South Lake vs. Evans showdown? Oviedo, Osceola also favored | Class 5A football

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Class 5A, as Osceola football coach Eric Pinellas has said, might be one of the most competitive classes in the entire state. That is certainly true on the local level.

Last year, four of the nine Orlando-area 5A teams made the state playoffs, and Lake Howell came within percentage points of its strength of schedule from qualifying. The Silverhawks will be in the hunt again, with Evans, Osceola, Oviedo and South Lake all looking to make return appearances.

None of those teams have an easy schedule. Pinellas’ Kowboys will certainly be challenged. Osceola’s district changed this year and the Kowboys were placed into a Polk County district, with powerhouse Lakeland.

There are not many easy dates for Evans, which faces seven teams who were playoff qualifiers a year ago.

“I don’t have expectations. My expectation is to go 1-0 every week. We just gotta stay focused on one game at a time,” Evans coach Karlos Odum said. “We just play football. I feel like we should have won the district last year. If we do the things that we focus on, ourselves, then I think we can be pretty good.”

South Lake also faces an imposing schedule, with the highlight being an Oct. 9 district showdown with Evans. Five of the Eagles opponents were playoff qualifiers a year ago and a Week 3 date awaits a game against 1A power The First Academy.

“We are playing in a very competitive district. We have a lot of experience returning and if we become one unit and have one heartbeat we believe we can compete for the district championship and make a deep playoff run,” South Lake coach Brad Lord said. “With the competitive schedule that we created, we will have to be resilient and very physical.”

Multiple transfers won’t define Will Jackson, Jaelyn Powell | Football Insider

Evans gained about 20 transfer players, and several are high-profile players. The addition of quarterback Will Jackson, who transferred back to the Orlando area after a year at Camden County in Georgia, is big for the Trojans. And Evans gained two more highly-rated players in receiver Brian Dillard and cornerback David Coleman from TFA.

Simply put, the Trojans are loaded.

“I really like to sit back and watch Will as a player and the leadership he shows off the field is the leadership he shows on the field,” Odum said. “So just watching him go from this to that, I kind of know the results I’m gonna get. He’s one of the guys that the team gravitates to. Just to sit back and watch him perform has been a pleasure.”

Evans lost star running back Li’Darious Pryor, now at Jackson State, but Poinciana transfer Davion Williams will step in, and O’Ryan Hartfield from Ocoee can also tote it.

Dillard will lead a receiver contingent that was quite strong before his arrival, with North Marion transfer Damir Williams, Olympia transfer Jamie Smith and Edgewater transfer Alex Rossi, as well as senior returnee Cawanis Leonard. Tight end Jaydon Sweet came over from Jones.

Orlando-area 2026 High School Football Transfer Tracker

The Evans offensive line struggled with protection in the spring jamboree at Lakeland, but it should be able to shore things up. If it does, Jackson, who has committed to Maryland, will be dangerous.

Defensively, the Trojans lost their top four tacklers, but the area’s sack king, Chris Sannon, is back at defensive end. He had 22 sacks and will drop back to play linebacker at times this season. Up front, transfers Jacaryous Holzendorf (Camden County), and RJ Robinson (Liberty) will be critical. The secondary is stacked, led by Coleman and junior safety Demetre Pryor, who totaled 14 interceptions in his first two varsity seasons. Ronald Young had a great offseason and he is also back there.

Dealing with a large number of transfers can be difficult, but Odum said it shouldn’t be an issue.

“The thing about football is that it’s blocking, running, catching and tackling. You put the kids in the system, teach it to them and coach them,” Odum said. “If they can run, block, tackle and catch, then they’ll fit in, they’ll figure it out.”

South Lake has a similar situation, with about 20 transfers, though perhaps not as high-profile as the Evans newcomers. Lord has the luxury of having a third-year starting quarterback in Tre Kelly, a small but quite effective QB who gets rave reviews from his coach. Kelly threw for 2,400 yards and 24 touchdowns a year ago.

South Lake has a bulldog of a running back in Sam Wood, a transfer from Foundation Academy. He ran for 2,300 yards and 23 touchdowns last season. The offensive line is experienced, with Andrew Carter, Landon Coning, Joffet Salgado and Mark Elder. Boone transfer Kyson Cleveland will lead a contingent of untested receivers.

