March 5, 2025
Leesburg High Boys Basketball Team Face Ponte Vedra In FHSAA Class 5A State Semifinal
By Kyle Coppola
Leesburg High Boys Basketball Team Face Ponte Vedra In FHSAA Class 5A State Semifinal
LAKELAND, Fla. — The Leesburg High School boys basketball team is heading back to the FHSAA Class 5A State Semifinals for the first time since 2021, set to take on Ponte Vedra at the RP Funding Center on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Leesburg (17-7) enters the semifinal fresh off a regional championship victory over Lecanto, seeking its first state title since winning back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018. Under the leadership of head coach Sean Campbell, the Yellow Jackets are battle-tested and poised for a deep run.
The high-paced Leesburg offense is spearheaded by junior Angelo Moton, who leads the team with 17.1 points per game. Senior Jalen Brown contributes 13 points per contest, while sophomore Xavier Campbell adds 12.8. The Yellow Jackets’ speed and transition play have overwhelmed opponents throughout the season, a challenge Ponte Vedra will need to contain if they hope to advance.
Senior Evan James and Julius Nelson have also played key roles for Leesburg, with James nearing the end of his high school basketball career before heading to Furman in 2025 to play football.
Ponte Vedra (21-8) counters with a balanced and physical approach, led by junior Maddox Palmer, who averages 13.3 points per game. Senior David Sanchez Barrera and junior Trace Westercamp have been crucial contributors as well. The Sharks have been dominant since their last loss on Jan. 20 against Oakleaf, winning eight straight games heading into the semifinal.
With Leesburg holding the No. 3 seed and Ponte Vedra the No. 2 seed, the matchup is expected to be a tightly contested battle, hinging on execution and limiting mistakes. The winner will advance to face either top-seeded Blanche Ely or No. 4 St. Petersburg in the Class 5A state championship game.
(The Leesburg High coaching staff of D’Mani Nettles, Yolander Scarberry, Sean Campbell and Cam Smith. Worth noting assistant coach Nettles who is at the far left of the image at just 22-years-old, will be one of the youngest assistant coaches in history to coach an FHSAA State Semifinal Game.)
Leesburg fans have rallied behind the team all season, and anticipation is high for a return to the state title game. Wednesday’s contest promises to be an exciting showdown between two talented teams with championship aspirations.
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.
