By Kyle Coppola
Liberty Christian Prep To Host First Ever Playoff Football Game!
Liberty Christian Prep is set to host their inaugural 8-Man Football Playoff game on November 10th at 6 p.m. on their campus, marking an exciting milestone for the school. Their opponents, Foundation Christian Academy from Valrico, Florida, will travel to Liberty’s unique 80-yard by 40-yard field for a thrilling matchup. This has been a long time coming and what a huge opportunity for this upstart program to make a name for themselves!
(The team together after their first win earlier in the year.)
This distinctive brand of eight-man football offers a smaller playing field than traditional 11-man football, adding an element of competitiveness and safety to the game, making it an appealing choice for Liberty Christian Prep as they embarked on their first tackle football season. It was a challenging season but LCP made it through and now have a massive opportunity to impress. A victory would send them to the State Championship game!
Dwayne Walker, the school’s Athletic Director, is thrilled about the enthusiastic response to the football program’s launch. “It’s been a challenging but rewarding first year. Most of the team had never played competitive tackle football before this season. Senior quarterback Luke Watts has adjusted nicely and has been a leader for the team.” Tickets will be available at the gate. The game is $9 for Adults and $2 for students.
(The team is building a foundation for future athletes to come through the program.)
Leading the Lions on the field has been head coach Chris Likely, a seasoned coach with a background in coaching Pop Warner teams in the Apopka area. In addition to his coaching duties, Coach Likely also serves as a Pastor at Speak the Truth Ministries in Eustis, Florida, adding a unique perspective to the program.
Dwayne Walker expressed his excitement over the school’s recent growth, as it has expanded from just over 200 students to well over 500 in a few short years. With new buildings and plans for further expansion, Liberty Christian Prep looks poised for a bright future both in academics and on the football field.
(This will be one of the biggest games in LCP history.)
This is just the inaugural season but interest is already growing for next year. The program has unfinished business and hopes to win a state championship which would be massive for a developing program. There’s lots of work to be done but we are so excited for the students, parents, fans, faculty and alumni who have worked hard to make this happen. We wish the Lions the best of luck!
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.
