February 5, 2025
South Lake High School Student-Athletes Sign College Letters of Intent on National Signing Day
By Kyle Coppola
South Lake High School Student-Athletes Sign College Letters of Intent on National Signing Day
CLERMONT, Fla. — Seven student-athletes from South Lake High School took the next step in their athletic and academic careers Wednesday, signing their National Letters of Intent to compete at the collegiate level.
Headlining the group were two standout softball players. Pitcher and batter Marissa Weaver signed with the University of Fort Lauderdale. Weaver posted a 3.86 ERA last season, striking out 54 batters while also contributing offensively with a .267 batting average. Alyssa Bustos also committed to the next level, signing with South Florida State College in Avon Park, Florida.
(Marissa Weaver signs her letter of intent to play for University of Fort Lauderdale.)
Swimmer Livia Rodrigues will be heading to the University of West Florida to continue her career in the pool.
The football program saw four of its athletes commit to college programs. Offensive lineman Connor Plummer, a key leader for the Eagles who recorded 11 pancake blocks last season, signed with Southeastern University. Linebacker Kaden Magloire, who led the team with 81 total tackles, including five tackles for loss and four sacks, committed to Webber University. Izaiah Henderson will continue his football journey at Ave Maria University, while Marcel Walker is set to play at Brevard College in North Carolina.
(From left to right, Marissa Weaver – Softball: University of Fort Lauderdale, Alyssa Bustos – Softball: South Florida State College, Livia Rodrigues – Swimming, West Florida, Izaiah Henderson – Football: Ava Maria, Kaden Magloire – Football: Webber University, Marcel Walker – Football: Brevard College North Carolina, Connor Plummer, Southeastern University.)
South Lake High School’s National Signing Day event was a celebration of the hard work and dedication these student-athletes have put in both on the field and in the classroom.
“This is a special day for these athletes, their families, and our school,” South Lake athletic director Travis Alderink said. “We are proud to see them continue their careers at the next level.”
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.
