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The No. 2 Buchholz Bobcats (10-3) will take on the No. 3 Osceola Kowboys (11-2) Friday at 7:30 p.m. for the Class 6A state semifinal at Citizen’s Field in Gainesville . The winner will then face the winner between No 1. West Boca Raton (13-0) and No. 4 Miami Southridge (12-2) for the Class 6A title game on Friday, Dec. 13. at 12:30 p.m. The game will be hosted at Pitbull Stadium at Florida International University.
Kowboys Sticking to Their Guns
Although the Kowboys and the Armwood Hawks (12-1) were scoreless in the first half last week, the Kowboys finished strong in the second half to pull away with the 17-7 win.
3 takeaways from Kissimmee Osceola's decisive 6A region final victory over Armwood. https://t.co/obaTGwf1ey@HighSchoolOnSI @SBLiveFL @AndrewNemec @GAdornatoSports @CenFLAPreps @football305407 @polk_way @DylanOliver23 @PascoCountyFB @PinellasHSMedia @BigCountyPreps1 @ESPNTop63…
— Andy Villamarzo (@Andy_Villamarzo) November 30, 2024
After a rocky 3-2 start to the year, Osceola has now pulled off eight-straight wins since then. The Kowboys have one of the most dominant ground attacks with a total of 3,733 rushing yards. In last weeks win, UCF commit Taevion Swint led the game with a game-high 118 yards on just 16 touches and two touchdowns. Swint, who is also the Kowboys leading rusher, has already recorded 1,600 yards on the season, averaging an impressive 10.5 yards per rush. For reference, the national average for total rushing yards is 1,683 and 6.0 yards per rush.
The defense has also ben extremely dominant, allowing over 24 points just once this season. The Kowboys defense has been led by Elijah Melendez, 4-star senior linebacker who just committed to Auburn after committing to Miami (FL.) last year.
4-star LB Elijah Melendez has signed with Auburn
Originally a Miami commit, Auburn got Melendez to flip early this season. D.J. Durkin was a huge reason why, and a big reason why he stuck even as Oregon pushed.
Signing Day HQ: https://t.co/anOLGEhotW pic.twitter.com/6U4aC5v1HJ
— Christian Clemente (@CClemente247) December 4, 2024
Battle-Tested Bobcats
For the fourth-straight year, the Bobcats will advance to the final four. After failing to win the championship in all four, this year’s seniors may just be the hungriest ones on the team. The senior class is highlighted by defensive end and linebacker Nick Clayton, defensive end Elijah Daniels and hybrid corner/ defensive tackle Kain McDonald.
Buchholz's Nick Clayton, Elijah Daniels and Kain McDonald sign to play Division-I college football on Wednesday. @ThePrepZone @BuchholzFB @GovsFB @BadgerFootball @CoastalFootball @ridaught reporting for @NewsGainesville https://t.co/EeSPXSbcEm
— Mainstreet Daily News Gainesville (@NewsGainesville) December 5, 2024
Although Buchholz is hosting its fourth-straight game, head coach Mark Whittemore has his sights on finishing strong against a tough opponent.
After falling 0-3 in their first three games to Manatee, Richmond Hill and Nease, the Bobcats have bounced back with seven straight wins. Although the defense has been off-and-on, the Bobcats offense enters the contest with an average of 33.3 points per game. The 5-10, 180-pound wide receiver and running back, Justin Williams, has been a staple for the Bobcats offense with 71 receptions for 1,232 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns as well as rushing 86 times for 904 yards and 10 TDs.
The junior receiving core for the Bobcats runs deep as well, featured by D.J. Hicks (60 receptions, 936 yards, 7 TDs) and son of former Florida Gators standout WR Travis McGriff, Keil McGriff (25 receptions, 539 yards, 5 TDs). Three-star Junior QB Trace Johnson has thrown for more than 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns on the year with just nine interceptions. All four offensive standouts are juniors.
The Buchholz defense is currently allowing 20.2 points per game but you can expect the Bobcats defensive veterans to stop the Kowboys offensive weapons with the season on the line.
