By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

Do George Coffey and Roger Jones know how to put together a Kissimmee Klassic softball tournament, or what?

The results of last week’s Florida High School Athletic Association state softball tournaments in Clermont proved that Coffey and Jones aren’t kidding when they call the Klassic one of the top prep softball tournaments in the Southeast.

“I’d say that’s not too shabby,” Coffey said. “It’s not surprising. There were many, many quality teams at the tournament this year, just like there are every year.”

The FHSAA state champions that played at the Klassic are Class 6A Palm Beach Gardens, Class 3A Miami Gulliver Prep, Class 2A Orlando Pine Castle Christian and Class A Jacksonville Eagles View.

Ironically, none of those state champions won at the Klassic, which divides its 48 teams among Blue, Gold and White 16-team brackets. Each bracket crowns a champion.

Naples, which lost to Dunnellon, 3-2, for the Class 4A championship Saturday, won the Blue bracket at the Klassic. The Dunnellon-Naples game was billed as a match of ESPN’s Nos. 1 and 2 prep softball teams.

Class 6A state runner-up Sarasota, which lost to Palm Beach Gardens, 6-2, in the championship game, won the Klassic’s Gold bracket.

Other Klassic participants that reached the state tournament were Winter Springs (6A), Niceville (5A), Jensen Beach (4A), Class 3A state runner-up Jacksonville Bolles, Florida Christian (2A) and St. Petersburg Canterbury (1A).

“Twelve of the 24 teams at the state tournament were at the Klassic,” Coffey said.

Jones saluted the Klassic’s state qualifiers.

“I want to congratulate all the (state tournament) participants and tell them thanks again for making the Klassic the destination for winners.”