Championships don’t follow a script. Sometimes they come from surviving upheaval. Sometimes they come from executing a plan so well that nothing else matters.

The Osceola and St. Petersburg Catholic football teams both won district titles, but the roads couldn’t have been more different. The Warriors patched together a season after losing their coach and quarterback, installing a new offense on the fly and grinding through a 2-3 start. The Barons never wavered, rolling through opponents with a first-year coach and a quarterback who has made winning look effortless.

One team found a way. The other never had to look for one.

Osceola overcomes chaos to claim district title

The Warriors entered the season as long shots. By the time they hoisted the Class 4A, District 11 trophy, they’d proven chaos doesn’t have to mean collapse.

Osceola lost its quarterback to a transfer this summer and its head coach to another job — on the first day of fall practice. Mike Davis, who coaches flag football, stepped in as interim head coach with no time to prepare.

Without an experienced quarterback, the Warriors scrapped the playbook. They installed a single-wing offense built around their running backs and offensive line.

The gamble didn’t pay off immediately. Osceola struggled through the first five games before finding its footing. Four straight wins followed, including a 28-14 victory over Bradenton Southeast that proved decisive. Both teams finished tied atop the district standings, but the Warriors claimed the title on the tiebreaker.

Brandt Scott carried the load in the backfield, rushing for 899 yards and eight touchdowns so far this season. He ran for 100 yards and three scores in a 26-0 win over St. Petersburg that sealed Osceola’s second district victory.

What looked like a lost season in July became a championship by November. Sometimes the best plan is surviving long enough to find one.

St. Petersburg Catholic rolls to district title

The Barons didn’t need a tiebreaker. They didn’t even need a close game.

St. Petersburg Catholic claimed the Class 1A, District 9 championship with a 48-6 rout of Northside Christian on Oct. 10. In a two-team district, one game settled everything.

Chase Burrill made sure there was no drama. The senior quarterback threw for 317 yards and five touchdowns, continuing a season that has bordered on absurd. Through nine games, Burrill has 39 touchdown passes against just two interceptions.

First-year coach Jesse Chinchar inherited a program ready to break through. A former head coach at Clearwater Academy and assistant at Tarpon Springs, Chinchar has the Barons undefeated and dominant. They’ve outscored opponents 461-40, winning by an average of 47 points per game.

St. Petersburg Catholic has a chance to finish the regular season undefeated for the first time in school history. The margin for error has been nonexistent all season — not because games have been close, but because the Barons haven’t allowed one.

What separates a good team from a great one is consistency. St. Petersburg Catholic has been relentless.

Quick hits

Karjala earns FACA district MVP honors

Sam Karjala of Calvary Christian earned MVP honors to headline the Florida Athletic Coaches Association’s District 14 volleyball selections, chosen by member coaches from Pinellas County schools.

Karjala also claimed Class 3A player of the year. Other class winners included Palm Harbor University’s Skylar Shepherd (7A), Largo’s Deana Petrov (6A), St. Petersburg’s Abbigail Buffington (5A), Northside Christian’s Aaliyah Cancellari (2A) and Keswick Christian’s Madison McClung (1A).

Stephen Shepherd of Palm Harbor University was named Class 7A coach of the year. Additional coaching honors went to East Lake’s Terry Small (6A), St. Petersburg’s Joe Abad (5A), Dunedin’s Jennifer Hauskey (4A), Calvary Christian’s Kim Whitney (3A) and Keswick Christian’s Dan Zomermaand (1A). Clearwater Central Catholic’s Wendy Hensley and Indian Rocks Christian’s Bryan Avergonzado shared Class 2A honors.

Paschal honored at Iowa

Largo coach Marcus Paschal served as honorary captain when Iowa hosted Penn State on Oct. 19 at Kinnick Stadium, returning to his alma mater where he was a four-year letterman from 2003-06.

Paschal, who helped the Hawkeyes reach four bowl games, recorded 199 tackles, three interceptions and 17 pass breakups during his career. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 2006. After signing with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent in 2007, Paschal played for Atlanta, Indianapolis and Baltimore. He has coached at Largo, his high school alma mater, since 2014.

Final touches before playoffs begin

The regular season is over for most teams. For a few, there’s one more week to finish what got interrupted.

The Florida High School Athletic Association set aside this week for makeup games postponed earlier in the season. Teams that lost dates to weather or other issues get a chance to complete their schedules before the playoffs start.

For everyone else, it’s a week to prepare.

The region quarterfinals for Classes 1A-7A begin Nov. 14. What comes next won’t wait much longer.