Perfect 10
Seminole holds off Oviedo to complete undefeated regular season
OVIEDO — As the waning moments ticked off the clock Friday night, Seminole coach Karl Calhoun Jr. removed his headset, turned toward the stands and looked skyward, taking it all in.
Perfect.
Perfection.
Ten wins. No losses.
Undefeated. Unconquered.
For a coach who had watched his team battle through 10 weeks of football, the moment was about more than another victory. It was the culmination of a season built on determination, resilience and a belief that something special was possible.
And it certainly didn’t come easily.
Seminole survived a furious fourth-quarter rally by host Oviedo, holding on for a 30-29 victory to complete a perfect 10-0 regular season.
The Lions, who had trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter, scored a touchdown in the final minute to pull within one. But a fumbled two-point conversion attempt ended their hopes of an upset, and the Seminoles recovered the ensuing onside kick to secure their 10th consecutive victory.
For Calhoun, the moment was nearly overwhelming.
“Couldn’t be more blessed. Couldn’t be more proud,” Calhoun said. “Never as a player did I think of this, and never as a coach did I start off like this. So this is a blessing. It shows determination and work. They’ve done it all year.”
For Seminole, the victory represented more than an undefeated record. It was another example of a team finding a way to win, even when the outcome remained uncertain until the closing seconds.
“I felt like when we put the schedule together, I felt we could go 10-0, 9-1, 8-2,” Calhoun said. “And the guys every week felt like they could do it and never quit.”
That determination was tested throughout a physical, back-and-forth contest in which Seminole relied on its running game, timely defensive stops and an offense that refused to turn the ball over.
The Seminoles set the tone on their opening possession, putting together a methodical drive that consumed nearly 10 minutes of the first quarter.
Quarterback Daniel Proenza capped the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Kadin Pierce-Flores, and a successful two-point conversion gave Seminole an early 8-0 advantage.
After falling behind in the second quarter, Seminole responded with the running game.
Proenza directed the Seminoles downfield before scoring on a 6-yard run. Austin Plebanski added the extra point, giving Seminole a 15-14 halftime lead.
The second half brought more adversity.
Trailing 20-15 late in the third quarter, Seminole again turned to its ground attack, driving deep into Oviedo territory before Isaiah Taylor scored on a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Another successful two-point conversion put the Seminoles back in front, 23-20.
The defense then forced a turnover on downs, giving the offense an opportunity to extend the lead.
A long run moved the Seminoles deep into scoring territory, and Proenza connected with Pierce-Flores on an 8-yard touchdown pass. Plebanski’s extra point pushed the advantage to 30-20.
What appeared to be a comfortable 10-point lead quickly turned into another test of Seminole’s resolve.
With the game on the line, the Seminole defense came up with a critical goal-line stand, forcing a field goal that kept the Seminoles ahead by seven.
After the Lions scored again in the final minute, Seminole recovered a fumble on the attempted two-point conversion and secured the ensuing onside kick to preserve the victory.
“Oh, it was a grind,” Calhoun said. “Football. Get the yards. You can get it.
Try to make a stop so you can get it. At the end of the day, we had more points than they did. Happy to be leaving with a win.”
While the ending provided the drama, Seminole’s rushing attack provided the foundation for the victory.
The Seminoles finished with 361 yards of total offense, including 277 on the ground, while committing no turnovers.
Proenza completed 11 of 16 passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried 10 times for 81 yards and a touchdown, accounting for 165 total yards and three scores.
Tyree Howard led the rushing attack with 83 yards on six carries, while Jamar Bucker added 80 yards on nine attempts. Taylor contributed a rushing touchdown, and Jelani Williams added 21 yards on four carries.
Pierce-Flores finished with five receptions for 36 yards and two touchdowns, providing Proenza with a reliable target in critical moments.
Defensively, Jamarion Coleman led Seminole with 12 tackles, including six solo stops, a tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries.
Jaxson Wade added 11 tackles, an interception and two pass breakups, while Kendrick Miles recorded 10 tackles, a sack and two quarterback hurries. King Manley contributed eight tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack.
The defensive effort was particularly important in the closing minutes, when Seminole’s goal-line stand helped preserve the lead.
Now, the focus turns from perfection in the regular season to the pursuit of something even bigger.
Seminole enters the postseason ranked second in its region, with its first-round opponent yet to be determined. The Seminoles will have a week off before opening the playoffs at home Nov. 13.
For Calhoun, the break comes at the right time.
“Now we get an off week coming up,” Calhoun said. “We’ve got to get healthy, mentally ready for this run and ready to go. Go 1-0 each week.”
And while the opponent remains unknown, Calhoun made one thing clear about where the next chapter of Seminole’s season will unfold.
“They got to come to Bokey.”
The prospect of hosting a playoff game in Sanford has Calhoun looking forward to the atmosphere awaiting his team.
“We got a playoff game at home. Been a while,” he said. “We hope that Sanford will be rocking. Everybody in school needs to show up, and everybody better turn up, and we’re gonna have a good day. I mean, Friday the 13th.”
But before turning his attention to the postseason, Calhoun made sure his players understood the significance of what they had accomplished.
Standing before the team after the game, the coach delivered a message that captured the bond built over 10 consecutive victories.
“This team is special,” Calhoun told his players. “Every one of you is special and means something to this team. Every time you show up, you help this program get where we need to go. And you just went 10-0, undefeated, unconquered.”
For 10 weeks, Seminole answered every challenge, overcame every obstacle and found a way to finish on top.
And on a Friday night in Oviedo, as the final seconds disappeared and Calhoun looked toward the sky, the reality of what his team had accomplished finally had a chance to sink in.
Ten games.
Ten victories.
Perfect.
