By Kyle Coppola
Leesburg Football Wins Spring Football Game 31-7 Against Oak Ridge
It was a big night for Leesburg High School. After coming off one of the most dissapointing seasons in recent memory and finishing the season 2-8, The Yellow Jackets needed to impress. They needed not just impress for new head coach Steven Moffett but for the fans, families and themselves. Leesburg needed to know what it felt like to get back to winning football games. That is exactly what happened this week.
(Former UCF Quarterback Steven Moffett became the Yellow Jacket Head Coach late last year. His goal is to turn Leesburg into a powerhouse football program once again.)
Steven Moffett was the former quarterback of the UCF Knights. He was instrumental in the ealry days of the UCF program who now join the BIG12 this upcoming year. Moffett is not just an athlete, he is a business man. He is smart and knows how to get the best out of his team. That was highly evident in Leesburg’s first game under his new coaching staff. The Yellow Jackets looked like a completely different team than in years past. They came out excited to play football!
The Yellow Jackets came out and instantly looked like a completely revamped football team. Coach Moffet said that “We are going to build a program the city of Leesburg will be proud of.” That could not be more true. The way this team looks this year is lightyears ahead of last years program. Moffett went on to add “I intend on bringing a family atmosphere and making kids believe in our system. There will be discipline and we ultimately want to make kids believe that they can win on and off the field.”
(Kanye Gains left is one of Leesburg’s top athletes and best Outside Linebacker they have had in a long time.)
The Yellow Jackets came out in the first half and dominated. Like most spring football games we don’t know what the final team will look like come August, and we can’t be clear on numbers because that could be subject to change but from what we saw, the offense and defense have a lot more of a connection and brotherhood than they did last year.
Quarterback Salomon Georges and James Benton looked solid in their performances but once again it was Senior Kanye Gaines who would be the ultimate highlight for Leesburg. Gaines is one of the best Outside Linebackers in Lake & Sumter County. There was nothing Oak Ridge could do to stop him. He was in on nearly every tackle and he is just a really well put together player.
(Coach Moffett encourages his team. Moffett has brought in an incredible staff of assistant coaches and coordinators. The team looks more invigorated than past years. They feel like they can win football games again.)
Leesburg had no issues scoring points. This is somthing the team struggled with last year as the offense just coudlnt get anythign going. The staff that Moffett has brough with him has certainly been a great asset. Moffett brought in Corey Broomfield who is a terrific coach and has helped in many different elements. Other coaches include Blake Maryland, Bryant Benton, Christ Mitchell and Damon Jones amonth others.
By halftime the score was 31-7. As the second half began most of the varsity and starting players would end up sitting as the backups would come on. There was no further scoring and the game ended with a Leesburg Victory. This was just the type of spring game needed for the Yellow Jackets. They proved to Lake County that they will be back on the map in 2023.
(The Newly Renovated Leesburg Football Clubhouse. This was a project Leesburg High worked hard on to provide their players with a social gathering space on campus. The Clubhouse includes coaches offices, pool tables, video games and televisions. The clubhouse was a former locker room that was repurposed. Some of the old lockers still remain and can be seen in the photograph.)
The Yellow Jackets have a lot going for them this year. New coaching, stronger players, new referbished athletics facilities and a family driven atmosphere that coach Moffett is bringing to the table. We expect Leesburg to look completely different this year and we couldnt be more excited about that!
Photos Provided By:
Leesburg High School
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.
