Osprey Observer

09/24/2025

What a beautiful moment!

09/23/2025

Head Coach Travis Puelo and his Crusader program have cultivated a family environment with his players and fans. The 13-year coach hosted his and his program’s first home campus football game last season. They now play all of their home games on the school’s campus. Puelo said that the night home game atmosphere is electric and unlike anything that he’s been a part of in his 17 combined seasons as head coach at Seffner Christian and Cambridge Christian.

Seffner Christian Academy built a brand-new field house last year with a new football field, a practice field with a fresh grass surface and light poles. A press box and scoreboard will be added as well.

The school has new pregame ceremonies and traditions for every home game. The team’s Crusader mascot rides out on a horse and the players run down a hill into the stadium through a blow-up apparatus with a smoke machine, to set the atmosphere.

Puelo has always put a big emphasis on team chemistry.

Head Coach Travis Puelo and his Crusader program have cultivated a family environment with his players and fans. The 13-year coach hosted his and his program’

09/19/2025

Don't Miss Out: Win 4 Bon Jovi Classic Albums Live Tickets, Chance To Win A Stay-Cation & MORE!
https://conta.cc/3JZQe0H

Email from Osprey Observer Community Newspapers Rock Your World with Bon Jovi! Enter Now for a Chance to Win! ENTER the Bon Jovi Classic Albums Live! Concert Tickets 4 Pack KEEP READING FOR ENTRY DETA

09/18/2025

The Sumner Stingrays play in a tough district with Newsome and Plant City and have one of the hardest schedules overall. The program has the talent, experience and leadership to make noise in Hillsborough County. The team has made the playoffs for four straight seasons and has had winning seasons every year since the program’s inception.

Head Coach George Selvie, the University of South Florida all-time sack leader, took over as the head man in July 2024. Selvie was an assistant coach for four seasons, helping build the elite program. He has made the team in his image as a tough, blue-collar, hard-nosed program.

Sumner played an elite Tampa Jesuit team in the preseason and had a good showing but came up a little bit short 7-0. The game was played with a running clock because of the late start time. Selvie was very happy with his defense, but his offense didn’t perform like he wanted them to. He feels that they have a lot to improve on.

The Sumner Stingrays play in a tough district with Newsome and Plant City and have one of the hardest schedules overall. The program has the talent, experience

09/16/2025

Lennard High School had a winning season last year and was just short of making the playoffs. The team went 6-4, winning their first six games.

The Longhorns have a three-year veteran quarterback in Jacob Mobley. A lot will be put on the captain in terms of making the right decisions, putting points up on the board and not turning the ball over. The senior thrives in the classroom as well, as a dual-enrollment student and is getting looked at by several Ivy League schools. Head Coach K.B. Belton acquiesced that the team will go as far as their senior signal caller will take them. It’ll be up to the young and inexperienced offensive line that has just one senior to keep him upright and healthy. Last year, he missed games due to injury.

“Jacob is very intelligent, he commands the offense, he knows where everybody is supposed to be, he knows where the ball is supposed go and he understands coverages,” said Belton.

Lennard High School had a winning season last year and was just short of making the playoffs. The team went 6-4, winning their first six games. The Longhorns

09/12/2025

Picking winners of Graze Craze Brandon-Riverview, FL gift cards!!

09/11/2025

09/11/2025

The East Bay football program hired a new head coach in DeAndra’ Simmons in February. He replaces longtime coach Mike Gottman, who retired after a successful career. Simmons, a Memphis, Tennessee, native, played offensive guard for the University of Memphis Tigers. He moved to the area in 2021 and was the offensive coordinator at Palmetto High School and Braden River High School prior.

Simmons inherits a program that has had success over recent years. The team has made the playoffs the last four seasons and came one game short last year of winning three straight district titles. He hopes to build upon the family environment that exists in the football program and the SouthShore community. He has a great relationship with Gottman, who is still on campus. Simmons said they talk every day, and that having his support has made the transition much easier for him.

The East Bay football program hired a new head coach in DeAndra’ Simmons in February. He replaces longtime coach Mike Gottman, who retired after a successful

09/09/2025

The Sharks have one of the toughest schedules in Hillsborough County. They will play against eight playoff teams from last year, including three teams outside of the county. They are off to a great start, beating Pinellas Park 19-0 in preseason. They lost to the same team last year 49-7.

Riverview’s schedule got tougher when Head Coach Tony Rodriguez turned the program around after a couple of seasons, making the playoffs in 2023 for the first time since 2019. They started out with a tier-three strength of schedule and now have a tier-two schedule. The team had a tough season last year, going 2-8.

Rodriguez thinks that the “SEC-like schedule” will only make the players better and get them more exposure to college scouts. They will return five starters on offense and five on defense.

The program was short on coaches last year, forcing Rodriguez to call plays on offense and defense.

The Sharks have one of the toughest schedules in Hillsborough County. They will play against eight playoff teams from last year, including three teams outside o

09/05/2025

Enter in our Dine Local Sweepstakes!!
https://conta.cc/47sEH3I

Email from Osprey Observer Community Newspapers ENTER the DINE LOCAL SWEEPSTAKES KEEP READING FOR ENTRY DETAILS! Click To See Varsity Football schedules, rosters & more.... Enter To Win Dine LocaL SW

09/04/2025

The Newsome Wolves are off to a great start under second-year Head Coach Jeff Turner. The team went 8-4 and made the playoffs last year for the first time in three years, winning a playoff game against district rival Sumner 34-27.

Turner was happy with his team’s buy-in last season. He was able to change the culture in terms of discipline and accountability with the players. ‘Tough People Win’ (TPW) has been the rallying cry for the program. He said that they were able to learn “how to win.” The Wolves won four one-score games in 2024.

Newsome will have to gain experience and learn on the fly in 2025 with a fairly inexperienced roster and a brand-new defense. The roster has four returning starters on offense and zero on defense, with 32 seniors that didn’t get a lot of playing time previously. Turner said that they will also have to improve their offensive line play and passing game and that they will have to have players step into leadership roles.

The Newsome Wolves are off to a great start under second-year Head Coach Jeff Turner. The team went 8-4 and made the playoffs last year for the first time in th