Although Hurricane Milton extended the 2024 regular season by a week to allow for makeup games, several Osceola County football teams will wrap up their regular season this week.
The Osceola Kowboys are in a position to secure home field advantage for the first two weeks of the 6A playoffs. After a disappointing 34-28 overtime loss to Jones on Sept. 19, the Kowboys have won four in a row – including significant road wins over Apopka and Lake Wales – allowing the Kowboys to move to 7-2 and clinch another district title. After last week’s 28-17 win over Lake Wales, only a Friday night game at Markus Paul Stadium with St. Petersburg Lakewood remains on the regular season Kowboys’ schedule. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
After a 47-0 win over Gibbs, Lakewood (4-4) could present a challenge to the Osceola defense. The run-first team led by senior Tayshawn Bell (91 yards-706 yards- 6 TD) and junior Khalan Davis (66-366-6 TD) is far from one-dimensional; quarterback Aden Wallace completes nearly 63% of his passes and has thrown for over 1,000 yards.
Osceola has relied on the running game of Taevion Swint, Jeff Sinophat and Elijah Hickson to provide the bulk of its offense all year. Led by Swint’s 17 carries for 136 yards and two scores, the trio compiled 291 rushing yards on 46 carries in Lake Wales. Osceola became just the fourth team (Jones, Vanguard, Seminole) to beat Lake Wales in the last four years and 41 games and their 291 yards rushing against the Highlanders was the most allowed by the Highlanders since Jesuit gained 321 yards Jesuit in a regional in a 2019 regional final.
Osceola is currently ranked second in Class 6A, Region 2, behind stalwart Armwood (8-0) which means they would host both a first and second round playoff game.
“We’re going to handle our business as we have all year. We’re not going to look ahead and just take it one game at a time,” OHS Coach Eric Pinellas said. “By doing so, however, the post-season could set up for us pretty good.”
St. Cloud (5-4, 2-1) could be fighting for their playoff lives when it plays a Week 12 game with Davenport Davenport Community Ridge at home on Wednesday, Dec. 7.
A 29-8 win over Harmony in the 20th playing of the Soldier City Classic, combined with Tohopekaliga’s 17-0 loss to Lake Nona, should push St. Cloud in position to claim one of four Region 3 at-large playoff spots — a win over Ridge will almost certainly guarantee it.
“You never know until the final rankings come out, but we’re in position to make the playoffs,” St. Cloud coach Mike Short said. “Right now, I believe we are playing our best football of the season, which is what you want to be doing this time of year. Our goal is beat Ridge, get into the playoffs and try to keep it going.”
Tohopekaliga (4-4) was eliminated from the district race with the loss to Lake Nona and will conclude its season against Avon Park (1-7) on Friday. With Master’s Academy involved in the Sunshine Conference playoffs, the Week 8 hurricane postponed game is officially cancelled. Tigers coach Anthony Paradiso said he is hopeful that with a win on Friday, he can find a bowl game opponent for his team.
Poinciana (6-2), an independent is still riding high after its 49-8 win over Liberty in the Battle of the Boulevard. The Eagles host Timber Creek (1-7) on Friday and then travel to Auburndale the following Thursday (Nov. 7) for its Hurricane Milton make-up game.
A win in either game would give the Eagles just their second seven-win season in school history (Poinciana was 8-2 in 2022) and with a bowl game already scheduled with Master’s Academy, Poinciana will have a chance to become the winningest team in school history.
After playing a make-up game with Lake Placid on Monday, Gateway wraps its regular season with a hosting Celebration (2-7). Harmony (2-7) looks to close on a winning note at Colonial (3-6); while Liberty (2-6) hosts Lake Buena Vista (3-5) on Friday, before wrapping its regular season with a Nov. 7 game at East River.
