Varsity Football
By Riley Sanderson
On Friday the 1st, the Lions varsity football team took on the University (Orange City) Titans in the first home game of the season. The first pep rally of the school year was held earlier in the day for the highly anticipated home opener.
The Lions faced a skilled Titans team, fresh from a 35-14 win against the Hagerty Huskies the week prior. Despite this, the Lions remained confident going into this game due to their dominant offensive performance in their previous 60-47 win over the Lake Brantley Patriots.
Initially set back by a lightning delay, the game proved to be a compelling match up in just the first few minutes with a rushing touchdown from the Titans. University went on to score two more touchdowns in the half before Oviedo began to attempt a comeback.
In the second quarter, the Lions saw a rushing touchdown from senior Brandon Harrison and a kickoff return touchdown from senior Alejandro Bello.
In the second half, the Titans scored one more rushing touchdown to maintain their lead on the Lions. In the 4th quarter, senior quarterback Jackson Latour threw the ball to senior wide receiver Cameron Keels for a touchdown. Unfortunately the Lions ran out of time on the clock, leaving them unable to continue their late game momentum, losing with a final score of 37-21.
Despite the loss, the Lions’ performance was highlighted by the touchdowns from Harrison, Bello, and Keels along with a total of 190 passing yards from Latour and an extra point kicking accuracy of 100% (3/3) from junior kicker and defensive tackle Logan Proth.
This Friday the 8th, the Lions will take on the Lake Mary Rams in a non-district away game.
Girls Volleyball
By Hunter Fuehrer
The Oviedo Girls Varsity Volleyball team finished last week with a 3-0 record; defeating Olympia, Lake Highland Prep, and Seminole while only dropping one set between all three games. The performance shown from the team in week one made for a nice warm-up because in week two the girls would face off against the defending conference champion, Lake Brantley, before leaving for the Nike Tournament of Champions.
Lake Brantley finished last season 23-7 ending their season in the regional finals in a 3-1 loss to Hagerty High School. Brantley was 1-1 at the time, losing their season opener to Plant High school, from Tampa, but bounced back in a 3-0 sweep against Olympia.
“I felt really hyped for the game and we were excited knowing it would be a big game,” said sophomore Emma Barkett.
Oviedo took the first set 25-14 in what was looking to be another easy sweep for the Lions. However in the second and third sets the girls failed to execute on offense which led Oviedo losing both sets 17-25 and 21-25 respectively. The Lions had to win the fourth set if they wanted a chance to stay in the game.
“We were confident we could work together and still win,” said senior Kylie O’Brien. “Our chemistry is stronger than anyone I know.”
The fourth set saw the Lions return to form as they won the set 25-16 which took back momentum from Lake Brantley. With the fifth set being a first to 15 or win by two, there was no room for error. Oviedo would go on to win the fifth set 15-12, taking the match 3-2.
“It was a nerve-racking game and it was a relief when we finally pulled out the win,” said Barkett.
Following the win the team was riding high with a 4-0 record heading into the Nike Tournament of Champions. This yearly tournament is host to some of the best teams from across the nation.
“It’s always fun playing in the tournament, teams are always really good,” said O’Brien. “I enjoy playing other teams from outside the county.”
Oviedo played in the National Division – the highest of the three – which hosted 32 teams from 10 different states. These teams represented the best-of-the-best from around the country. The Lions were placed in Pool D for the first day of the tournament and needed to get first or second in their Pool to advance and have a chance at the trophy. Pool D consisted of Plant who hailed from Tampa, Flint Hill who traveled from Oakton Virginia, and Osceola (FL) rounded out the four-team pool for the first day of matches for the Lions.
The first opponent of the day was Plant (FL) who boosted a 22-7 record the year prior and were 2-0 heading into the match. However, someone’s 0 would have to go as Oviedo went on to sweep Plant 25-23 25-21.
Next, the Lions faced off against Flint Hill (VA) who were 36-0 along with claiming the division 1 Virginia state championship. But Flint Hill lost their season/tournament opener against Osceola 1-2. The match went the distance which saw Oviedo lose in a 1-2 thriller which saw 25-19, 21-25, and 13-15 score lines.
To wrap up the day, Oviedo played Osceola who leading up the the match were 3-1, most notably beating Flint Hill in 3 in their first match of the tournament. Despite this the Lions made quick work in a 2-0 sweep 27-25 25-13.
“It felt good because the first day is always the hardest.” said senior Kylie O’brien.
The second day saw Oviedo play 3 matches against Winter Park (FL), Bishop Gorman (NV), and Hagerty (FL). The Lions first faced Winter Park first who were 6-0 leading up to the match. The girls were unable to overcome the experienced Winter Park team who won in a 2-0 sweep. Following the loss Oviedo the Lions would play Bishop Gorman. The best the girls could do now was 5th after losing their first game. However this wouldn’t deter this lions squad as they beat Bishop Gorman 2-1 with a 25-13, 20-25, 15-10 score line.
In the losers bracket final Oviedo looked to beat Hagerty to claim 5th place to round out the tournament. Going into the tournament Hagerty was 2-0 and finished the first day of the tournament 2-1, but lost their first game of the second day. However they won their second game against Veria to be able to face off against the lions. Both teams have a storied history being not only home town rivals but also club teammates making it a personal game for both sides.
