Osceola prospects stuck in shadows
Every year about this time, there are numerous college football prospects in Osceola County laboring through their seasons and wondering where they went wrong.
Most seniors whoplay football along the Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway still have no idea where they will be playing football in the future, or if they’ll be playing at all.
They haven’t seen many college scouts, and recruiting letters have been rare.
For many, it seems no one considers most Osceola County players serious football prospects unless they are competing for the county’s premiere program — Kissimmee’s Osceola High School.
Perhaps Kissimmee Gateway High coach Marlin Roberts put it best last year when he was pondering the reasons star running back Zach Smith was having trouble getting attention despite good size, good speed and rushing for more than 1,000 yards.
“I guess, it being Gateway, we don’t get a lot of people coming around that often,” Roberts said.
Location, location, location.
Sure, that could be part of the problem. Especially for players at Harmony, a town that is literally in the middle of nowhere. It sits amid vast Osceola County ranch land. If a college football scout ever ventures out to a Harmony practice, there must be someone there worth watching. Well, current Longhorns coach Jerrad Butler will tell you there are two such players there right now. And he’s right.
“It’s just harder. … We’re not on the direct path to any place. You have to make a special trip,” Butler said, “But I think we have players who are worth a trip out here … to at least get a look and see what they are about. We have kids whocan play at the next level.”
Wide receiver/safety Tristan Reaves and linebacker Colton Keene will play college football somewhere. They’re both good enough despite their low profile. Right nowthey have no offers between them.
Reaves has all the tools and the size at 6-foot-2, 203 pounds. He has great hands and good speed and is ranked as the No. 53 player in the Sentinel’s 2014 Central Florida Super60.
During Harmony’s seven games this season, Reaves has 25 catches for 496 yards and five touchdowns. He also has two interceptions on defense.
In addition to location, Keene has overcome his average size. Most college coaches simply look at his size. Keene, whosits just outside the Sentinel Super60, certainly plays bigger than his 6-foot, 205-pound frame. His average of16 tackles per game leads all Central Florida defenders. He sees the ball and reacts as well as any linebacker in the area.
The attention, however, escapes him and he might wonder what it would be like if he were playing at a metro Orange County school, but he doesn’t dwell on it. He might be disappointed in the lack of recruitment for his services, but he certainly doesn’t let on.
“It doesn’t really affect me,” Keene said. “I’d rather win games than lead the [area] in tackles. I just have to stay confident and keep driving on. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.”
Both players might be looking at playing at the Football Championship Subdivision level at this point, but they really don’t care that they may miss out on competing at the highest level of college football. They just want to play.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” Reaves said. “But just like Colton said, if it’s meant to be, it will happen. We just keep doing what we do.”
And it’s not just Harmony. St. Cloud has had the same recruiting issues, as have fellow Osceola schools Celebration, Gateway, Liberty and Poinciana.
Gateway senior Isaiah Washington committed to join former high school teammates at FCSWeber State after getting frustrated with the lack of recruiting attention.
“The whole recruiting process was stressing me out,” Wharton said. “I feel like my senior season has been just as good, if not better, than a lot of these other DBs with a lot of offers. Playing 7-on-7 with top recruits, I realize I can hang with some of the best receivers in the nation.”