February 28, 2025
The Villages Boys Basketball Team Advance To FHSAA Class 3A State Final
By Kyle Coppola
The Villages Boys Basketball Team Advance To FHSAA Class 3A State Final
LAKELAND, Fla. — The Villages Charter School boys basketball team pulled off what many would call an upset, but for the Buffalo, it was just business as usual.
Behind standout performances from Adyn Corbin, Aaron Britt Jr., and Herly Brutus, The Villages were able to outgun No. 2-ranked Andrew Jackson in the state semifinal, 57-55, punching their ticket to the state championship game. Head coach Colt McDowell now leads the Buffalo back to the title game, where they will look to secure the program’s first-ever state championship.
The Villages entered the semifinal with a 25-5 record and proved their depth with key contributions from Jared Thompson, Jomar Bernard, and Ethan Bevis.
Now, the Buffalo stand one win away from making history.
For The Villages they came into the game battle tested. They had among the most difficult schedule’s in program history. That allowed them to prepare for a top 5 program in the state in Andrew Jackson. Jahari Simmons kept it close and David Wilson also had a strong grma for Andrew Jackson but The Villages and their quick moving offense was able to take advantage of their three-point shooters.
This has been a staple of the team all season long. Three-ball has worked its way into the NBA and has trickled its way down to the high school level. If you have a team that can hit three-point shots consistantly, you have a really good chance to win basketball games.
In the past the RP Funding Center has tripped three-point shooters up. This arena has much different sight lines than a conventional gym due to it being a professional sports arena. The sight lines can mess with players who normally shoot inside of much smaller gym’s. The floor at Lakeland also bounces the ball differently as the floor is actually a temporary structure much like NBA floors instead of a fixed wood floor like most high school gyms in Florida. This floor is made in sections and comes apart so that other events can be hosted at the arena.
Despite all of those challenges that come with playing in Lakeland, The Villages did not let that hinder them. They now have a chance to become State Champions for the first time in program history.
They will face Calvary Christian Academy from Miami on Saturday night at 7pm.
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.
