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Nolestrong

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Why does this team never get any respect? With the current staff, they have played in two State Championships, won 9 straight District Titles and a bunch of play off games. I understand they have not won a State Championship, but a team that is in the middle of it every year and nobody talks about them. Play off records......3-0 against Lakeland, 2-1 against DP, 1-0 against Vero. I just wonder???? Are they really not that good? Is there coach a D*#K and nobody like them. I'm a big Kowboy fan and just wonder why when the media hits Central Florida you never hear Osceola mentioned. By the way they are playing for a Regional Championship on Friday which will be the current staff's 5th in 11 years. Not to shabby.

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11 hours ago, Nolestrong said:

Why does this team never get any respect? With the current staff, they have played in two State Championships, won 9 straight District Titles and a bunch of play off games. I understand they have not won a State Championship, but a team that is in the middle of it every year and nobody talks about them. Play off records......3-0 against Lakeland, 2-1 against DP, 1-0 against Vero. I just wonder???? Are they really not that good? Is there coach a D*#K and nobody like them. I'm a big Kowboy fan and just wonder why when the media hits Central Florida you never hear Osceola mentioned. By the way they are playing for a Regional Championship on Friday which will be the current staff's 5th in 11 years. Not to shabby.

Not to take anything away from Osceola they have been a great team but outside of you where are their fans? For the most part this is a msg board with people supporting their teams and that’s why certain teams get brought up more than others. I’m a Vero guy but I watch the Treasure Coast teams and there are other Vero fans. Columbia follows his team, Darter follows his team and a couple other Orlando area teams, Dillard follows his team and the Broward teams, etc etc. Feel free to talk about Osceola I think their just a bit out of reach from the Orlando fans and there isn’t a fan base of them here on the board to bring them up into conversation as much as these other teams. 

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Osceola football team doesn't get the attention they deserve in the Orlando media market and it has been that way for the past 15-20 years.   Most of the better teams in Orlando really don't want to play them and it has nothing to do with the fan base.  If you follow them in the Orlando Sentinel, their wins are buried towards the bottom of the list.  But if they lose, it makes the headlines.  How does that fact relate to the fan base.  No, Osceola is a poorer county than Orange or Seminole so they look down their noses at us and our teams.  As far as Vero is concerned, they beat us there and we beat them at home.   This year, Vero has many key players that are seniors and if you look at Osceola 90% of their impact players are sophomores and juniors.  Best is yet to come.   Regarding the playoffs, we have one home game out of a possible four before the state championship game.  A few weeks back it looked like we would be home for those away games and that all changed recently in the bracketing for unknown reasons.  Unfortunately, years they reached the finals in 7A they had to face STA Raiders who are nationally ranked and obviously superior talent so nothing to be ashamed of there.   WE ARE,  OSCEOLA!!  GO KOWBOYS!!

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2 hours ago, Ray Icaza said:

Osceola football team doesn't get the attention they deserve in the Orlando media market and it has been that way for the past 15-20 years.   Most of the better teams in Orlando really don't want to play them and it has nothing to do with the fan base.  If you follow them in the Orlando Sentinel, their wins are buried towards the bottom of the list.  But if they lose, it makes the headlines.  How does that fact relate to the fan base.  No, Osceola is a poorer county than Orange or Seminole so they look down their noses at us and our teams.  As far as Vero is concerned, they beat us there and we beat them at home.   This year, Vero has many key players that are seniors and if you look at Osceola 90% of their impact players are sophomores and juniors.  Best is yet to come.   Regarding the playoffs, we have one home game out of a possible four before the state championship game.  A few weeks back it looked like we would be home for those away games and that all changed recently in the bracketing for unknown reasons.  Unfortunately, years they reached the finals in 7A they had to face STA Raiders who are nationally ranked and obviously superior talent so nothing to be ashamed of there.   WE ARE,  OSCEOLA!!  GO KOWBOYS!!

Vero was gutted this year from QB to the line, didn’t know who the starting QB was going into the season. Senior loaded? Most of the guys had some play time but Vero lost a lot compared to years past and just having seniors on your team doesn’t mean they’re starters.

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Kissimmee is a "tweener" of a town. It's not really all the way Orlando, but it's definitely not Tampa Bay, either. So, media is reluctant to pay much attention to them. It's a shame.

The closest thing to a decent reason for the lack of coverage is they are a bit lacking in truly marquee wins. The Lakeland wins were pretty good, but, in the last decade anyway, those weren't elite Lakeland teams that they beat.

But, overall, they and Naples are possibly the two most unfairly disregarded programs in the state over the last 20-30 years.

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2 hours ago, skyway said:

Kissimmee is a "tweener" of a town. It's not really all the way Orlando, but it's definitely not Tampa Bay, either. So, media is reluctant to pay much attention to them. It's a shame.

The closest thing to a decent reason for the lack of coverage is they are a bit lacking in truly marquee wins. The Lakeland wins were pretty good, but, in the last decade anyway, those weren't elite Lakeland teams that they beat.

