Great seaosn ends for Celebration Storm volleyball, Harmony’s Drea Thompson earns all-state in track

An outstanding season came to an end for the Celebration boys’ volleyball team in the state championship tournament, as they dropped a heartbreaking five-set decision to #2 ranked Winter Park High School. In other sports, four athletes from the county earned All-State honors in individual events and one county relay team reached the podium at the FHSAA State Track and Field Championship.

A look around Osceola County:

FHSAA BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Although its season ended on Friday in the FHSAA State Quarterfinals, there absolute little doubt that the Storm had one of the best teams in Florida this year. Holding their own while playing numerous top 15 teams during the regular season, Celebration (2110) suffered a heartbreaking five-set loss to #2 ranked Winter Park (27-3) at the state tournament being held at Polk State College in Winter Haven this past weekend.

The Storm dropped the first set 25-22, but came back to win back-to-back sets by 2522 and 25-17 margins – leaving Celebration just one game short of pulling the upset and advancing to the semifinals. But Winter Park came back with a vengeance, pulling out a three-point win in Set 4 (25-22) before edging the Storm out in the deciding “Race to 15” fifth set, 15-12.

As has been the case all season, senior Darion Graham and junior Diego Rivera led the Storm offense with 23 and 21 kills respectively. Libero Keith Harrison had 29 digs. Cole Colado had 18 kills to lead Winter Park; Jacob Little added three blocks at the net.

“I thought we came out a little nervous and tight in the first set and then we dominated the next two games,” Celebration coach Pedro Davila said. “Unfortunately we could just not close it out. We did not start out on a good foot this year (Celebration lost four of their first five matches) but this team came together and by the end of the season, we were playing with, and beating some of the best teams in the state.”

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Osceola County’s Trasportation Summit in Kissimmee sets the stage for future road projects

Osceola County, in collaboration with the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX), the Florida Department of Transportation District 5, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, and MetroPlan Orlando, hosted a highly anticipated Transportation Summit on Tuesday morning, May 9, at the Kissimmee Civic Center.

The event served as a platform for key government officials, transportation experts, and stakeholders to share insights about ongoing road projects, future plans, and the positive impact these initiatives will have on residents and visitors in and around Osceola County.

The event’s transportation keynote speakers were Osceola County Chairwoman and Commissioner for District Viviana Janer, MetroPlan Orlando Executive Director Gary Huttmann, Osceola County Deputy Manager Tawny Olore, FDOT Secretary from District 5 John Tyler, Executive Director and CEO from Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise Nicola Liquori, and Central Florida Expressway Authority Executive Director Michelle Maikisch.

Maria Bello, MD, MPH Family Medicine Orlando Health