Sports

Champs Again! With 37 of 40 lifters scoring points, St. Cloud rolled to its 15th consecutive Orange Belt Conference Girls weightlifting championship, edging rival Harmony, 159-122. PHOTO/ST. CLOUD HIGH

Champs Again! With 37 of 40 lifters scoring points, St. Cloud rolled to its 15th consecutive Orange Belt Conference Girls weightlifting championship, edging rival Harmony, 159-122. PHOTO/ST. CLOUD HIGH

Lady Bulldogs repeat as OBC champions

J. Daniel Pearson
Saturday, January 18, 2025
Once again, St. Cloud sits on top of the Orange Belt Conference in girls’ weightlifting.Despite a bit of pre-match worry from their coach, the Lady Bulldogs captured both the traditional (bench press and clean-and-Jerk) and Olympic (Bench and snatch) team titles Friday to claim their 15th...
Hard nosed defense and big second-half buckets led the Osceola Kowboys to the 2024 Orange Belt Conference boys basketball title. PHOTO/TAYLOR MCFEE

Hard nosed defense and big second-half buckets led the Osceola Kowboys to the 2024 Orange Belt Conference boys basketball title. PHOTO/TAYLOR MCFEE

Defense, Isaac lead Kowboys to OBC hoops crown

J. Daniel Pearson
Saturday, January 18, 2025
Osceola used a smothering fourth quarter defense and 22 points from Jordan Isaac to slip by St. Cloud, 62-57, in the Orange Belt Conference boys basketball championship game at a packed Bob Baker Gym at Gateway High Friday.The Kowboys, now 19-1, entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, but got all...
Harmony is the No. 4 seed in the Orange Belt Conference girls basketball tournament and will play Celebration at Gateway on Tuesday. PHOTO/TAYLOR MCFEE

Harmony is the No. 4 seed in the Orange Belt Conference girls basketball tournament and will play Celebration at Gateway on Tuesday. PHOTO/TAYLOR MCFEE

OBC girls basketball tourney — can Panthers find a way to their first title?

J. Daniel Pearson
Thursday, January 16, 2025
If recent history and current rankings represent a fair barometer, it’s a pretty good guess Gateway will meet St. Cloud in the finals of next Friday’s Orange Belt Conference girls basketball tournament.The Panthers and Bulldogs they have met in the last two OBC title games and although both teams...
Middle linebacker Elijah Melendez anchored the Kowboys defense for a 12-3 team that allowed just over 12 points per game in the regular season against a schedule that included nine playoff teams. PHOTO/TAYLOR MCFEE

Middle linebacker Elijah Melendez anchored the Kowboys defense for a 12-3 team that allowed just over 12 points per game in the regular season against a schedule that included nine playoff teams. PHOTO/TAYLOR MCFEE

ALL-COUNTY FOOTBALL DEFENSE — Melendez anchored tough Kowboys defense

J. Daniel Pearson
Thursday, January 16, 2025
By Osceola standards, 2023 was a rough year. Despite winning their district and made the state playoffs, the Kowboys finished with an uncharacteristic 4-7 record.
Throw it down, young man: Luke McCrimon dunks home two of his 11 points Wednesday. PHOTO/KATIE WILLIAMS

Throw it down, young man: Luke McCrimon dunks home two of his 11 points Wednesday. PHOTO/KATIE WILLIAMS

'Like old times': Osceola, St. Cloud to play for OBC title after Wednesday semifinal wins

Ken Jackson And J. Daniel Pearson
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Osceola and St. Cloud will take it "old school" when the longtime rivals will meet Friday at 7p.m. in the Orange Belt Conference boys basketball championship game at Gateway High.The teams from the county's original two high schools -- intense rivals in the days before Gateway, Poinciana and...
Poinciana and St. Cloud will be among a number of teams that could be in the mix to win next week’s Orange Belt Conference boys basketball tournament. PHOTO/TAYLOR MCFEE

Poinciana and St. Cloud will be among a number of teams that could be in the mix to win next week’s Orange Belt Conference boys basketball tournament. PHOTO/TAYLOR MCFEE

Deep field for next week’s OBC boys hoops tourney

J. Daniel Pearson
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Historically, it’s been Osceola High and everyone else when it comes to boys’ basketball in the county.
Osceola running back Taevion Swint hopes to make college defenders miss at UCF like he did on this play in the Class 6A state title game against West Boca Raton. PHOTO/TAYLOR MCFEE

Osceola running back Taevion Swint hopes to make college defenders miss at UCF like he did on this play in the Class 6A state title game against West Boca Raton. PHOTO/TAYLOR MCFEE

ALL-COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFENSE: Swint carried Kowboys to 6A title game

J. Daniel Pearson
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Osceola running back Taevion Swint, who piled up mind-boggling stats in his senior year against some of the best teams in Florida, is the 2024 Osceola News Gazette’s Offensive Player of the Year.Despite fighting through a shoulder injury much of the season, Swint was simply unstoppable in leading...
Osceola’s Luke McCrimon (with the ball) gets ready to set up a play against Ovideo’s Cameron Bryant (3). The Kowboys won the game 60-45. PHOTO/J. DANIEL PEARSON

Osceola’s Luke McCrimon (with the ball) gets ready to set up a play against Ovideo’s Cameron Bryant (3). The Kowboys won the game 60-45. PHOTO/J. DANIEL PEARSON

Jordans lead Kowboys to Invitational hoops win

J. Daniel Pearson
Sunday, December 29, 2024
Jordan Mason and Jordan Isaac combined for 38 points to pace Osceola to a 60-45 win over Oviedo in the championship game of the Kowboy Holiday Invitation Saturday night. The win pushed the Kowboys to 12-1; while Oviedo dropped to 7-6.
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