Orlando Christian Prep

May 9, 2023 -- Orlando

OPENING WORDS BY COACH BURKE:

The purpose of (our Awards Night) is to honor our students for another successful year. Before we begin I would like to take a moment to thank everyone both directly and indirectly involved in our school’s success.

Thank you Pastor Dustin Janney, Mrs. Jacobson, and the entire school staff.  Their support for Orlando Christian Prep is paramount to our success.  

Another huge thank you goes out to you, the parents.  Your decision to place your child in our school, as well as your support, and the atmosphere you create at our games, fine arts events, and school functions is Amazing. Your support is definitely instrumental to our school.  

Our volunteers, whether you helped cleanup after a game, work the gate, the chain crew, make a team meal, donate items for a bake sale, or chaperone field trips, we appreciate you and your time.  

Special thanks to Bob Kennedy and Ms. Kathie Rehm for all of your continued help and support. 

A HUGE thank you to the student-athletes. Thank you to all the administrators, teachers, faculty and staff for their commitment to our students, without all of you none of this would be possible. 

A SPECIAL THANK YOU to all of the coaches for all their time, effort, hard work, and dedication. Your commitment to serving and investing in these young men and women through athletics is invaluable and such a blessing.

- Coach Treig Burke,
Orlando Christian Prep Athletic Director

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

This year’s athletic program as a whole consisted of 200 student athletes. 

•  Our School hosted over 40 home games and competed in over 100 athletic contests. 

• All of our varsity teams participated in district play.    

• Our Varsity Football team finished their second consecutive season as District Champs.

• Our Junior Varsity football team had an undefeated season. 

• Our Varsity Girls Volleyball team won its first district title in school history. 

• Our Varsity Soccer team finished the season with three consecutive wins. 

• Our Varsity Boys Basketball team won its seventh straight district and regional titles. Also reaching the state championship game for the seventh consecutive year. 

• Our Varsity Softball team won its second District championship in the last three years. They ranked as high as 4th in the Class 2A and were the No.1 seed in Region 2, advancing to the Regional Championship game for the second consecutive year. 

• Our Track & Field program had three athletes qualify for the 1A State Championships and two finished Top 8 in their events, earning a state medal.

• We had fourteen student athletes sign to play in College. 

ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

The 2023 OCP Female and Male Athlete of the Year are Siarah Brown and Evan Sierra!

Siarah (aka Sisi) has been playing varsity basketball since middle school, she also participated on the varsity track team for a couple years as well. She holds many records for the basketball team. For her career she had 800 assists, 323 rebounds, and a school record of 2041 points. She has a 3.8 GPA and will be continuing her education on a full basketball scholarship to Parkland College in Illinois.

Evan was a member of the varsity football and track team since his freshman year. For his career he had 108 total tackles, 95 solo, 22 tackles for loss, 4 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions. He was a FACA first team Linebacker. As a member of the track team he currently holds school records in the 400 meter hurdles, triple jump, and 4X400 meter team. He was part of the district championship and region runner up 4X400 meter team last year. He has a personal record in the long jump of 20 feet. He was a district runner up in the 400 meter hurdles as well as a triple jump qualifier this year. He currently holds a 3.3 GPA. He has signed a full athletic scholarship to play football at Illinois State University.

Congratulations Siarah and Evan! Thanks for all you have given to OCP athletic programs.

Visit team webpages for the coaches comments with individual team awards.

It was a matchup between two district champions on a night filled with gratitude, love, reflections and pageantry. 

Orlando Christian Prep concluded the regular season at the end of Spirit Week with a Homecoming game for the alumni, Senior Night for 11 football players and four cheerleaders, and the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen for the students. With everything going on before and during the game, the Warriors found a way to win a ball game after the adrenaline of its start wore off.

OCP (6-4) defeated Northside Christian (St. Petersburg) 35-28 after having a 28-7 halftime lead. The Mustangs finished first in Class 1M District 4, which is in Region 2. Coached by former Tampa Bay Buccanners full back and Super Bowl Champion Mike Alstott, Northside Christian came into the contest unbeaten at 8-0.

Junior Demarion Jenkins scored the first touchdown of the game on OCP’s opening offensive possession as he’s done several times this year. The 5-yard run, followed by a 2-pt conversion run by senior Brian Thomas, gave the Warriors an 8-0 lead. On the next offensive possession, senior quarterback Vilay Nakkoun, Jr. would takeoff for a 47-yard touchdown and the Warriors were off to a 14-0 lead.

Following a Northside Christian score late in the first quarter, Thomas would get his first of two touchdown on a run for 11 yards with 11:47 in 2nd quarter. Senior quarterback Makai Elder would pass to Thomas on a 18-yard touchdown to push the Warriors lead to 28-7 with 7:43 to play in the first half.

Thomas would lead OCP with 126 yards rushing on 14 attempts in the game, along with 4 receptions for 24 yards. Nakkoun would be the second 100-yard rusher of the game with 101 yards on four attempts. Jenkins gained 63 yards on eight attempts. The Warriors rushed for a total of 315 yards on 40 attempts for a 7.9 yards per attempt average.

Northside Christian would add a pair scores to the scoreboad late in the 3rd quarter and early in the 4th to cut the Warriors 21 point lead to 7.  That’s when the OCP defense made key stops on 3rd and 4th down to prevent the Mustangs from getting into the redzone and potentially tying the game. OCP’s defense held Northside to 1-for-9 (11.1%) on 3rd down conversions and 1-for-4 (25%) on 4th down conversions. Senior Evan Sierra lead the defense with 6 solo tackles, 1 TFL and 1 INT. Senior Jeremy Miller added 4 solo tackles.

BEST CLASS EVER?

This senior class, consisting primarily of 3rd and 4th year varsity players, have been one of the most accomplished classes to play for Coach Demosthenes with a record of 33-9 (.785) - and counting - over four seasons.

They finished as SSAC state runner-ups in 2019, and captured the school’s second SSAC State Championship in a return to the championship game in 2020. Then, as the program moved to the FHSAA won 10 consecutive games, a Regional Championship and advanced to the state semifinals in 2021. Now, they’ve won the first district championship in the reclassified FHSAA Class 1M District.

Their story is not complete. Yet for one night, coaches, parents, alumni and students thank the class of 2023 for their hard work and history-making contributions to OCP Football.

ON TO THE PLAYOFFS

Following the victory against Northside Christian, OCP learned their opponent and the location of their opening round game in the FHSAA Class 1M playoffs.

Based on the FHSAA rankings, the Warriors are the 4-seed in the four-team Regional and will travel to Jacksonville to compete against the top seeded Jacksonville Trinity Christian Academy, who are unbeaten 10-0.  The two team faced each other in last season State Semifinal. Trinity won the game 29-21 and went on to win the Class 2A State Championship. Including the playoffs last year, Trinity is on a 14-game winning steak.

The game will take place on Friday, November 18th at Trinity Christian Academy (800 Hammond Blvd, Jacksonville, FL, 32221-1398), kickoff is scheduled for 730 pm. The winner advances to the Regional Championship game.