By Kyle Coppola
MDCA Football Star Owen Draves Commits to Army!
Another Mount Dora Christian Academy athlete is headed to a division 1 school to play at the next level! Owen Draves the 6’5 255lb Senior offensive lineman has impressed so many on his journey to stardom. Draves has shown time and time again why he is such a powerhouse and there are few defensive lineman that can find their way through him.
Draves announced his decision today. Here is what he had to say
Draves has been a powerhouse the last few years and that caught the eye of a few division 1 schools including Army, Air Force, Stetson and Lindenwood among others. Army was very impressed with who Draves was not only an athlete, but as a person. He is intellectually smart and has a natural ability to understand the roll of a lineman.
(Draves is very strong and this is a common thing you will see on Friday Nights in 2023.”
Draves is just one solid rock. He is often seen demolishing defensive lineman who have a very challenging time matching up against him. Even linebackers are often times driven back by the powerful frame of Draves. He deserves this opportunity to play for Army and we cannot express our excitement for Owen Draves, his family, friends and the Mount Dora Christian Academy family.
Athletic Director Megan Ziegelhofer was very excited about Owen Draves and his commitment. Ziegelhofer has been instrumental in helping these athletes get to the next level. Last year MDCA sent their largest class of student athletes ever to play and learn at the next level. Draves will now get that opportunity but he has unfinished business. Draves wants MDCA to win a state championship.
MDCA has been close the last few years but Lake Highland Prep has had their number the last few seasons. MDCA also has a new coach in Coach Tackett who has come on board this year with a few new members of the coaching staff. From what we hear things have been going well during summer workouts.
Draves will once again lead the offensive line this season. He looks stronger than ever! We want to congratulate the Draves family on this massive commitment in Owens life. Congratulations to his friends, supporters and the MDCA family. We look forward to hearing great things from Owen Draves this year and seeing his commitment signing later on in the year!
Photos Provided By:
MDCA
Megan Zeigelhofer
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.
