Lake Highland, Oviedo capture FHSAA all-sports championships
Lake Highland Prep athletic director Charmaine Schreiber had to do a quick bit of ad-libbing on Wednesday.
The Orlando private school’s annual athletic celebration awards show, made virtual this year with school closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, was all set and ready to air online Wednesday night at 7. But late Tuesday afternoon Schreiber received news that the Highlanders are a Florida High School Athletic Association state allsports champion for the first time in 20 years.
On the day of the digital show Schreiber scrambled to record another announcement to add that accomplishment.
“I’m going to have a quick news update added to the front end of the awards ceremony,” Schreiber said. “We have so much to celebrate this year and this really adds something we all share in. I think the most important part about the FHSAA award is that it’s a team effort. It takes all of our athletes and coaches coming together to win such a prestigious award.”
Oviedo High shares the satisfaction. The Lions won their second consecutive FHSAA Floyd E. Lay Sunshine Cup award as the best all-sports program in Class 7A for a 2019-20 sports year that was halted In March before spring sports played out.
“We’ll spread the word to the kids and our parents via social media,” said Oviedo athletic director Jen Darty. “It’s been a fun, memorable year for us, even with spring sports coming to such an abrupt end.”
Wednesday was the last day of the school year for Oviedo’s students who, along with other Central Florida schools, switched to distance learning after classrooms were closed in mid-March.
Schools from Orange and Seminole counties have won 21 of the past 25 FHSAA large-classification all-sports titles. Winter Park owns 10 of those crowns. Oviedo and Dr. Phillips each has four.
But not since the 2006-07 school year, when Winter Park and Bishop Moore both finished first, had two area schools claimed Sunshine Cup crowns.
Oviedo, just as in 2018-19, took a commanding allsports lead in November. The Lions won the girls bowling state title and a week later swept both boys and girls swimming state championships. Oviedo outscored Boca Raton 95.5 points to 84.5 in the FHSAA scoring system, which factors in playoff success in all sanctioned sports.
Lake Highland racked up a state-leading 151.25 points to top perennial allsports power Jacksonville Bolles (144) and win the 4A competition.
The Highlanders won a girls volleyball state championship in November and captured three more state titles in winter sports. Its girls basketball team steamrolled to a championship and its wrestling team won both the state duals tournament and individual bracket tournament for the second year in a row.
Bishop Moore scored 75.5 points and was a close runner-up to Plantation American Heritage (78.5) in 5A for the second straight year.
Circle Christian (49.0) was runner-up to Tallahassee Maclay (57.5) in 3A, with The First Academy finishing fourth with 46.0. Lake Mary Prep tied for eighth at 43.0.
Orlando Christian Prep totaled 22.0 points to tie for third in 2A, which Hialeah Champagnat won with 27.0 points.
Windermere High placed ninth in 7A. Hagerty was 12th, Winter Park 13th, Apopka 14th and Seminole 15th in the large class. The Geneva School was eighth at 18.0.
Winter Springs placed sixth in 6A, which was won by Ponte Vedra.
The FHSAA awards points to schools based on top-16 finishes in FHSAA state series competition. A state championship is worth 20 points and a runner-up finish is good for 12. Teams get two points for winning district and region titles. Points are deducted for unsportsmanlike-conduct incidents or ejections.
Lay, who the Sunshine Cup honors are named in memory of, was a longtime FHSAA executive director.