Ocoee football preps for crucial stretch of schedule -- Observer Preps

OCOEE If the Ocoee Knights are going to boldly go where the contemporary Ocoee High’s football program has never gone before — the state playoffs — the next month is going to be crucial.

In a wide-open, seven-team district, Ocoee just missed out on the playoffs in 2015, finishing 6-4 overall and 4-2 in Class 7A, District 4.

This time, the Knights (1-2, 1-0 district) are already off to a better start than in 2015 after throttling a rebuilding Edgewater program 52-21 a year after losing that same game 21-7. The euphoria from a dominant showing may not last long for Ben Bullock’s program, however, as the realization that the Knights will play district contests the next four weeks against legitimate district title contenders — three of which will be on the road — has set in.

“It’s like a West Coast-swing in the NBA,” Bullock said of the three road games. “We’ll kind of figure some things out by the time we come home.”

THE GAUNTLET

Starting with Friday’s game at East Ridge (2-1), the gauntlet is on. The district’s other Knights, East Ridge has benefited from positive momentum after a 7-4 season in 2015 reinvigorated a program that had been down. Led by a dynamic, dual-threat quarterback in BeSean McCray, East Ridge should test an Ocoee defense that forced several turnovers against Edgewater in Week Four.

Following East Ridge, the Knights will travel to take on last year’s district champion, Hagerty (3-0), followed by an improved West Port (Ocala) squad and a surprising Lake Howell team that already has three wins after winning just once in 2015.

Of those, a road date at Hagerty looms particularly large.

“They’re the champs until somebody beats them,” Bullock said.

Although the Knights won three of those four games in 2015 — losing only to Hagerty— Bullock and his squad are taking nothing for granted. Teams such as East Ridge, West Port and Lake Howell all have improved — and so have the Knights. Most notably, an Ocoee offense that struggled to produce points in 2015 has exploded for 74 points in its past two games, led by junior tailback Konrie Brown.

Brown, a transfer from Foundation Academy, has accounted for five touchdowns in the past two weeks.

“(Brown is) really starting to understand how to run our offense as a tailback … he’s figuring out how to read blocks and really explode through the blocking schemes,” Bullock said. “Our offensive line has done a great job.”

Add to Brown’s success Ocoee’s ability to successfully integrate defensive backs Dorian Jones and B.J. Bohler in the Knights’ offense, and a once-stagnant attack has promise. Jake Novello, a transfer quarterback who attended West Orange in 2015, had a strong start against Edgewater Sept. 16 — tossing a touchdown to Jones before leaving the game with an injury. 

“Our district is a fun one because you just don’t know week-to-week. Anybody can beat anybody.”

— Ben Bullock, Ocoee coach

Even then, backup quarterback Corvondre Curate filled in admirably, with the freshman rushing for two touchdowns and throwing a third.

So, although there is some uncertainty about who will start at quarterback on Friday, one thing is for sure: By the time the Ocoee Knights play another non-district game (Oct. 21 against Wekiva), we’ll have a good idea whether this team is going to make history for the program or not.

“Our district is a fun one because you just don’t know week-to-week,” Bullock said. “Anybody can beat anybody.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].