The opportunity to play for a division and conference championship played a role in Lake Highland Prep opting out of the Florida High School Athletic Association state series in favor of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference.
The Highlanders join seven other programs from the Orlando area in the SSAC this season after competing in recent years as one of the smallest programs in the FHSAA’s 4A classification.
“We were looking for something for our kids to play for,” said LHP coach Ben Bullock. “Without districts [for FHSAA small schools], you’re really only playing for an RPI ranking and hopefully getting into the playoffs from there.