But, overall, they and Naples are possibly the two most unfairly disregarded programs in the state over the last 20-30 years.

That's an interesting point.  Maybe more emphasis today is placed upon teams from the large metro areas.  It's funny because back in the old days teams from the Panhandle were getting more national recognition than other parts of the state.. 

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20 hours ago, Nolestrong said:

Why does this team never get any respect? With the current staff, they have played in two State Championships, won 9 straight District Titles and a bunch of play off games. I understand they have not won a State Championship, but a team that is in the middle of it every year and nobody talks about them. Play off records......3-0 against Lakeland, 2-1 against DP, 1-0 against Vero. I just wonder???? Are they really not that good? Is there coach a D*#K and nobody like them. I'm a big Kowboy fan and just wonder why when the media hits Central Florida you never hear Osceola mentioned. By the way they are playing for a Regional Championship on Friday which will be the current staff's 5th in 11 years. Not to shabby.

Back in the 1970's, Kissimmee was the sticks and folks did not consider it part of Orlando (Apopka was the same way).  It may as well have been an island.  Maybe some of that old mindset is still around, and Kissimmee is still looked upon as being on the "outside."  just guessing.   

As far as not getting recognition...anyone who knows FL hs football knows Osceola and recognizes them as a great program. They are routinely ranked in the polls.  I would imagine some of the younger fans today don't know the history.

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Regarding Vero players that are seniors:  starting QB-Jackson Nairn, starting RB-Boby McMillan, staring receivers-Wendell Bethel & Nijah Brown, starting DE-Travonte O'Neal and on and on.  All IMPACT players, not as you imply seniors that just are on the team.  I went to the Vero game and saw that for myself. No one in our backfield is a senior or top receivers or DB's and 3 of 4 D-linemen are all sophomores.  All IMPACT players.  Regarding Kissimmee being a tweener town, so is Deland or Lake Minneola but they have decent teams now and they are getting more exposure than us in our local media. State wide, most in the know recognize the OHS tradition and that is good.   But for reasons I could only speculate, we don't get the same love from folks at the Sentinel or local high school TV highlights on any of the local stations.  That is a fact.

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Don't know,  Vero is not favored to get by Miami Palmetto.  Their coach consistently has very good teams, but he gets lots of criticism due to the fact they don't advance in the playoffs deep.  If OHS plays the way they did against Edgewater, then the outcome may be quite different.

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On 12/1/2020 at 9:22 PM, Nolestrong said:

Why does this team never get any respect? With the current staff, they have played in two State Championships, won 9 straight District Titles and a bunch of play off games. I understand they have not won a State Championship, but a team that is in the middle of it every year and nobody talks about them. Play off records......3-0 against Lakeland, 2-1 against DP, 1-0 against Vero. I just wonder???? Are they really not that good? Is there coach a D*#K and nobody like them. I'm a big Kowboy fan and just wonder why when the media hits Central Florida you never hear Osceola mentioned. By the way they are playing for a Regional Championship on Friday which will be the current staff's 5th in 11 years. Not to shabby.

I'll just echo what others have said.  It's no one on this board.  Now the mass media out of major metros is an entirely different subject altogether.  

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On 12/2/2020 at 3:37 PM, skyway said:

Kissimmee is a "tweener" of a town. It's not really all the way Orlando, but it's definitely not Tampa Bay, either. So, media is reluctant to pay much attention to them. It's a shame.

The closest thing to a decent reason for the lack of coverage is they are a bit lacking in truly marquee wins. The Lakeland wins were pretty good, but, in the last decade anyway, those weren't elite Lakeland teams that they beat.

But, overall, they and Naples are possibly the two most unfairly disregarded programs in the state over the last 20-30 years.

Naples would avoid top teams like the plague when Kramer was there. They were content with bringing in bad teams from Miami for gimme wins. Never tested their teams and then they got outclassed in the playoffs. 

Vero was like that for a while. 

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27 minutes ago, nolebull813 said:

Naples would avoid top teams like the plague when Kramer was there. They were content with bringing in bad teams from Miami for gimme wins. Never tested their teams and then they got outclassed in the playoffs. 

Vero was like that for a while. 

Naples played the following trash teams.  Bill Kramer should hang his head in shame. 

2005 and 2006 -Chaminade-Madonna (CM won state title in 05 and made semis in 06) 

2007 and 2008-Monsignor Pace(Pace made the state semis and nearly beat Cocoa in 08). 

2011 and 2012-Venice

2013-Centervile, OH and IMG

2014 -Manatee (state semifinalist)

2015 and 2016-AH Delray (state finalist in 15)

2017 and 2018-Miami Palmetto (8-2  and 10-2 teams)

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On 12/2/2020 at 3:37 PM, skyway said:

Kissimmee is a "tweener" of a town. It's not really all the way Orlando, but it's definitely not Tampa Bay, either. So, media is reluctant to pay much attention to them. It's a shame.

The closest thing to a decent reason for the lack of coverage is they are a bit lacking in truly marquee wins. The Lakeland wins were pretty good, but, in the last decade anyway, those weren't elite Lakeland teams that they beat.

