FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2001
FHSAA awards girls, boys soccer finals to Hillsborough County; wrestling finals remain in Lakeland
GAINESVILLE – The Florida High School Activities Association has awarded the 2002 and 2003 FHSAA Florida Girls Soccer Finals and FHSAA Florida Boys Soccer Finals to Hillsborough County Public Schools, the FHSAA Office announced today.
In related news, the FHSAA Office also announced that the FHSAA Florida Wrestling Finals would remain at The Lakeland Center through the 2002-03 season.
The Class 4A and 3A soccer finals for both girls and boys will be played at Pepin-Rood Stadium on the campus of the University of Tampa in downtown Tampa. The Class 2A and A girls and boys finals will be played at the newly constructed Ed Radice Sports Complex in north Tampa. The dates for the soccer finals over the next two years are Feb. 21-23, 2002 and Feb. 27-March 1, 2003.
“We are excited about returning the girls and boys soccer finals to the same city,” Commissioner Robert W. Hughes said. “We are grateful to Vernon Kohrn, Director of Athletics for Hillsborough County Public Schools, for submitting a proposal to serve as host for both tournaments.”
Hughes said the change in format that puts the girls and boys tournaments in each classification together at a common site will be spectator – and parent – friendly.
“Each year we have schools that are fortunate enough to qualify both their girls and boys teams to the Florida Finals,” Hughes said. “Last year, we had schools whose girls teams were playing in the finals in Tallahassee while their boys teams were playing in the finals in Tampa. In at least one case, a brother and sister were playing on those teams and the parents had to make a choice as to which child they would follow and see play.
“That won’t be the case this year,” Hughes continued. “Because of the change to a standardized classification system for girls and boys soccer, and now a common host city, a school’s girls and boys teams will be assured of playing at the same site should they both reach the finals.”
No other proposals to host the soccer finals were received.
The FHSAA Florida Wrestling Finals have been hosted by Polk County Public Schools and The Lakeland Center for the past four years.
“Don Bridges, Director of Athletics in Polk County, and his volunteers, as well as Allen Johnson, Director of The Lakeland Center and his staff, have improved their operation of the wrestling finals each year,” Hughes said. “Our staff is extremely pleased with the way the tournament is run, and we are appreciative of everyone’s efforts. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Polk County and The Lakeland Center for another two years.”
The dates for the wrestling finals over the next two years are Feb. 21-23, 2002 and Feb. 27-March 1, 2003.
The Florida High School Activities Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletic competition in Florida. It has a membership of 632 middle, junior and senior high schools.
The FHSAA annually conducts state championship series in 13 sports, each culminating with the FHSAA Florida Finals, in which the official state champions are crowned.
Contact:
Jack Watford
Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
jwatford@fhsaa.org
