By Kyle Coppola
Leesburg High’s Defense Thrives Behind Jabari Johnson
LEESBURG, Fla. — The Leesburg High School Yellow Jackets are off to a stellar start this football season, thanks in large part to their suffocating defense. Led by 5’10” defensive nose guard Jabari Johnson, known affectionately by his teammates as “Cherry Lake,” the Yellow Jackets have allowed just 33 points through their first four games.
Johnson, a relentless presence in the middle of the field, has been a nightmare for opposing offenses, clogging up running lanes and recording multiple tackles for loss. His ability to control the line of scrimmage has been a cornerstone of Leesburg’s defensive success. In four games Johnson has 11 tackles and 4 tackles for a loss which is just behind defensive end Don’yea Johnson who has 7 tackles for a loss.
The Yellow Jackets are working well together. The defense has looked so good all year long and did so against a very good Vanguard High team from Ocala who gave the Jackets everything they could handle. We also have to mention players like Lavoctris Patterson and Sylvester Dority who have come up big. But defenses have had trouble running the ball thanks to Jabari who has been a force.
Leesburg’s defense has made it nearly impossible for teams to establish a ground game, forcing opponents into difficult third-down situations. This is something that Leesburg did well last year and it continues into 2024. While much of the season remains, this defensive unit is one of the most powerful in Lake & Sumter county. Be on the lookout for them to continue to dominate this year.
Photo Credit – Debra Snyder LLC
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