But, overall, they and Naples are possibly the two most unfairly disregarded programs in the state over the last 20-30 years.

I think the "tweener" description fits Osceola very well. There are very few high school football fans in the Central Florida area that do not respect Osceola as a football school. The problem Osceola has is that they are in 8A-4, a region that is more representative of Tampa than Orlando, but they are too far from Tampa to draw a fan base from that area. They're in Osceola County with teams that are nowhere near the competition that Osceola should be playing, and games against those teams will draw little or no media coverage in either Orlando or Tampa.

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Thank you for all the replies. I never said they were disrespected ( Pipe dreams ), just wondered about lack of respect..... media and talk on the board. I fully understand that there is not much talk on the board about Osceola. I guess I need to become more active and encourage more KOWBOY fans. Thank you guys.

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Unfortunately districts are decided by the FHSAA, so OHS has to play inferior teams such as Gateway and Celebration in Kissimmee plus other schools in SE Orange county that are not the best.  That is not our choice so over the years we have picked up games with Dr. Phillips, Edgewater. West Orange, Bishop Moore and other better teams in Orange county if they are willing to do home and home.  Also will go into Polk to play Lakeland, Lake Gibson, Winter Haven, Lake Wales and others of that caliber.  Our region includes Tampa teams but we don't pick them up as much although we have had games with Manatee and Tampa Jesuit.   In addition, one of the oldest state "rivalries" is with St. Cloud and the locals clammer for that game.  Last year we scheduled home and home vs Miami Columbus as well as Cocoa.  So we are not ducking anyone.  Coach Nick has done a good job as he now has 5 Regional Championships in the 11 years he has been head coach.  Most schools would be thrilled with that record.  

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4 hours ago, Ray Icaza said:

Unfortunately districts are decided by the FHSAA, so OHS has to play inferior teams such as Gateway and Celebration in Kissimmee plus other schools in SE Orange county that are not the best.  That is not our choice so over the years we have picked up games with Dr. Phillips, Edgewater. West Orange, Bishop Moore and other better teams in Orange county if they are willing to do home and home.  Also will go into Polk to play Lakeland, Lake Gibson, Winter Haven, Lake Wales and others of that caliber.  Our region includes Tampa teams but we don't pick them up as much although we have had games with Manatee and Tampa Jesuit.   In addition, one of the oldest state "rivalries" is with St. Cloud and the locals clammer for that game.  Last year we scheduled home and home vs Miami Columbus as well as Cocoa.  So we are not ducking anyone.  Coach Nick has done a good job as he now has 5 Regional Championships in the 11 years he has been head coach.  Most schools would be thrilled with that record.  

You don't have to justify Osceola football to anyone. It stands on its own and is very good. 

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I'm from the Orlando area and I think the biggest thing to happen in regards to Osceola is the competition. Nobody really doubts that Osceola is a good football team. But, in Osceola county, who competes with them? They zombie through every team in their county and their District isn't necessarily strong. I think the teams in Orange get more respect because the county is so deep with talent - in 8A you have Apopka, Dr. Phillips, West Orange is on the rise, etc. So Osceola being the "big dog" in their county will always have more attention on them after they lose as opposed to when they win because them losing is more newsworthy than beating up on Celebration, St. Cloud, Harmony, etc...

That said, what Coach Nichols has done there is impressive. Year in and year out, that is a solid program. They have a chance this year to finally get over the hump.

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8 minutes ago, Coach said:

I'm from the Orlando area and I think the biggest thing to happen in regards to Osceola is the competition. Nobody really doubts that Osceola is a good football team. But, in Osceola county, who competes with them? They zombie through every team in their county and their District isn't necessarily strong. I think the teams in Orange get more respect because the county is so deep with talent - in 8A you have Apopka, Dr. Phillips, West Orange is on the rise, etc. So Osceola being the "big dog" in their county will always have more attention on them after they lose as opposed to when they win because them losing is more newsworthy than beating up on Celebration, St. Cloud, Harmony, etc...

That said, what Coach Nichols has done there is impressive. Year in and year out, that is a solid program. They have a chance this year to finally get over the hump.

Osceola County is somewhat of a unique situation with that "big dog" phenomenon and a large Hispanic population.  Possibly it's a bit like Naples in Collier County or Mainland in Volusia County.  That dominant school is going to make it difficult for newer schools to get traction. 

 

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1 hour ago, OldSchoolLion said:

Osceola County is somewhat of a unique situation with that "big dog" phenomenon and a large Hispanic population.  Possibly it's a bit like Naples in Collier County or Mainland in Volusia County.  That dominant school is going to make it difficult for newer schools to get traction. 

 

I agree with that for sure. And now, when students can transfer at will, the established powerhouse will always have the most talent (in a County like Osceola, Collier, Volusia, etc) and the others will beat up on each other trying to catch-up. But until there's a county team that can compete with and beat Osceola regularly, they'll remain unchallenged there. As for the respect piece, Osceola deserves all the recognition they can get. Great team, great coaching staff. I hope they can play for a title this year!

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