Thanks to wins by the Longhorns' boys volleyball team in the Orange Belt Conference championship match and the softball team in the OBC semifinals, Harmony High School has accumulated enough points to win back the All-Sports Trophy from St. Cloud.
"It's about those coaches and kids. This has been a great situation to come into," said first-year Harmony Athletic Director Joey James. "Now it's four out of six years, it's Awesome to be a part of this. Our coaches keep doing a great job and our student athletes have excelled."
In softball, Harmony (8-7) won, 7-3, at Tohopekaliga, rallying from a 2-0 deficit by plating three runs in the top of the third thanks to Jade Allen's two-run single. The 'Horns, seeded No. 4 in the tournament, added three insurance runs in the seventh without hitting a ball out of the infield to take down the Tigers (9-2), the tournament top seed for the first time ever who saw a nine-game win streak snapped.
"We're swinging the bats the way we were earlier in the year," HHS Coach Kristi Mindrup said. "We knew a little bit about the (All-Sports) scenario and we just went out and took care of business against a good team."
On Monday, the Longhorns will play at St. Cloud for the OBC title. The Bulldogs (11-9). got all they needed in a six-run second inning of a 6-0 win over Osceola (7-9). Maddie Reyes doubled and Grace Comiskey singled to each drive in a pair of runs, then Coach Ray Whobrey's team put the game on the arm of pitching Addison Felblinger, who coasted and tossed a two-hitter with seven strikeouts.
At Osceola High, the Longhorns (16-3) claimed their first-ever OBC boys volleyball with a workmanlike effort in three sets, 25-23, 25-15, 25-17 over Celebration (7-4). It was the second win over the Storm, long the Osceola County gold standard for boys volleyball, this season, and they'll play a third match at Celebration Thursday.
District tournaments for boys volleyball and flag football begin a week from Monday, April 20-24. Softball will follow April 27-30.