Oviedo entered the game looking for a win to round out their tournament on a high note but ended up losing 16-25 21-25. Overall the Lions finished 6th out of 32 teams going 3-3 in the tournament bringing their overall record to 7-3. Looking toward week 3 Oviedo has one game against the Lyman Greyhounds on Thursday, September 7th.
Cross Country
By Gabriella DeCesare
Oviedo High School’s cross country team is starting the season off strong. The teams began their season at the Mike Gibson preseason meet with the boys team winning the meet for our school, ending with a final point count of 35. The Girls team placed in second with a score of 67, trailing just behind Lake Mary who ended the meet with 65 points.
Last week’s meet, The Jim Ryun Invite, was won by the boys with a 30 point lead of 54 points while Newsome followed in second with a score of 88. The girls placed 8th out of 40 teams with a score of 234 points.
This week’s Winter Spring’s invite was another opportunity for the team to get back into the swing of things and remember, or learn, how to race. Since it’s early in the season, most of the meets are a learning opportunity for the athletes.
The Winter Springs meet was a meet with 12 total varsity girls teams, 18 boys varsity teams, 4 JV girls teams and 3 JV boys teams.
Conditions of the race: hot, humid, and a temperature of 80 degrees. Not a favorable combination for athletes about to run 3.1 miles through fields, forests, hills, sand, and dirt.
After enduring 2 misfires at the starting line and a final unclear starting shot, Oviedo’s girl’s varsity team started their 3 mile trek.
Senior runner Madalyn Falk described the race as “an okay race. I got a season’s best. I think I could have done better but I’m not mad about my time. I think we’re still getting into the groove of racing and it’s only our second race this season.”
Coach Hazera shares this thought, knowing it’s early in the season. “There are always athletes that are not happy with their performance. Each competition is an opportunity to learn and prepare for the important races at the end of the season.”
Oviedo’s Athletes are learning what to strengthen and what to work on during training. Even if it’s not necessarily something physical. “My biggest challenge in this race was definitely my mental game.” Says senior Madalyn Falk. “I felt like it was very weak this race and I need to learn to push past that.”
Despite the struggles of the race, the team is facing the difficulties together. What they really need, according to Coach Hazera, is confidence.
“The mental side has to be developed,” says Hazera. “The talent on this team is excellent! The fact is that this team has yet to win at the highest levels so we need the athletes to believe that they .”
But, this team can help build each other up and reach this confidence Hazera is talking about. They even have team dinners once a week the night before a race. This can add to their relationship as a team and strengthen their bond.
“This group of athletes was well bonded when I arrived as the coach. The new members seem to always be accepted as part of the family,” said Hazera.
In the Winter Spring’s 2023 invite, the Oviedo girls varsity placed 6th with a final score of 167 including points from a tiebreaker with Geneva. Oviedo’s boys placed first with a score of 36 points.
Golf
By James Bryant
On the afternoon of Monday August 28, the Oviedo High school boys golf team went to Twin Rivers Golf Course, to take on East River High school. The Oviedo Lions had a strong performance on the course as they rose to the occasion and played their best.
They were led by sophomore golfer Tyler Adamczyk, who scored a 38 on the course. They were also given help from junior Tyler McGrath, sophomore Caleb Anderson, sophomore Tre Dahm, and freshman Alexander Petry.
McGrath and Anderson both scored a 40, to give them momentum in the game. Dahm scored 41, and Petry scored a 43 to finish off the game. Every player on the squad played evenly, as they all scored strong numbers to give them the dominating win against East River, 159-209.
The next day, the Lions headed out to Winter Springs to earn another against the Bears. They would beat Winter Springs 154-181. This game was a much more competitive match, and they were able to get through the challenge.
Anderson and Petry led the game with a score of 37, to give them a chance at winning. This outing for these two showed their talents and skill, as they were their team’s top players. They were able to strike the ball and score a low score for the Lions.
Adamczyk, McGrath and Dahm, helped cap a strong game with their play. Adamczyk scored a 39, McGrath scored a 41, and Dahm scored a 42. Overall, the game wasn’t perfect, but there were many bright spots seen across each player.
The Lions had a successful week of golf, and showed they can go through great adversity. With Hurricane Idalia coming in that week, they were still able to stay focused, and earn wins. With these two wins, they are posed to become even better, and have a successful season.
Bowling
By Merrick DiCarolis
Bowling suffered a defeat at the hand of the Winter Springs grizzlies on both sides yesterday. The Boys squad lost 2181-2097 and the girls lost 1513-1460. The
Boys are led this season by full time starters Spencer Wainright & Zack Horrobin and the Girls are led by Natalie Harvey, Tayler Hennessy, Noah Holzman & Kamryn Sorokvashin.
The boys started off the season hot winning their season opener against Lake Howell 2219-1755 but have recently struggled to find form losing their last two matches to Lyman and Winter Springs. The girls also started off the season hot, winning their first two games against Lake Howell in their first match, and beating The Lyman Greyhounds in their second match. Next week both teams face off against Crooms on the 5th and Seminole on the 6th.