Past results of the Soldier City Classic, Battle of the Boulevard
If you want intense rivalry football games, Osceola County is the place for two of them Friday.
Harmony hosts St. Cloud in the 20th Soldier City Classic; while Poinciana looks for a third victory in a row when it travels to Liberty for 18th Battle of the Boulevard.
It lacks the history of St. Cloud-Osceola, but the battle for the Brass Bugle has blossomed into the biggest game of the year for St. Cloud and Harmony. It’s been a close and hard-fought rivalry for two decades; the Bulldogs hold a narrow 10-9 series advantage thanks to a 21-0 win last year.
“There’s no question, it’s our biggest game on the schedule every year,” Bulldogs Athletics Director and former coach Bryan Smart said. “When Harmony opened (in 2004), half our kids ended up being zoned for that new school. But what really keeps it intense is almost all of Harmony kids grew up playing youth sports in St. Cloud. They know our players and our players know theirs and all our friends except for one day every year. You know it’s the one game that either side hates to lose. It’s only going to get bigger too, because we are starting to get to the point where it will become a second generation rivalry where dads who played in this game will start seeing their sons play in it.”
No team has won more than four straight games in the series and eight of the games have come down to one score. Recent memorable contests include Harmony’s 35-33 barnburner win in 2017 and when the Bulldogs came into the 2021 at 2-6, jumped out to an early lead and held on to stun the Longhorns, 31-30.
Both teams enter the game on highs. St. Cloud (4-4, 1-1) rallied from a 24-10 deficit to beat Tohopekaliga 31-24 to keep District 7A-10 hopes alive. Harmony (2-6, 0-2) got a much-needed 21-2 win at Celebration (2-6).
Harmony’s defense gave up just one first down in that game. Longhorns coach Nick Lippert will need a similar effort on that side of the ball, but also need to discover some offense, move the chains and limit St. Cloud’s offensive opportunities.
“The keys are going to be simple for us,” Lippert said. “We need to show up, stay focused and increase our intensity. Given the nature of this rivalry, I would hope that would not be an issue.”
Bulldogs coach Mike Short was demonstrative in talking about the game. “I cannot overstate what this game means to both teams. Dreams clash and rivalries ignite,” he said. “Our kids know that this game is part of something bigger— every play echoes in the hearts of our players, coaches, fans and our awesome community.”
To the southwest, the Battle of the Boulevard was long a coronation affair for Liberty. The Chargers won the first 15 games of the series. Since rallying to win the inaugural game 18-16, they won through 2021 by lopsided margins. Poinciana finally got some revenge, winning the last two in impressive fashion. It’s a trend Poinciana Coach Taron Mallard, an Eagle grad who never won the game as a player, hopes to continue this week.
“Most of our kids have never lost to Liberty and I’m not sure history is that big of a deal to them. But it will be an intense game and it is rivalry in every sense of the word,” he said. “These kids all know each other and there’s already been a lot of trash talking and chirping back and forth. My most important job will be to prepare our guys like it’s just another game. We need to stay calm and just try to take a business-like approach.” The two teams have trended in opposite directions this year. Last week, Poinciana (5-2) got two touchdowns each from Will Nezius and Chance Frazier with a 28-13 win over Gateway. Liberty is 2-5. Their game with East River was moved to Nov. 7. “Poinciana is an very talented team,” second-year Liberty coach Dee Hart said. “We will need to stay mistake free and create some turnovers in order to have a chance.” Despite the tough loss to St. Cloud, Tohopekaliga (4-3, 1-1) can clinch a tie for the 7A-10 lead Friday at Lake Nona (5-3, 2-0). The short trip will be a homecoming for Tigers Coach Anthony Paradiso; who spent many years as with the Lions including as their head coach before taking over at Tohopekaliga in 2022.
“This game is not about me, it’s about our players and another opportunity to get better. We have a lot to play for,” Paradiso said. “We’re going to regroup this week and try to find a way to win a football game against a talented team. We still have a chance to win the district and make the playoffs and that is where our focus will be.”
District ties are broken by FHAA final rankings. Tohopekaliga and St. Cloud wins would make it a three-way tie with Lake Nona at 2-1. Toho and Harmony wins would eliminate St. Cloud and give the Tigers the head-to-head nod over the Lions.
In other action, Osceola (6-2) has a tough game at Lake Wales (5-2). A 2022 State Champion, the Highlanders have only lost to state powers Jones and Seminole and have won 36 of their last 40 games.
“Nothing new, we will get ready to play a really talented, highly-ranked team on the road,” Pinellas said. “I am a strong believer in getting ready for the post-season by playing the hardest schedule you can play and this is just another step in that process.”
Already a district champion again, a win would greatly improve Osceola’s chances of hosting multiple playoff games.
Dr. Phillips (6-1) plays at Celebration (2-6) in a District 7A-9 contest; Gateway hits its bye week.
