Oviedo Stuns State Runner-Up Lake Mary, 14–9, in Kickoff Classic Thriller

OVIEDO – In a season-opening Kickoff Classic at Oviedo High School on Friday, August 15, the Lions toppled state runner-up Lake Mary, 14–9, in a gritty, high-stakes preseason showdown. On a night where mistakes proved costly and momentum spoke volumes, Oviedo pulled off a significant early-season statement.

Editor’s note: Kickoff Classics are preseason exhibitions in Florida, but given the caliber of talent on both sidelines, the atmosphere and takeaways were very real.

Game Recap:

• First Drive Advantage: Lake Mary struck first with a field goal on its opening drive, taking a quick 3–0 lead.

• Second Quarter Response: With 3:24 left in the second quarter, Oviedo evened it up on a jet sweep touchdown. That score stood as the halftime result, 7–3, with the Lions finding their rhythm and the Rams looking hesitant.

• Second-Half Spark: The defining play came right after halftime when Samari Chisolm took the opening kickoff 97 yards to the house, igniting the crowd and giving Oviedo a 14–3 edge.

• Lake Mary’s Turnovers Hurt: Lake Mary fumbled three times, twice inside the 1-yard line—once in the first half, once in the second—squandering red-zone chances and giving Oviedo’s defense added lift.

• Late Push Falls Short: With just 50 seconds remaining, Lake Mary QB Noah Grubbs connected for a touchdown, making it 14–9. The Rams opted for a two-point conversion but missed. Their ensuing onside attempt failed, sealing a heartbreaking defeat.

Defense and Discipline Win the Day

Oviedo’s defense delivered in spades:

• Three forced fumbles in critical moments, wiping out Lake Mary drives near the goal line.

• Pressure aplenty, consistently disrupting Rams QB Noah Grubbs—underlining Oviedo’s dominance up front.

What’s Inside the Locker Room

Postgame, Oviedo coach Greg Odierno acknowledged the historic win:

“First time since I’ve been here at Oviedo that we’ve beat Lake Mary. Proud of our boys. They battled tonight. Very proud of our guys finishing strong.”

When asked how the result frames the season ahead:

“It says we could play with anybody. That’s what it says, but now we got to go out and do it. Bishop Moore is a good opponent that we’re going to play next week and Coach Hedrick has them tuned up and so it should be a good one.”

He also sent a message of focus to his squad:

“I told them you set the standard for what we should be able to do. Our record’s still zero–zero. This is good tonight. We got a heck of a game next week again Bishop Moore. We’re zero–zero. We got to fix the problems that we had tonight and get better next week.”

Samari Chisolm, responsible for the game-changing return, spoke on seizing his moment:

“Coming into the game, I wanted to get a kick return and the first time they kicked it to me, they kicked it way back. I told my coach if the kick can bounce, I’m going to take it to the house.”

“It means so much to me. My senior year, I’m going out with a bang.”

What’s Next

• Lake Mary will head home next, aiming to correct the costly mistakes when they host Miami Northland.

• Oviedo travels to take on Bishop Moore, learning they’ve earned respect but must prove it in Week 1.

Final Take:

This Kickoff Classic win gives Oviedo momentum—and confidence. Lake Mary remains a formidable squad, but red-zone errors cost them dearly.