OKEECHOBEE – The Okeechobee Brahmans varsity football team will open their new season against Jupiter at Okeechobee High School on Aug. 17 at 7:00 p.m. in their preseason kick-off classic.
The Brahmans will be taking the field under the leadership of new head coach Ty Smith who took over after longtime coach Chris Branham left the program to coach for Toombs County High School in Georgia.
Okeechobee came up short in last years kick-off classic against Jupiter 34-20. Okeechobee’s Jajuan Cherry has an electric fumble recovery for a 77 yard touchdown in that game, but in what turned out to be an omen for the Brahman’s 2017 season, mistakes at crucial moments marred any chance of an Okeechobee victory.
The Brahmans will end the 2018 regular season against longtime rival Clewiston at Okeechobee High School, it’ll be the 60th time the two teams have faced each other. Clewiston leads the series in wins with 46 overall, Okeechobee holds 12 wins and the teams share one tie.
Okeechobee beat the Tigers 20-16 at Clewiston in a dramatic thriller that saw the Brahmans come back from 0-9 with only two minutes left in the first half. After scoring a touchdown with 20 seconds left in the half, Okeechobee kicked the ball back to Clewiston with the score sitting at 9-7. But instead of taking a knee and being content going into halftime with a lead, the Tigers got greedy and attempted to put one more score on the board.
The Brahman defense made them regret that decision when senior Lamar Williams stripped the Clewiston quarterback mid-pass and returned the fumble for an Okeechobee touchdown. It was a rude awakening for the Clewiston fans in attendance for the Tigers homecoming game.
The Brahmans will begin their quest for a district championship when the regular season begins on Aug. 24 against John Carrol High School in Fort Pierce.