October 25, 2024
South Lake High Football Seeks First District Championship Since 1996
By Kyle Coppola
South Lake High Football Seeks First District Championship Since 1996
GROVELAND, Fla. — South Lake High School is one win away from snapping a decades-long district championship drought, with their eyes set on securing their first district title since 1996. The Eagles, who haven’t claimed the crown in nearly 30 years—before all of their current players were even born—will face off against crosstown rival Lake Minneola High School in a high-stakes showdown on Friday night.
(Sophomore QB Tre Kelly has thrown for 1,027 yards coming into the district championship game.)
Head coach Brad Lord has revitalized the South Lake program, leading the Eagles to a 5-3 record this season, including a three-game winning streak. With momentum on their side, South Lake is primed to challenge the defending district champions, Lake Minneola, coached by former NFL player Mike McGlynn. Despite the Hawks’ 3-5 record, they are determined to retain their title and spoil South Lake’s bid for history. “The goal coming into this year was a district championship. My message to my guys is don’t get ahead of yourselves but enjoy the moment. It’s been a long time since South Lake High was in this position. Coach McGlynn has a great program and they know what success is having been to the State Championship and Elite 8 the past few years.” says coach Brad Lord.
(Senior Marcel Walker has been a game changer for South Lake High this season with 571 total yards.)
South Lake High Sophomore quarterback Tre Kelly has been a key contributor to South Lake’s resurgence, throwing for 1,027 yards and 8 touchdowns. Complementing Kelly is junior running back Malik Holman, who has rushed for 672 yards and scored 9 touchdowns, making him a crucial part of the Eagles’ offensive attack.
On defense, South Lake has been anchored by senior linebacker Johens Misere, who leads the team with 76 tackles, including 12.5 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Alongside Misere, Kaden Magloire has racked up 62 tackles, while Rome McKinnond adds 56 tackles to a stout defensive unit. Junior defensive end Jesse Barker Jr., who boasts a 4.6 GPA, has impressed with 55 tackles and is one of the team’s rising stars at 6’0″, 230 pounds.
Lake Minneola enters the game as underdogs for the first time in years, but with McGlynn at the helm and their own district title experience, they won’t go down without a fight. The Hawks are fully capable of winning this football game and they will give it their best shot. The stakes are high for both teams, but for South Lake, the chance to end their nearly three-decade wait for district glory is within reach.
“It’s really good that people are talking about South Lake High Football again. For many years they got no media coverage. The fact the team is relevant again is a big thing and I think that speaks volumes as where we are in a position to win a District Championship.” says Head Coach Brad Lord.
The Eagles are hoping to ride their momentum to a victory and bring home a championship that’s been long overdue. The game is this Friday night at South Lake High at 7:00pm. It should be an awesome contest.
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.
