This week marked the start of the state series as Osceola County teams competed in district competition. We take a look at how they fared as well as what else has been happening around Osceola in the recent weeks.
Just like that we are in the final month of XC 2014. A large round of invitationals await teams this week, before conference championships begin. The conference titles might not seem like a big deal in the scheme of things, but they can help build the momentum teams needs as they begin the playoff push toward the state series. I love playoffs in every sport. It pushes everybody to be at your best, or you might be watching your rivals take home season accolades that you so despearatley wanted yourself. The OBC schools were all over Florida this week, lets see how they fared.
In all my years of watching sports, this was one of the most exciting weekends I can remember. Most of us spent the morning in Titusville at the FLRunners Invite and then hopefully found some time to watch some great college football afterwards. The Race of Champions set some teams apart, as some rose to the challenge and others couldn’t overcome the mud. It was a thrilling race to watch as Ryan Rodriguez joins the cast of Belen stars as the ROC champ. The ladies are watching a potenial dynasty in the making as Pine Crest takes the title and are led by a middle schooler in Tsion Yared. Now on to what happened here in Osceola County.
All the area teams met up for Bulldog Palooza (St. Cloud Invitational) in St Cloud on a wet course. The ladies, except Grace Miller of St. Cloud who finished first, got to see a top tier Timber Creek girls team dominate, while the boys watched an equally impressive Liberty team do virtually the same thing. Many Central Florida teams had to adjust practice due to the typical afternoon thunderstorms that seem to hit right about this time. Most coaches will claim they enjoy the sloppy conditions, feeling that it might give someone an edge.
It’s back for year two! Runners across the state are now in full gear. However, many are still trying to find the groove of where their team stands. From the coaches standpoint, many runners are likely still out of shape and not quite ready for the next month that will determine who runs for a title and who stays home. Here is your school by school breakdown for our seven schools in the Orange Belt Conference.