Liberty County named top 1A academic school by FHSAA

BRISTOL, Fla. ( WMBB ) — Liberty County High School received the FHSAA Class 1A Overall Academic Team Championship Award.

In recent years, the girls sports at Liberty County have carried, as both volleyball and softball made final four appearances this season.

“LC is never on anything except for girl’s sports,” recent Liberty County graduate Scout Harr said. “Putting LC on the map is always something good.”

Liberty County made it a goal to win this year’s award after tying for second place last year. In year one of participating in the competition, they only submitted five team GPAs. In the second year, the Bulldogs submitted most sports to clinch the first-place spot.

“It speaks volumes of what type of athletes we have here at Liberty County,” Liberty County head volleyball and softball coach Jennifer Sewell said. “Not only do they excel in the classroom, but also in the field and on the court.”

At the 1A level, most of the athletes play multiple sports, adding to their already busy schedules.

“It’s hard because football shape is different in basketball shape, which is different than baseball shape,” Liberty County recent graduate Tanner McSpaddin said. “You always have to put in that little bit of extra work in the classroom.”

The numerous trophies in the case are great representations of these athletes, but they said the new plaque speaks volumes.

“I hear jokes on like TikTok about everybody knowing that mitochondria is a powerhouse of the cell,” McSpaddin said. “They learned that in eighth grade. These district championships and sports are going to end one day for everybody, even the professionals. But what you learn in school will never leave you.”

Each of these seniors has left their mark on Liberty County. They said this academic recognition is a great way to close out their career.

“I think it’s really important and I think it shows how much like the students work hard,” Liberty County recent graduate Juliette Schuler said. “I think it reflects the school well and shows how hard people work.”

“I think it means a lot to work hard in the classroom,” Liberty County recent graduate Lauren Grantham said. “It takes a lot of sacrifice doing that and playing softball. It’s important because grades are what’s going to get you in the real world and take you through college.”

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