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The 2024 high school football season in West Orange and Southwest Orange got off to — not a rocky start — a rainy start, thanks to severe weather around the area postponing or canceling eight of the 11 games involving the area's 12 teams; with only Olympia High at Horizon High playing it's Friday-scheduled game on Friday night.
Despite the delays, postponements and even a cancellation, the difficult start to the season didn't stop quality football from being played, nor did it stop my ability to learn a lesson, pick up a nugget or two to serve up the first Friday Night Five of this beautiful high school football season.
No. 1: Special start to special season for Windermere football.
The 2024 season couldn't have started better for the Windermere High Wolverines, after shutting out Gateway High in the kickoff classic, 35-0, third-year coach Riki Smith and his team came out ready to play on the road against Harmony High — topping the Longhorns, 21-3.
These back-to-back victories, albeit one being a preseason game, are just the start for what's coming down the road for Windermere.
Not only have the Wolverines gotten the job done on the field, with their heap of transfers — CJ Bronaugh, Daniel Bradley, Jack Reilly, Noah Elkhander and Micah Winslow — along with returning stars, such as Bryce Speed and Henry Rogers, they have the firepower to take advantage of an independent schedule.
Then there's the headliner of 2024, the on-campus stadium. With the way the Wolverines have looked in the offseason, preseason and the start of the regular season; it isn't inconceivable that they come into its Week 4 home opener undefeated.
Just imagine that home crowd cheering on an undefeated Windermere team to victory for the first time in their new stadium. Goosebumps.
No. 2: Olympia High still has talent, despite losing 21 starters.
It's been well established that Olympia football is going through a regrouping phase in 2024, after losing 21 of 22 starters from its 2023 team. What I believe hasn't been established is the fact that Olympia's always going to have talented football players, given it's size, location and coach — Travis Gabriel.
In the Titans' 14-0 win over Horizon, Gabriel and his team showed yet again that the 2024 version of this team isn't going to just roll over. You're still going to have to beat them.
On offense, a touchdown pass from transfer QB Will Wankelman to Eric Weems Jr. and a rushing touchdown from transfer running back Raymond Green was enough to not only win the game for the Titans but serve as a reminder that Titans aren't disappearing in 2024.
No. 3: Despite loss, Ocoee has their quarterback.
For the second year in a row, the Ocoee vs. Apopka game was a defensive struggle. The difference this season, despite the 10-0 loss to it's district rival neighbors, was that the Knights came out of the shutout loss with optimism at the quarterback spot.
All offseason the man under center has been a rotation between Joshua Guerrier and Nehemiah Ward, but with the addition of sophomore transfer Onrique Archie from Wekiva High, the position seems to be set for the rest of the season.
Though Archie wasn't able to get the ball in the end zone, what he did show that should make Knights Nation giddy was an ability to get the ball to the Ocoee playmakers and run a competent offense — despite only throwing for 131 passing yards as a team — with little preparation, considering he wasn't with the Knights in the spring.
No. 4: The First Academy's building its title team
One of the biggest questions I had about the Royals' collection of star talent, was how it would mesh into a championship team. In my experience, building the required level of chemistry, toughness and understanding of one another to win a state championship can't be done in-house.
It needs to come from fighting through adversity and building up enough scar tissue in the regular season, so that when the rollercoaster of events that come your way in the postseason doesn't knock you off your rocker.
The second half of TFA's game on Thursday night in Nashville, Tennessee was one of those moments that starts to make a talented team into a title team.
After leading in the third quarter by a score of 28-3, Lipscomb Academy scored 20 unanswered points and had possession in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead. TFA was on the ropes and the momentum screamed that the Mustangs were going to complete the comeback.
Put in true championship fashion, the Royals metaphorically said 'it's not how many times you get knocked down, it's about how many times you get back up,' and do-it-all athlete Demetrice McCray came up clutch with an interception that iced the win for TFA.
This is how championship teams are built, in the line of fire. Thursday night saw the Royals take a step toward becoming that type of team.
No. 5: The 2024 season's going to be special, regardless of delayed start
Despite more than half of the opening week's games being delayed or postponed, the high school football season in West Orange and Southwest Orange County is undoubtedly going to be a special one and we at the Observer are excited to cover.
Get ready football fans, because it's going to be a wild one.
