CLASS 6A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: West Boca Raton seeks first state championship as Osceola looks to add second state championship

#3 OSCEOLA KOWBOYS (KISSIMMEE) (12-2) VS. #1 WEST BOCA RATON (14-0)

When: Fri. Dec 13th

Where: South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium, Miami

Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. EST

Live Broadcast: NFHS Network – Click Here To Watch

OSCEOLA KOWBOYS (KISSIMMEE) (12-2)

• Head Coach: Eric Pinellas (4th year, 35-16 overall)
• State Finals Appearances: 7 – 1982 (3A), 1998 (5A)*, 2007 (5A), 2014 (7A), 2015 (7A), 2020 (8A), 2024 (6A)

KEY PLAYERS

• #4 RB Taevion Swint (Sr): Swint has rushed for 1,799 yards and 25 touchdowns this season. He signed with UCF after receiving offers from Florida, Miami, Texas, and Texas A&M.
• #10 LB Elijah Melendez (Sr): Melendez leads the Kowboys in interceptions with 4. He also had 78 tackles this season. He signed with Auburn after receiving offers from Miami, Mississippi, Florida, and Penn State.
• #3 WR Alijah Jenkins (Jr): Jenkins had 299 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns this season.
• #21 LB Robert Lee (Sr): Lee led the Kowboys with 22 tackles for loss. He also caused a fumble and recovered two fumbles. He signed with FAU after receiving offers from Kentucky, UCF, Western Kentucky, and FIU.
• #44 DT Amier Clarke (Jr): Clarke had 9 sacks this season. He holds offers from FAU and Marshall.

2024 RESULTS – HOW THEY GOT HERE

* – District Game

*** – Playoff Game

• 8/23 – Treasure Coast (Port St. Lucie), 21-7 (W)
• 8/30 – at Lake Mary, 24-7 (L)
• 9/6 – South Dade (Homestead), 21-7 (W)
• 9/13 – at St. Cloud, 56-6 (W)
• 9/19 – Jones (Orlando), 34-28 (OT) (L)
• 9/27 – Melbourne, 48-7 (W)*
• 10/4 – BYE
• 10/15 – at Viera, 49-9 (W)*
• 10/18 – at Apopka, 14-6 (W)
• 10/25 – at Lake Wales, 28-17 (W)
• 11/1 – Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton), 28-22 (W)
• 11/7 – BYE
• 11/15 – Viera (Melbourne), 58-14 (W)***
• 11/22 – Durant (Plant City), 35-6 (W)***
• 11/29 – at Armwood (Seffner), 17-7 (W)***
• 12/6 – at Buchholz (Gainesville), 41-35 (W)***

TEAM STATS

• Passing Yards: 682
• Passing Yards per Game: 48.7
• Rushing Yards: 3733
• Rushing Yards per Game: 266.6
• Rushing Yards per Carry: 7.7
• Receiving Yards per Catch: 14.8
• Yards per Game: 315.4
• Sacks: 34
• Interceptions: 7
• Fumble Recoveries: 8
• Caused Fumbles: 6
• Average Score: 30.1

WEST BOCA RATON BULLS (14-0)

• Head Coach: Dylan Potts, (3rd year, 29-7 overall)
• State Finals Appearances: 1 – 2024 (6A)

KEY PLAYERS

• #2 QB Mason Mallory (Jr): Mallory passed for 1,555 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. He holds offers from FAU, USF, Marshall, Pitt, and Indiana.
• #0 CB Damon Allen (Sr): Allen led the Bulls in interceptions with 4. He is signed to FAU after receiving offers from West Virginia and Liberty.
• #99 DT/DE/TE Xavier Reid (Jr): Reid led the Bulls in tackles for loss (31) and sacks (7). He holds offers from USF, Marshall, and Eastern Michigan.
• #1 WR Mark Hanniford (Jr): Hanniford had 526 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns this season. He holds an offer from Massachusetts.

2024 RESULTS – HOW THEY GOT HERE

* – District Game

*** – Playoff Game

• 8/22 – Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens), 14-13 (W)
• 8/29 – at Palm Beach Central (Wellington), 28-7 (W)
• 9/6 – BYE
• 9/13 – Seminole Ridge (Westlake), 42-8 (W)*
• 9/20 – Treasure Coast (Port St. Lucie), 48-0 (W)
• 9/27 – at Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens), 42-0 (W)
• 10/4 – at Western (Davie), 28-27 (OT) (W)
• 10/11 – BYE
• 10/18 – at Bishop Verot (Fort Myers), 34-14 (W)
• 10/25 – at Palm Beach Gardens, 48-0 (W)*
• 11/1 – Palm Beach Atlantic (West Palm Beach), 28-14 (W)
• 11/7 – Royal Palm Beach, 48-7 (W)*
• 11/15 – Steinbrenner (Lutz), 42-7 (W)***
• 11/22 – Mitchell (New Port Richey), 38-7 (W)***
• 11/29 – Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel), 17-0 (W)***
• 12/6 – Miami Southridge, 14-11 (W)***

TEAM STATS

• Passing Yards: 2719
• Passing Yards per Game: 194.2
• Rushing Yards: 2525
• Rushing Yards per Game: 180.4
• Rushing Yards per Carry: 7.1
• Receiving Yards per Catch: 13.0
• Yards per Game: 374.6
• Sacks: 31
• Interceptions: 9
• Fumble Recoveries: 17
• Caused Fumbles: 9
• Average Score: 33.6

THOUGHTS ON THE GAME

This Class 6A state championship game is a matchup between two strong programs. Osceola has a strong defense, led by Melendez and Lee. They will be looking to slow down West Boca Raton’s balanced offense, which features Mallory at quarterback and Hanniford at receiver. West Boca Raton’s defense is led by Allen and Reid, and they will try to contain Osceola’s run game, led by Swint.

Statistically, West Boca Raton has the advantage in several categories, including passing yards, rushing yards, average score, and fumble recoveries. However, Osceola has more sacks than West Boca Raton. Osceola also has the edge in state championship game experience, as this is their eighth appearance compared to West Boca Raton’s first.

The game could come down to which team’s defense can make more key stops. Osceola will likely rely on its run game, while West Boca Raton may try to spread the ball out more. If Osceola’s defense can limit West Boca Raton’s offensive production, the Kowboys have a good chance of winning their first state championship since 1998. On the other hand, if West Boca Raton can find success moving the ball, the Bulls will be in a strong position to win their first-ever state championship.

PREDICTIONS

This information was not found in the provided sources:

• Josh’s Pick: Osceola
• Chris’s Pick: West Boca Raton
• Reno’s Pick: Osceola
• Massey Predictions (via On3): Osceola 28, West Boca Raton 18

An asterisk (*) next to a year in the State Finals Appearances section indicates the team was the state champion that year.