By Kyle Coppola
Lake Minneola High’s Girls Flag Football Off to Historic 10-0 Start
CLERMONT, Fla. — The Lake Minneola High School girls flag football team is making history this season, surging to a dominant 10-0 start and establishing itself as one of Florida’s top teams.
Led by dynamic quarterback Kumari Wright, the Hawks have overpowered their opponents with an explosive offense and a tenacious defense. Wright has been unstoppable, throwing for 680 yards and 11 touchdowns while also leading the ground attack with 635 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Through just nine games, she has accounted for 29 total offensive scores, making her one of the most electrifying players in the state.
(Coach Paula Futtig talks to her team. Since taking on the program last year, Futtig has really elevated the Lady Hawks program.)
Wright’s supporting cast has been equally impressive. Senior wide receiver Bailey Fowler and sophomore Austyn Krepcho have combined for 11 touchdowns, with Fowler scoring six times and Krepcho finding the end zone five times. The defense, anchored by sophomore standout Serenity Stevenson, has been just as dominant. Stevenson leads the team with 21 tackles and has recorded five sacks, while linebacker Adeejah Clarke has solidified her reputation as one of the best in Lake County with four interceptions.
(Quarterback Kumari Wright #14 looks on during a timeout. She leads the team with 29 total touchdowns this season.)
The Hawks’ success is a dramatic improvement for a program that has never posted a winning season since introducing flag football. Now ranked No. 45 in the state, Lake Minneola is proving it belongs among Florida’s elite. Head coach Paula Futtig has done an outstanding job with this program and the hard work is paying off big time.
Just how far the Hawks can go this season is a mystery but they will be going for their first district championship this season in Class 3A District 5. This is a very exciting season and we continue to wish the Lady Hawks the best as they come into the tail end of the regular season.
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.
