The Osceola Kowboys celebrate after punching their ticket to the state championship game with a 41-35 win over Buchholz. [Paul Hof-Mahoney]

Buchholz’s Comeback Falls Short In State Semifinal Loss

Paul Hof-Mahoney December 7, 2024 Buchholz High School, Football, High School Sports 173 Views

The Buchholz Bobcats’ football season came to an end Friday at Citizens Field after a 41-35 loss to Kissimmee Osceola in the FHSAA 6A semifinals.

The Bobcats (10-4) found themselves down by as many as 24 points in the second quarter, but coach Mark Whittemore’s squad never gave an inch.

“What we said at halftime was that we’re not leaving this field with them just putting up a bunch of points and us tucking our tail between our legs,” Whittemore said. “The kids responded. Even after that pick-six, they came out and made this thing a ballgame again. Couldn’t be more pleased with that right now, but we lost.”

The Kowboys’ bread and butter all season has been a devastating ground game and that held true in this game. Four-star UCF signee Taevion Swint got the game off to a hot start, returning the opening kickoff across midfield and then covering the rest of the field on two carries en route to the end zone. Swint’s 25th rushing touchdown of the season put Osceola (12-2) on top less than two minutes into the game, and he would go on to end his night just shy of the 200-yard mark.

Buchholz answered when quarterback Trace Johnson found Keil McGriff in the back corner of the end zone for a score, but the game quickly got away from the Bobcats after a string of second-quarter mishaps.

Running back Jeffrey Sinophat turned two failed Buchholz drives — one which ended in a fumble and one which ended in a three-and-out thanks to a hold and a sack — into Kowboy touchdowns. Sandwiched in between those scores was a 43-yard field goal by Adrian Gonzalez set up off an interception by linebacker Nathaniel Barnett, who also recovered the fumble on the drive prior. In the span of 10 minutes, Osceola had ballooned its lead to 31-7.

Buchholz got a score back in the closing minutes of the first half with a strike from Johnson to receiver Justin Williams, but still went to the locker room in a 34-14 hole.

The Buchholz defense held strong in the second half, as it kept the Kowboys offense off the scoreboard over the final 24 minutes. However, the play that ultimately decided the game came with the Bobcats inside the Osceola 10 threatening to make it a one-score game. As Johnson looked Williams’ way on a slant, Auburn signee Elijah Melendez jumped the route and took the interception 97 yards the other way to paydirt.

Despite throwing three interceptions on the night, Johnson and his weapons refused to give in. The junior gunslinger connected with Williams for three touchdowns and a late touchdown to DJ Hicks that cut the deficit to six marked Johnson’s fifth passing touchdown of the game, a season high.

A last-gasp effort for the Bobcats with less than two minutes left ended in heartbreak after an intentional grounding penalty and a sack forced a fourth-and-long. Johnson’s pass was just out of Williams’ reach and Buchholz came up one win short of the state championship game for the fourth season in a row.

“For Buchholz football, it’s bittersweet. To be in the final four four times is special, but not achieving our goal of a state championship really hurt tonight. I feel for these guys because they fought tooth and nail this season.” — Buchholz coach Mark Whittemore

Osceola will return to the state championship game for the first time since 2020. The Kowboys’ only title win came in 1998. They’ll face West Boca Raton (14-0) next Friday afternoon in Miami. West Boca defeated Miami Southridge 14-11 in the other semifinal Friday.

Tags

About Paul Hof-Mahoney

Check Also

Class 6A State Semifinals Preview: Buchholz Hosts Osceola

The No. 2 Buchholz Bobcats (10-3) will take on the No. 3 Osceola Kowboys (11-2) …

© 2025 WRUF / Division of Multimedia Properties