LAKE WALES HIGHLANDER 35 - OHS KOWBOYS 27

[Ray Icaza]

Watching the Pick'Ems for this match, I was surprised everyone picked us as I expected a tight game thinking along the lines of LAZ margin of a 2 pt. victory.   It could have easily been that or more had we finished the plays that were there to be made as we dropped 2 easy touchdown passes in the endzone, plus on a separate drive deep in Lake Wales territory we dropped an easy 3rd down conversion pass that would have kept another drive alive around the redzone.   Props to Lake Wales as on the flip side every single opportunity they had to make a play they did.......no drops, no missed open receivers and no critical penalties that would jeopardize a drive or keep one of ours alive.  Can't really criticize the officiating as my eyesight isn't the best and some of the calls like helmet to helmet on their sideline on a critical 3rd and 6 that one might deem questionable when we got a stop, gave them new life and led to a score.  That happened a couple of times.  Our coaching staff called a great game and overall our QB did his job well but when you are depending on 16, 17 year olds it is truly unpredictable.  Our ground game probably gained somewhere around 250 yards while we pretty much stuffed theirs.  The Purdy kid they have at WR and plays both ways is definitely a talent.  This will pretty much relegate us to the #3 seed in our region thus requiring travel in the 2nd round probably to South Lake.   Haven't reported scores the past few weeks as we won several games we should have easily won and didn't feel a need to crow about it.  GO KOWBOYS!!  

[DILLARDBOYZ954]

I was one of the ones that picked you guys. Tough lost bro, but bounce back next week. Everything is still right there in front of the kowboys 

[Ray Icaza]

3 minutes ago, DILLARDBOYZ954 said:

I was one of the ones that picked you guys. Tough lost bro, but bounce back next week. Everything is still right there in front of the kowboys 

Unfortunately, this years squad is not as deep as we have experienced in the past and playing a fairly challenging schedule we have been hit pretty hard by the injury bug and those backups we are depending on to step up aren't quite up to the test.  Tonight we played without our 2 starting corners and at times the Purdy kid was able to make big plays against those very backups.  Hope by the first or second round of the playoffs we will get some of them back including a couple OL and maybe those corners.  One of our top RB's broke a foot and doubt we will get him back this year which forces us to use a talented safety to fill in at times.  Against the top tier teams we have to grind out 10-12 play drives which has little margin for error if we get behind the chains with a sack, holding penalty or any negative play.   As I previously stated, luckily we aren't in 6A R1 which has a handful of teams that would give us trouble.  Thanks for the plug though. 

[nolebull813]

Lake Wales and Osceola used to be conference rivals back in the day. I think it was called the Ridge Conference 

[Ray Icaza]

4 hours ago, nolebull813 said:

Lake Wales and Osceola used to be conference rivals back in the day. I think it was called the Ridge Conference 

Outside of Lakeland and at times Lake Gibson, Lake Wales has historically been one of the best programs consistently in Polk County over the decades.  You are correct, we have played them a lot over the years although I am not certain they made up one of the teams in the Ridge Conference you mention but probably did.  We played in that conference in the late 50's thru mid 60's before joining the Orange Belt conference that included Apopka, Deland, Longwood, Bishop Moore, Lyman and Lakeview HS (now West Orange).  These were bigger schools but I thought the Ridge was tougher overall as it was a trip down Hwy. 27 and included Haines City, Sebring, Avon Park, Fort Meade, Mulberry and Lake Placid.  Those little schools seemed to all be tough back then.   

[nolebull813]

10 minutes ago, Ray Icaza said:

Outside of Lakeland and at times Lake Gibson, Lake Wales has historically been one of the best programs consistently in Polk County over the decades.  You are correct, we have played them a lot over the years although I am not certain they made up one of the teams in the Ridge Conference you mention but probably did.  We played in that conference in the late 50's thru mid 60's before joining the Orange Belt conference that included Apopka, Deland, Longwood, Bishop Moore, Lyman and Lakeview HS (now West Orange).  These were bigger schools but I thought the Ridge was tougher overall as it was a trip down Hwy. 27 and included Haines City, Sebring, Avon Park, Fort Meade, Mulberry and Lake Placid.  Those little schools seemed to all be tough back then.   

