Fans from central Brevard gather to celebrate Cocoa High football state championship win

It's been a month since Cocoa High won its fifth high school football state title. The celebration Saturday was worth the wait.

In front of cheering fans at Riverfront Park in Cocoa Village, the team came together to be celebrated by their adoring community.

"We've been waiting a long time for this. When I first got here in 2019, this has always been the goal and this is really the pinnacle of your coaching or player career — to be able to celebrate this very special moment for everyone," athletic director Mark Carstens said during his opening remarks.

On Dec. 9, the Tigers defeated Florida High 38-31 in overtime to claim the Class 2S state title.

When the team arrived at Riverfront Park they were greeted with loud cheers and chants from the crowd.

This was the fifth state championship win for the Tigers since 2008, and first state championship win under head coach Ryan Schneider. Their other state titles were won in 2008, '09, '10, and '16.

The team’s quarterback, Blake Boda, earlier this week was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 2S Player of the Year for football.

Schneider made sure to acknowledge his group of players and thanked school administrators and the Cocoa community.

"We have a great group of kids and I want to thank our great administration and the great city of Cocoa, it's a wonderful place to be," Schneider said to the crowd. "Its year five and it's been great, and I thank all the support that you guys give us."

Along with adding another state championship to their program, the Tigers also finished the season 11-3 and won their 16th consecutive regional championship.

Also in attendance to celebrate Cocoa's successful season were school board members, members of the Cocoa City council, Cocoa Mayor Michael Blake, and Cocoa High Principal Catherine Stewart.

In his address to the crowd, Blake highlighted the teams' athletic accomplishments while also celebrating their academic accomplishments.

"Since 2019 the team's GPA has been 3.0 or better, and that includes the class of 2023 valedictorian Jaden Edgecombe, who has a 4.62 GPA," Blake said. "As you know, if you look in the dictionary academics comes first before athletics."

The 12U Cocoa Youth Football team was also recognized for winning their championship game as well at the ceremony and received a loud ovation from the crowd.

"I think we see a common theme here. The city of Cocoa is producing champions as you can see," Deputy Mayor Lavander Hearn said. "These young men are not only champions on the field but off the field as well in the community, in the classroom and that's due to the support of the parents and the volunteers."

Carstens closed the ceremony by thanking everyone for coming out to celebrate the team. He also thanked the Cocoa High School band and cheerleaders for their support all season long.

"Thank you so much for coming out and from the bottom of my heart I want to thank the community of Cocoa, all our fans, all our great families that come out to support us," Carstens said. "It means a lot to a part of this."

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: City of Cocoa celebrates Cocoa High's fifth state championship