WATCH REPLAY: Cocoa Tigers to Host The Villages Charter in Clash for District Title on Space Coast Daily TV
By Space Coast Daily // October 18, 2025
Cocoa Hosts The Villages Charter in Week 9
WATCH REPLAY: Cocoa Tigers to Host The Villages Charter in Clash for District Title, Watch Live on Space Coast Daily TV
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – The Cocoa Tigers will host The Villages Charter this Friday, October 17, in a big-time district matchup. Terry Spain and Zane Garcia will be on the call from Dick Blake Stadium. Live coverage will begin shortly before the 7 p.m. kickoff on the Space Coast Daily Facebook and YouTube pages.
This is the 31st season of high school football coverage for the principals of Space Coast Daily and the Friday Night Locker Room – brought to you by Erdman Automotive, Health First, 4Ever Young of Merritt Island, and All Points.
Tale of the Tape:
The Cocoa Tigers have not lost five games in a season in over two decades, but the chance of that happening this season is at risk. Although Cocoa has had a tough schedule this season, they have not really found their rhythm.
Cocoa’s “in-county” win streak ended a few weeks ago as they fell to Eau Gallie. However, there is still plenty of talent on their roster, and despite the losses, they can still win their district and make a run in the playoffs.
On the other hand, The Villages Charter was an average-at-best team a year ago, going 5-5 and losing to Cocoa, 54-0. This season has been a revival of the Buffalo as they currently sit at 8-0 on the season and have three straight shutouts.
The last shutout was against district opponent Astronaut, 35-0. The Villages have five shutouts out of their eight victories and have not allowed a team to even come within one score of them.
What to expect:
The Villages have a lot of experience and are led by plenty of Juniors and Seniors on both sides of the ball. The Buffalo have a dangerous aerial attack led by quarterback Ja’Dence Kennedy and all-around athlete Kevonte Corbin. The defense has been stout all year, led by Cole Logan and Jeremiah Wimes.
Cocoa has historically been a pass-first team, but has been a little more balanced this season with the run and the pass. The Tigers have seen Troy Silberzahn at both quarterback and tight end. Tank White, O’Kece Battle, and CJ Hester have been the main contributors on offense and defense this season.
Keys to Victory:
Cocoa Tigers
■ Get passing game going early – The Tigers need to find their rhythm early.
■ Get multiple stops on defense – The defense will need to provide the offense with multiple opportunities to score in this one.
■ Get the crowd involved – Home field advantage needs to be a true advantage for the Tigers in this one.
The Villages Buffalo
■ Win the time of possession – Buffalo will need to possess the ball longer the Tigers and keep their offense on the field.
■ Make the Tigers one-dimensional – Cocoa is going to throw the ball plenty, and if the Buffalo can force them to run the ball more, it will be harder to move the ball down the field consistently.
■ Win the special teams battle – Make their field goals, punt the ball well, and cover well on kickoffs and punt returns.
WATCH REPLAY: Zane Garcia and J.C. Meyerholtz of the Friday Night Locker Room were on the call as the Melbourne Bulldogs hosted the East River Falcons in Week 8 action.
Space Coast Daily-Friday Night Locker Room Week 9 High School Football Rankings
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Many teams in Brevard County had their games canceled due to weather, flooded streets, and flooded fields. While some teams had to reschedule their matchups, others played.
This is the 31st season of high school football coverage for the principals of Space Coast Daily and the Friday Night Locker Room – brought to you by Erdman Automotive, Health First, 4Ever Young of Merritt Island, and All Points.
No. 1 – Eau Gallie Commodores (5-2)
GAME RESCHEDULED:
Eau Gallie, Merritt Island, and fans of both sides will have to wait a little bit longer to watch this showdown between the top two teams in the county. This is also a critical district matchup that has enormous postseason seeding implications.
No. 2 – Merritt Island Mustangs (4-2)
GAME RESCHEDULED:
Merritt Island could not have been more ready for their showdown with Eau Gallie, a matchup featuring the top offense (Merritt Island) vs the top defense (Eau Gallie) in the county.
No. 3 – Cocoa Tigers (2-4)
GAME RESCHEDULED:
Cocoa had a home date with Apopka and was looking to get back to its winning ways. Now that the game is rescheduled for a later date, they must focus on The Villages, who are currently undefeated and coming off a 35-0 victory over Astronaut.
No. 4 – Melbourne Bulldogs (6-2)
Melbourne was one of the teams that still played this week, hosting East River in its homecoming game. Melbourne has been thriving this season, with their only losses coming to Merritt Island and Osceola. The Bulldogs will now have a bye week before facing Viera, then finishing their season against Palm Beach Gardens. The win over East River also marked the Melbourne Bulldogs’ 500th win in program history.
No. 5 – Titusville Terriers (3-4)
IDLE:
Titusville had a week off and will be getting ready for Merritt Island this Friday in a huge district matchup.
No. 6 – Viera Hawks (4-3)
Viera went on the road to Osceola in a hostile environment, and they nearly pulled off the upset, falling 13-10. After five straight road games, the Hawks went 3-2 in that stretch and will now finish their season at home with matchups against Seabreeze, Melbourne, and Merritt Island. It’s been a tough couple of games for Viera as they prepare for the playoffs.
No. 7 – Heritage Panthers (3-4)
After Heritage dropped four in a row, they have bounced back with two wins against district teams. Now sitting at 3-4, the Panthers still have three games left to get above .500 and prepare for the playoffs. They head to Mainland this Friday in what will be a difficult game and a great test as they have shown to be battle tested.
No. 8 – Holy Trinity Tigers (5-2)
The Holy Trinity Tigers have put together a strong season so far and look to finish the season up on a strong note. They hosted Cocoa Beach this past Friday and won 41-10, an excellent win. Holy Trinity will finish off their season with Oxbridge Academy and The Master’s Academy before looking to make a postseason run.
