As the 2021 season drew to a close, Poinciana football was in decline. The team was unwinnable, morale was low and players did not attend practice. Head coach Randy Beeken has made the difficult decision to suspend several high-profile players from his team. Ultimately, the Eagles won his two of his final three games.
“Last year it got a lot worse and we made the difficult decision to want to pull the rest of the players together. Everyone is now on the same page. ”
Bieken hopes this new culture combined with the transfer of talented players will lead to the first winning season in the school’s 33-year history. “We had quite a few in the spring and summer,” said Beeken. “There have been a lot of transfers, but technically we don’t think of many transfers. A lot of the transfers were originally zoned to attend this school.”
Two big names that should help Poinciana are the Osceola High Transfer pair of WR Donald Cummings and RB/DB Perry Garrett. Garrett averaged over 7 yards on carries and nearly 20 yards on receptions for the Co-Boys, but had limited action. Cummings is a home run threat for wide receivers as he scored four touchdowns and averaged 26.4 yards per reception for Osceola – despite catching only 15 total passes as a backup.
Garrett has already been penciled in as the starting running back.
Defensive back Davrel Cohn, who has very limited action for the Cowboys, was also transferred from Osceola and could be in contention for a starting lineup with the Eagles.
The main returning player will be quarterback Jamali Corbett. He threw for 700 yards and six touchdowns as a part-time starter last year, a big improvement from last fall. “He’s a year older and more experienced,” said Bieken. “His ability to read defenses and his decision-making process have greatly improved.”
Ernest Nunn, still a sophomore, could be primed for a breakout year. In the Poinciana spring game, Nunn was able to catch 150 yards on a pass and combine with Cummings to give Corbett two big targets.
An increase in roster numbers has given Viken hope the Eagles might go to more platoon football, but Poinciana will be thin on both offensive and defensive lines. Torrence Vohland, Mike Rivera and Jaden Swaby are three linemen with a high return rate, and all three are most likely to start on both offense and defense.
Poinciana has shown talent at both linebacker and defensive back, especially with the addition of Garrett and Cohn. At linebacker, top tackler Noah Otero (75 tackles, 7.0 TFL) will return, as will starter Luis Salt. Jayron Morris led the Eagles’ defensive backfield in stops last year (25) and is set to lead an improved unit that includes Michael Centeno.
The decision to remain independent for the second year in a row has also improved prospects for a winning season. Despite not making the playoffs, Bieken and Athletics Director Tiffany King were able to work out a balanced schedule.
“Based on the current position and history of our program, this is a competitive, balanced and fair schedule,” said Beeken. “Almost every team we play against is similar to ours in talent and numbers. Every game you play should have a chance of winning, but the opposite is also true. The decision was very easy. Playing on a fair schedule or being placed in a district with a strength of three or four teams, there was no chance of being competitive. “
Overall, the Eagles will face two teams with .500-plus winning records last year in Teneroc (5-4) and Liberty (5-5). Key matches include Davenport (4-5) and Lake Buena Vista (0-10). These are a relatively new pair of schools playing in their second season of competition. The most important game will be the Battle of the Boulevard on November 4th, when the Eagles will take on the Liberty. Liberty drained a good chunk of Poinciana’s student body when it opened in 2007, just as Harmony did when it opened and took in a good number of students from St. Cloud. However, unlike St. Cloud and Harmony, the rivalry between Liberty and Poinciana is one-sided, with the Chargers winning all 15 of their previous contests.
Poinciana schedule
independence
- 8/26 Lost 39-15 at 7pm Parish Community
- 9/2 Discovery 7:30 PM
- 9/9 label 7pm
- 9/16 Horizon 7pm
- 9/23 Tenerok 7pm
- 10/7 Davenport 7pm
- 10/14 North Harbor 19:30
- 10/21 Lake Buena Vista 7:30 PM
- 10/28 Christian Ambassador 7pm
- 11/4 Liberty 7pm
*Kickoff Classic Exhibition
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