Like Evans, South Lake lost its top four tacklers, and three players transferred. Ahvioume Scott, a corner who can also play linebacker, leads the way but Lord has some spots to fill. He is most excited about transfer Latraverick Anderson Jr., who has been at Leesburg and Tavares. Transfers Malcom Jones (Ocoee) and Isaiah Battle help in the backfield.

Then comes the traditional powerhouses in 5A. Osceola has lost only one time in 57 district games since 2011. Oviedo, like Osceola, has won four straight district titles.

Greg Odierno might have the best team he has had entering his fifth year at Oviedo. Sebastian Galeano, one of the top quarterbacks in the area, returns for his senior season and the Yale commit has some weapons. Ohio State commit Jordan Donahoo is an imposing receiver at 6-4, and the addition of Boone transfer Garrison Woods (5-10) should give the Lions a nice combination, and Carmari Solomon is a do-it-all athlete. Throw in running back Johnnie Cobbs and the Lions look impressive.

Odierno is very high on junior O-lineman Owen Fairbanks and senior Tanner Gelm is back. Jackson Broggy brings experience as a transfer from Hagerty.

Juancarlos Payano anchors the defensive front line, while standout defensive backs Evan Sorkness and Solomon are also back, along with linebacker Davin Scott.

“I’m excited about our district. I’ve never gone against Viera or Melbourne and we play at Viera so it’s gonna be exciting for our players to get some new blood. And it’s nice not having Evans in the same district. They are loaded this year,” Odierno said.

Pinellas will be relying on a two-running back system at Osceola. The catalysts to the ground game will be senior Javontay Barnett and sophomore Zylin Garrett, who comes over from Bishop Moore. The Kowboys also have a new quarterback in Jabari Coombs Jr., a junior from South Florida who transferred from Timber Creek.

“Those two together, I told both of (the running backs), ‘You better be in the best shape of your lives because we’re gonna run you into the ground,” said Pinellas, who also said Coombs is willing to take a hit.

On defense, where Osceola is always stingy, standout edge rusher Jason Lewis brings the heat. Safety Josue Rivera and D-tackle Jordan McCrimon are also back.  Senior Colton Carter, who carries a 4.2 GPA, is the brain of the operation from his linebacker position. He led the team in tackles a year ago.

Osceola has a pair of cornerbacks who are extremely fast in Amir Davis and Alvarez Toussaint. both have run sub-11-second 100 meter times.

Gateway transfer Dory Thimote will be a huge addition. He can play off the edge or at linebacker.

At Lake Howell, coach Dazzie Morris is quite pleased with his quarterback, junior Brycen Marbrey, who threw for just over 2,000 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2025. He’ll have a solid target to throw to in senior Jayvonn Funnye, but the Silverhawks lost Devin Coleman to Jones. They also lost another key component in offensive lineman Noa Scott, who transferred to TFA.

Defensive front-line anchors Jermel Jones Jr. and Nate Chang are back, as is leading tackler Colyn Quinn at safety. The Silverhawks have several other defenders returning who saw key minutes last year, including linebacker Liam Hall and DB Braylon Williams.

Class 5A, District 4

Evans Trojans

Coach: Karlos Odum (4th year, 20-15).

2025: 8-3, made 6A playoffs.

Lake Minneola Hawks

Coach: Abre’ Leggins (2nd year, 1-9).

2025: 1-9, missed 6A playoffs.

South Lake Eagles

Coach: Brad Lord (4th year, 20-16; career 105-70).

2025: 11-2, 6A district champ.

Wekiva Mustangs

Coach: Ashton Watts (1st year as head coach)

2025: 1-9, Missed 6A playoffs.

Class 5A, District 5

East River Falcons

Coach: Cam Phillips (2nd year, 4-6).

2025: 4-6 as independent.

Lake Howell Silverhawks

Coach: Dazzie Morris, Lake Howell (3rd year, 8-12).

2025: 6-4, missed 6A playoffs.

Lyman Greyhounds

Coach: Steven Jerry (2nd year, 1-9).

2025: 1-9, missed 5A playoffs.

Oviedo Lions

Coach: Greg Odierno (5th year, 40-15).

2025: 8-3, made 6A playoffs.

Class 5A, District 6

Osceola Kowboys

Coach: Eric Pinellas (5th year, 42-22).

2025: 7-5, 6A district champ.

Chris Hays can be found on X.com@OS_ChrisHays.

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