By Kyle Coppola
Leesburg High Quarterback Xavier Irizarry Impresses In Debut
Leesburg, FL — Leesburg High School’s senior quarterback Xavier Irizarry had an absolute standout performance in the season opener against Dr. Krop High School this past Friday night. Everyone in Lake County was excited to see this young man play but he exceeded expectations as soon as he hit the field.
Irizarry completed 11 of his 17 passes for 168 yards and threw two touchdowns, leading the Yellow Jackets to a dominant first-half display. What makes his performance even more impressive is that he achieved these numbers in just the first half of the game, sitting out the remainder as Leesburg cruised to victory.
(Xavier Irizarry played football for Blake High in Tampa last season. He has impressed many as he plays for Leesburg High in 2024.)
The senior quarterback’s strong start to the season highlights his potential as one of the top players to watch this year. Known for his mobility in the pocket and leadership on and off the field, Irizarry has set the tone for what could be a stellar final season. Other standout Leesburg performances included Wide Receiver James Benton who had 7 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Benton only played the first half as well so these two have some good chemistry cooking.
Meanwhile Running Back Carlos Villalongo had 8 rushes of 63 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Ja’marian Clark and Lamar Garrison had 2 catches a piece with Clark scoring a touchdown.
With this exceptional start, Irizarry is certainly one to watch as the season progresses, and his performance against Dr. Krop should be an eye opener for many in the area about what this young man is capable of. Irizarry has been to a few programs in his high school career, but Leesburg High really seems to be the right place for him. Leesburg fans and coaches are very excited about this young man. You can see him play this Friday night in Leesburg at 7pm against University in a week 1 matchup.
Photo Credit Azalias Photos
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.
