By Kyle Coppola
First Academy-Leesburg Football Secure First Victory Of Season
LEESBURG, Fla. — First Academy-Leesburg picked up their first win of the 2024 high school football season with a hard-fought victory on Friday night against Trinity Prep 22-12. Quarterback Cason Cherry was instrumental in the win and his numbers this season show what a promising season it could be for the Eagles.
Cherry, a junior, completed 18 of 29 passes, throwing for 304 yards across the first two games of the season. He currently has three touchdowns this year and despite a rocky start at Seven Rivers Christian which the Eagles lost 35-8, this was exactly the game he needed to build confidence for the upcoming year.
(Junior Cason Cherry is showing true heart and grit on the field this year. He’s leading the Eagles in yards with over 320 total yards this season. Photo Credit – Leave A Legacy Photography.)
Senior wide receiver Rhett Walsh has emerged as Cherry’s go-to target, leading the team with 138 receiving yards and scoring his first touchdown of the season. Walsh’s consistent playmaking ability provides the offensive spark that First Academy-Leesburg will need this season. Walsh also has one of the teams two interceptions on defense.
On the defensive side, senior linebacker Logan Stalvey has anchored the team with 25 tackles so far. Meanwhile fellow senior Nathan Pruett has also been a defensive force, recording 20 tackles and playing a crucial role in stopping the run game. Pruett has a fumble recovery on the year as well.
(Nathan Pruett has been great on both the offensive and defensive side of the football in 2024. Photo Credit – Leave A Legacy Photography.)
With the first win of the season now under their belt, First Academy-Leesburg looks to build momentum as they head into the heart of their schedule. Cherry’s continued development at quarterback, coupled with the strong performances from Walsh, Stalvey, and Pruett, will be key to their success. The Eagles travel to play Santa Fe Catholic this Friday night at 7pm before hosting Taylor at Sleepy Hollow on September 13th.
Photo Credit – Leave A Legacy Photography
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.
