Harmony and St. Cloud football game on after police clear false threats

The football game between Harmony High School and St. Cloud High School started on schedule Friday evening. Law enforcement confirmed the match would proceed after investigators ruled recent shooting threats to be fake.

Osceola County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) received an initial tip about a shooting at the venue on Thursday night. Text messages containing the same warning spread across the school district on Friday morning. Deputies reviewed both the tip and the digital messages. Officials determined neither threat was genuine.

Security at the stadium included extra deputies, K-9 units, and mounted patrol officers. Personnel from the St. Cloud Police Department also stationed themselves at the venue. The sheriff's office announced these arrangements alongside the decision to play the game.

The false threats stemmed from a dispute that began on Oct. 16. A group of students attacked a 17-year-old near Harmony High School. The victim was transported to a hospital where doctors gave him 11 stitches. The beating followed a lunch incident where the teenager intervened in a fight involving a girl and a group of students throwing carrots.

Police arrested nine students on Oct. 21. The suspects, aged 14 to 18, faced felony aggravated battery and felony inciting a riot charges. Authorities stated that the person behind the false shooting threats blamed the injured teenager. Investigators examined that claim and found it to be false as well. The sheriff's office had not identified the threat's origin or any link to the injured student by Friday.

OCSO Captain Kim Montes said the department would pursue criminal charges against whoever made the false reports. “False reports of a shooting will not be tolerated and if the suspect is identified, that person will be charged,” Montes said. The source of the threats remained unknown as the game began.