached team,” Lippert said of Palm Bay. “At the end of the day if we play at 100 percent and avoid silly mistakes, we’ll have a chance for a win.”
One team in sore need of a win is Osceola. Junior running back Taevion Swint has yet to return from an off-season knee injury, dual-threat Elijah Melendez was lost for the season in Week 1 with a broken foot, starting running back Jeff Sinophant was forced out of last week’s Seminole game with a shoulder injury, backup Elijah Hickson has a broken hand and Zion Mathews – who scored Osceola’s lone touchdown in the 31-6 loss —left the game with severe cramps.
“We were down to using un-experienced wide receivers at running back,” Coach Eric Pinellas said. “But the fact is no one is going to feel sorry for us. We have five straight home games coming and hopefully we can get some guys healthy, fight through some adversity and win a few games.”
It will not be easy against Jones. Although 0-2, the Tigers losses have come to state power Cocoa (22-20) and national power Our Lady of Good Counsel (40-14).
Tohopekaliga will play at Winter Garden Foundation Academy on Friday. Small-school Foundation is off to a 2-0 start and have outscored its opponents by a 125-6 margin.
St. Cloud is scheduled to host Liberty (0-2) this week, also at Austin Tindall. The Chargers are coming off a 52-6 loss to Orlando Christian Prep. Quarterback Jeremiah Pierre-Louis scored Liberty’s lone touchdown in the game.
“We knew going in we were facing a total rebuild and had to change the culture,” Liberty coach Dee Hart said. “The kids are working hard but they need to grasp the concept of playing hard for four quarters and believing they can win. It’s going to be process.”
Bulldogs coach Mike Short said he just wants to get on the field. “It’s really disappointing to work hard all week and not get to play,” he said.
Poinciana (hosting Hardee) and Gateway (at Orange Park Ridgeview) return to action this week after their byes, and Celebration will play at 2-0 Titusville.
“We’re in no position to take anyone lightly,” Poinciana coach Randy Beeken said about the Hardee game. “They have struggled a little recently but they are a storied program with a lot of pride. Our defense played well in our first game but I am looking for a little more consistency with our offense this week.”
“This is sort of a fill in game for us when we had to adjust our schedule because of campus construction,” Gateway coach Marlin Roberts said. “It’s a three hour bus trip against a team we have no real knowledge about. We had a good week of practice, so hopefully we can go up there and be competitive.”
Friday’s Schedule
Jones at Osceola, 7 p.m.
Liberty at St. Cloud (at Austin Tindall), 7:30 p.m.
Harmony at Palm Bay, 7 p.m.
Celebration at Titusville, 7 p.m.
Hardee at Poinciana, 7 p.m.
Tohopekaliga at Foundation Academy, 7 p.m.
Gateway at Ridgeview, 7 p.m.
