The 2019-20 school year began with Hurricane Dorian threatening Central Florida and undermining Week 3 of fall sports. It ended abruptly with the coronavirus outbreak shutting down campuses and forcing the first cancellation of Florida’s high school spring sports playoffs.
But in between those disruptions, there was a lot to celebrate, including 18 state championships during the fall and winter seasons for Orlando area teams.
The accomplishments were showcased during Thursday night’s Varsity Sports Awards Show, a digital production chock full of highlights, interviews and pictures of top athletes, coaches and teams.
The Bill Buchalter Spirit Award, which historically has gone to an athlete who has overcome obstacles to exemplify the best of sports, was turned into a salute to the spring sports teams that missed out due to COVID-19, and in particular to seniors in the Class of 2020.