An appeal to the state to keep district intact should be approved

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

When the Florida High School Athletic Association announced its tentative revised districts for the 2013-14 football seasons last month, Osceola County high schools were divided among four districts.

But, Osceola County Athletics Coordinator Ryan Adams said that after he recently lodged an appeal on behalf of the local schools to the FHSAA, all but Poinciana should be grouped in one district, 7A-6.

The FHSAA plans to release its final district realignment sometime this weekend.

Adams requested that the FHSAA retain the local football district membership it’s had since the 2011 season: Osceola, St. Cloud, Gateway, Liberty, Celebration and Harmony were the members of 7A-6. Poinciana competed in 5A-7 the past two seasons.

“The state (FHSAA) has been telling us that they wanted us to handle it locally to cut down on the amount of appeals they received,” Adams said. “I called after the new districts came out and they told me that they made a mistake.”

After student population figures from October were factored in, the FHSAA moved Osceola and Gateway to Class 8A and Harmony to Class 6A. Liberty, St. Cloud and Celebration remained in Class 7A and Poinciana stayed in Class 5A.

Osceola and Gateway were placed with Orlando powerhouse Dr. Phillips, Boone, Cypress Creek and Freedom in 8A-5; East River and Lake Nona joined Celebration, St. Cloud and Liberty in 7A-6; Harmony moved to 6A-10 with Edgewater, Lake Minneola, Leesburg and South Lake, while Poinciana was placed in 5A-10 against Bishop Moore, Eustis, Lake Highland Prep, Mount Dora and Tavares.

Adams, after talking to the FHSAA, said 7A-6 will remain the same, but Lake Nona will join the district.

“That’s great, because Lake Nona is right next to Gateway, St. Cloud and Harmony,” Adams said. “It fits in perfectly with our district.”

Adams has requested that East River be moved to adjoining District 7A-4, which contains schools from Orange and Seminole counties.

“It’s a matter of balance. That district (7A-4) has five schools, and we have eight,” he said. “After speaking to the FHSAA recently, I believe East Lake will be moved but nothing is official yet.”

Adams said Poinciana would not play in 5A-10, but instead go to 5A-11 against Polk County schools Lake Wales, Auburndale, Mulberry and Tenoroc.

“From a transportation standpoint, I understand Poinciana’s decision. It makes the most sense for them. They’ll drive 30 minutes instead of an hour or an hour and a half,” Adams said.

Although Osceola and Gateway have Class 8A student populations, they are close enough to 7A levels that the FHSAA permits them to play down.

Harmony and St. Cloud played up from Class 6A to 7A the past two seasons to compete in the same district with the local schools.

“It’s worked out great for us and once we get the final word on this, we should be set for the next two years,” Adams said.

Schools had until Jan. 18 to appeal their district placement.

Had Osceola and Gateway remained in Class 8A, their trip through the regional playoffs, if they qualified, would have been daunting. In addition to battling Dr. Phillips in the district, the local schools would have been placed in a region that contained recent state champions Tampa Plant and Bradenton Manatee.

But, staying in Class 7A isn’t a guarantee of playoff success, either.

The schools in 7A-5, the district that 7A-6 plays in the first two rounds of the regional playoffs, includes Lakeland, Davenport  Ridge Community, Haines City, George Jenkins, Bartow and Lakeland Kathleen. Lake Region dropped out, and Bartow and Kathleen, both traditionally strong programs, moved into the district for the next two years.

The 7A-2 region composition remains mostly the same, with schools from Tampa and Plant City composing districts 7A-7 and 7A-8. Lithia Newsome, the team OHS beat 21-18 in the regional finals, tentatively moved to Class 8A.

Tallahassee Lincoln, which downed OHS in the state semifinals, and 7A state champion Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, remain in Class 7A.

District alignments for all team sports soon will be announced by the FHSAA.

Adams said Gateway and Celebration will switch districts in the team sports, except football, for the next two years. Gateway will join St. Cloud, Harmony, Oak Ridge and perhaps Lake Nona or other schools in 7A-6, while Celebration will move into 7A-5 with Osceola, Liberty and Poinciana.

Lake County schools Lake Minneola and East Ridge competed in 7A-5 the past two seasons. Adams isn’t sure whether they, or other schools, will join 7A-5 again.

The FHSAA also will revise alignments for individual sports like wrestling and swimming soon.