I know they were both in the ridge conference together, but I’m not sure how long. I have all that info at home. I’ll see what I can find.

[Ray Icaza]

15 minutes ago, nolebull813 said:

I know they were both in the ridge conference together, but I’m not sure how long. I have all that info at home. I’ll see what I can find.

You may be correct, but if they were we never played them from my 8th grade year ('61-'62) thru my sophomore year while in the Ridge before initially joining the OBC during my junior year ('64-'65).  Since I was a foreigner in Kissimmee back then only knowing baseball, I started buying the annual yearbook that included Jr. High and Sr. High to familiarize myself with my new classmates.  Just verified the schedule in each of them. 

[nolebull813]

7 minutes ago, Ray Icaza said:

You may be correct, but if they were we never played them from my 8th grade year ('61-'62) thru my sophomore year while in the Ridge before initially joining the OBC during my junior year ('64-'65).  Since I was a foreigner in Kissimmee back then only knowing baseball, I started buying the annual yearbook that included Jr. High and Sr. High to familiarize myself with my new classmates.  Just verified the schedule in each of them. 

Yea this was in the 50’s so they must have moved up to the OBC in the 60’s. I’ll get the exact dates later. 

[nolebull813]

I have Osceola’s complete history from the mid-1940’s till now, and a few spots from 1915 till 1945. 

[ohs vargas]

That was a hard game to watch, they did everything to lose that game.

It was similar to the Melbourne and Viera game, every time they got something going, penalty, dropped ball or fumbled snap. 

They need to just get out of their own way and clean those mistakes up.

I did see the long list of injuries but, if they get some kids back healthy and clean that up, I still see them making a deep run.

As for the penalty you mentioned, that was just a bad decision by the Kowboy player trying to get a hit on the QB, the Qb was already being tackled by another defender for a stop on 3&6. He led with the crown and made contact, which gave Lake Whales a first down and the very next play took a shot and Purdy scored. 

The Kowboy's defense has been better than I expected but every game i have watched they can't get out of their own way with unnecessary penalties. 

 

 

 

[Ray Icaza]

3 minutes ago, ohs vargas said:

That was a hard game to watch, they did everything to lose that game.

It was similar to the Melbourne and Viera game, every time they got something going, penalty, dropped ball or fumbled snap. 

They need to just get out of their own way and clean those mistakes up.

I did see the long list of injuries but, if they get some kids back healthy and clean that up, I still see them making a deep run.

As for the penalty you mentioned, that was just a bad decision by the Kowboy player trying to get a hit on the QB, the Qb was already being tackled by another defender for a stop on 3&6. He led with the crown and made contact, which gave Lake Whales a first down and the very next play took a shot and Purdy scored. 

The Kowboy's defense has been better than I expected but every game i have watched they can't get out of their own way with unnecessary penalties. 

 

 

 

No doubt, we made plays and ran the ball at will but hurt ourselves like we have all year on the offensive side of the ball.  Uncharacteristically, our defense normally can limit even top tier teams to only 2 or 3 scores gave up 35 which was completely out of character.  I agreed with your opinion on being competitive in the playoffs if we could clean those mistakes up, but it is awful late in the year to think that will change.  Regardless, in our region we should win the first round game and have a good chance even in the second.  Just don't see much hope after that going to Armwood.  Last year and in 2022, regardless of the rankings, pundits, naysayers, etc..,  I felt we had an even chance to beat the very best teams like Armwood, Buchholz, Vero and even Lakeland.  We ain't those teams this year.  Always pulling for them and hope so much they prove me wrong.