Led by DJ Scott, the Oviedo Lions are ready to roar in 2022

Team taking pride in defense, powerful running game

OVIEDO, FLORIDA – The Oviedo Lions are ready to roar this year with some old school, hard-nosed football – thanks to a powerful running game and an experienced defense.

Fans will see a new-look Oviedo in 2022 when it takes the field with a team that will use physicality and skill to overcome its opponents. The Lions will depend mightily on their running game tandem of returnees DJ Scott and Omar Wyatt, and an offensive line that has five starters back.

A 6-foot, 195-pound senior, Scott ran wild last year, rushing for 1,015 yards and 12 touchdowns in leading the Lions to a 6-4 record. He already has six offers and is one of the top running backs in Seminole County.

Wyatt (6-1, 215) joins him in the backfield behind a strong offensive line of junior left tackle Tye Hylton (6-4, 272), senior left guard Ethan Manning (6-1, 250), senior center Bryce Lesser (5-11, 220), senior right guard Levi Thorpe (6-1, 250) and monster sophomore right tackle Nathan Tviet (6-3, 290). Manning already has two offers, and Hylton, three.

Also returning on offense for the Lions are wide receivers Marquet Williams and Jacob Thelen. Junior Jackson Latour will take over at quarterback.

Oviedo’s lean toward the running game was necessitated with the loss of quarterback Chase Copper, who passed for 2,088 yards and 20 TDs in 2021. The Lions also lost star wide receiver Alex Saunders, who caught 68 passes for 1,002 yards and eight TDs last season.

When Oviedo doesn’t have the ball, the Lions will be counting on a highly experienced defense to shut down opponents. Oviedo returns nine starters from a team that allowed less than 20 points per game and forced 25 turnovers in 2021.

The Lions will be exceptionally tough at the second level with returning senior linebackers Kage Johnson, Owen Proth and Noel Keller, and junior linebacker Bryson Blanford. Johnson and Proth last season averaged more than seven tackles per game; Keller, 5.6 per game. Blanford is just a junior.

Up front for Oviedo will be returning defensive linemen Nick Williams and senior Gian Deliz. Senior defensive backs Garrett Harrison, Zach Scharf and Owen Aycock also are back for another go-around.

On special teams, Wyatt will serve as punter, and Proth as kicker.

“We are optimistic about this upcoming season,” said Oviedo coach Greg Odierno. “It's year two for the coaching staff and players so we should see some great improvements. We have a strong group of returners as well as some key newcomers. Our team goals are to win a district championship and make a deep run in the playoffs.”

Making things even more interesting for Oviedo is a new district, courtesy of the Florida High School Athletic Association’s new classification format. The Lions will compete in 3Metro, District 2 with East River, a school on the eastern fringe of Orange County, and Lake Howell, Lyman, and Winter Springs.

The FHSAA’s decision to go to 4 categories (Metro, Suburban, Rural and Independent) should help Oviedo in its quest for a postseason berth. Last year, the Lions competed in Class 8A, District 2 with powerhouse Seminole, Lake Mary, Flagler Palm Coast and DeLand.

Seminole advanced to the regional finals, while Lake Mary made it to the regional semifinals. FPC went 6-4 last year.

“It’s a different beast this year,” Odierno said. “I personally liked the old format better but at the end of the day, it’s still football. I do think if you win your district, you should have an automatic playoff game.”