West Orange’s defense delivers
Eddie Kelly sent the West Orange student section into a frenzy Friday night during the closing seconds of a hard-fought FHSAA Class 8A regional semifinal football game.
In a rematch of district foes, Kelly put the finishing touches on a 16-7 victory vs. visiting Kissimmee Osceola (9-3) when he corralled a fumbled football midair and returned it 7 yards for a touchdown with 8 seconds to go.
“Coach told me to get to the quarterback,” Kelly said. “I told all my [defensive] lineman that we’ve got to get to him, and [Brendan] Flakes made a great play on the ball. Luckily the fumble made it into my hands, and we were able to get a touchdown.”
Flakes pressured Osceola quarterback Chad Mascoe while charging into the backfield from the left side of the defense. When an offensive lineman scooped up the fumble and attempted to relay the ball back to Mascoe, Kelly emerged from the right side to tip away the exchange.
The loose ball bounced along the top of Kelly’s helmet and into his right hand as he made his way toward the end zone.
“I was about to hit [the quarterback] and he fumbles the ball, then I get on the ground, but I can’t find it,” Flakes said with a laugh. “I see it in between the lineman’s legs, and he picks it up. So I grab his leg and I’m shaking him, and then he fumbles it, and Eddie scores.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God’,” he said.
West Orange (11-1) advances to the region final round for the first time since 2015. The No. 2 seed Warriors play at No. 1 Venice (11-1) on Friday. Venice won 56-14 against Sarasota Riverview (9-3) in the other Region 3 semifinal.
“When people ask you how good your season was, they’re going to ask you, ‘Did you practice during Thanksgiving?’,” West Orange coach Mike Granato said. “Because of these players, and these coaches, and all these fans, we’re going to be right back to work Monday morning.”
Kelly helped the Warriors break a scoreless tie when he hauled in a 25-yard reception along the visiting sideline on the second play of the second half. Senior running back Terrell Walden II then broke off a pair of big gains before reaching the end zone for the first score on a 4-yard carry.
Walden led all players with 85 yards on 19 carries before leaving with an undisclosed injury late in the fourth quarter.
West Orange extended its lead to 9-0 midway through the third on a safety after blocking an Osceola punt attempt while the Kowboys were pinned deep in their own territory.
The Warriors, who closed out the first half with backto-back sacks, reached the quarterback 4 times for takedowns and forced 4 turnovers on fumbles.
The game was played under rainy conditions over the first two quarters. The wet weather limited big-play opportunities as each team finished with less than 200 yards of offense.
Flakes forced a fumble on a sack early in the fourth quarter. But the Kowboys quickly regained possession and made it 9-7 with 4:54 to go when freshman standout rusher Taevion Swint capped a 7-play, 70-yard drive with a 7-yard run.
Osceola, last year’s 8A state runner-up, turned the ball over on downs with less than 2 minutes to spare on a drive that included key defensive plays by Tony Newsome and Anthony Joseph. Newsome nearly intercepted a pass. Joseph made an open-field tackle on fourth down.