Lakeland rallies to bump Osceola out of 5A playoffs

LAKELAND — Lakeland rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to take a 20-16 win over rival Osceola in a Class 5A, Region 2 semifinal Friday night at Thomas Bryant Stadium.

Trailing 16-13 at home with just over four minutes remaining, senior running back Aaron Truedell put in a 7-yard touchdown run to vault the undefeated Dreadnaughts (12-0) into the region championship game.

Osceola (8-4) held Lakeland to just 54 yards on the ground in the first half, allowing just one touchdown, a 15-yard run from Truedell. Meanwhile, the Kowboys offense found ways to score in the air and on the ground. The Kowboys got their first points on the board, thanks to a 79-yard touchdown pass from Bryant Butler to Frank Thomas on the second drive of the half, and a 5-yard Semaj Washington run gave them their 16-6 lead.

The second half told a much different story for the two rivals. The Kowboys' running-back-by-committee approach didn’t work as well in the second half, finishing the half with just 20 yards on the ground, a far cry from their 149 first-half total.

Truedell, who finished with 94 yards on 13 carries, scored two second-half touchdowns, three for the night, to give Lakeland all the offense it needed.

Running back Jarrell Emmanuel led the Kowboys on the ground with 84 yards on six carries. Bryant, a fellow junior, finished with 34 yards rushing on nine carries, also completing 2 of 4 passes for 105 yards and one touchdown.

"They are an extremely talented football team," said Osceola head coach Jeff Rolson. "We missed some tackles. You’ve got to play your best football."

Lakeland finishes the season 2-0 against Osceola this season. The Dreadnaughts picked up a 21-14 regular-season win at Kissimmee on Nov. 7. Their win total is a complete reversal from last year, when the state runner-up Kowboys defeated Lakeland both times the two met, once in the regular season and later in the playoffs. Rolson is 2-3 against Lakeland as a head coach.

"They’re just a great program," Rolson said. "We’ve got a lot of guys coming back next year."

Lakeland will hit the road next week to Tampa, where the Dreadnaughts will play Chamberlain. The Dreadnaughts are seeking their fourth state championship in five years.

Lakeland 20, Osceola 16

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FIRST — O: Thomas 79 pass from Butler (run failed). SECOND — O: Elstermann 24 FG; L: Truedell 15 run (kick failed); O: Washington 5 run (Elstermann kick). THIRD — L: Truedell 30 run (O’Brien kick). FOURTH — L: Truedell 7 run (O’Brien kick).