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The 20th edition of the Battle for the Shield rivalry game between West Orange High and Ocoee High has been pushed back one day and will now be kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at Raymond Screws Field, the home of the Warriors.
Along with four other West, Southwest Orange County teams, the Knights (5-3) were originally scheduled to play their Week 10 game against the Warriors (7-1) Thursday, Oct. 24. Instead, they will now make the short trip to West Orange a day later.
Surely, with the Class 7A, District 5 title up for grabs, both West Orange coach Geno Thompson and Ocoee coach Buck Gurley are pleased with the decision. Not only will it allow both banged-up teams an extra day of rest and rehab in the later stages of the regular season, but it will also give the two coaching staffs another day to game plan.
A native of João Pessoa, Brazil, Sam Albuquerque moved in 1997 to Central Florida as a kid. After earning a communications degree in 2016 from the University of Central Florida, he started his career covering sports as a producer for a local radio station, ESPN 580 Orlando. He went on to earn a master’s degree in editorial journalism from Northwestern University, before moving to South Carolina to cover local sports for the USA Today Network’s Spartanburg Herald-Journal. When he’s not working, you can find him spending time with his lovely wife, Sarah, newborn son, Noah, and dog named Skulí.
