November 20, 2024
South Lake High Head Football Coach Brad Lord Named FHSAA Class 6A Coach Of The Year
By Kyle Coppola
South Lake High Head Football Coach Brad Lord Named FHSAA Class 6A Coach Of The Year
CLERMONT, Fla. — In just two seasons, Brad Lord has orchestrated a remarkable turnaround for the South Lake High School football program, earning him the honor of FHSAA Class 6A Coach of the Year by Lake & Sumter Style Magazine.
Lord took the reins in 2023 after South Lake endured a winless 0-10 campaign in 2022, and while his first season saw only two victories, the groundwork for a resurgence was laid. In 2024, Lord’s vision came to fruition as he guided the Eagles to a 7-4 record, their first district championship in 24 years, and their first playoff berth in a decade.
What Coach Lord has done here is nothing short of extraordinary, he’s not just coaching football; he’s rebuilding a culture. That is exactly what coach Lord told us at the beginning when he took over South Lake High football. He has brought a winning mentality back to this football team.
Entering the 2024 season, few believed South Lake could reach five or six wins, let alone claim a district title. I even said in a preseason article that if they won even 4 or 5 games it would be a successful season. But Lord was undeterred, rallying his players and staff with a steadfast belief in their potential. That determination paid off in a season that brought renewed pride and attention to South Lake football. To come out and win 7 games this year was incredible and a big shoutout to the work going on behind the scenes we don’t get to see.
This group of kids will be remembered for a long time,” Lord said. “They believed in the process, worked harder than anyone thought possible, and brought excitement back to South Lake football. I couldn’t be prouder of them. Now we have to sustain that success going forward.
The Eagles’ historic season has become a talking point with their success restoring prominence to a program that had struggled for relevance. To see people actually bring up South Lake High Football and be talking about the program is a positive thing. I can’t tell you how cool it is to see someone bring up South Lake High football and openly talk about the positive things they are doing as a program. A few years ago that didn’t happen. Now people are looking at the success the Eagles are having and that’s been fun to watch as the optics have completely changed the past two years.
We want to congratulate coach Brad Lord, his amazing staff, players, parents and fans that believed in this program. We are excited to see the off-season work this team puts in and what they will be capable of in 2025.
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.
