By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

Several Osceola County athletic teams again were ranked among the state’s leaders when the Florida High School Athletic Association and the Osceola School District released their lists of winter academic sports champions.

All of Harmony High’s basketball (boys, 3.098 GPA; girls, 3.31) and soccer (boys, 3.253; girls, 3.597) teams were academic leaders in Osceola County.

Harmony’s girls weightlifting team (3.444), Osceola High’s boys wrestling team (3.233) and Osceola’s competitive cheerleading team (3.468) also earned top marks within Osceola County.

All of Osceola County’s academic champions also were recognized by the FHSAA.

Harmony’s girls soccer team, which reached the Class 4A state tournament, was the state academic runner-up to Gulf Breeze (3.704) in Class 4A.

Osceola’s competitive cheer team was Class 1A runner-up to Graceville (3.482).

The Osceola wrestlers were second to East Lake (3.475) in Class 3A.

Other local schools recognized by the FHSAA for academic achievement (a team GPA over 3.0) were:

Girls basketball: Liberty (3.031); Celebration (3.233).  Girls soccer: Gateway (3.078), Osceola (3.276), St. Cloud (3.180), Poinciana (3.090), Celebration (3.034). Girls weightlifting: Gateway (3.297), Celebration (3.257), Osceola (3.216), Liberty (3.166), St. Cloud (3.151). Competitive cheer: Harmony (3.072), Gateway (3.294), Celebration (3.196), St. Cloud (3.045).

In the FHSAA’s academic team champion standings, Osceola (41) is fifth in Class 5A and Harmony (32) is sixth in Class 4A.

The academic results for the spring sports teams will soon be released by the FHSAA and Osceola County.