November 5, 2024
South Sumter High Football Embraces Transition to Class 3A, Eyes Playoff Push
By Kyle Coppola
South Sumter High Football Embraces Transition to Class 3A, Eyes Playoff Push
BUSHNELL, Fla. — South Sumter High School Football’s move up to Class 3A this season was a bold statement, not just about the program’s ambitions but also about its resilience. Coach Ty Lawrence and his team embarked on one of the most challenging schedules in school history, facing powerhouse teams such as Bradford, Niceville, Wiregrass Ranch, Hawthorne, Vanguard, Dunnellon and their final contest against Eastside this week.
Ja’Kyrian Turner rushing the ball. He has 8 rushing touchdowns this season. He is committed to the Pitt Panthers in 2025. Photo Credit – JOE OTT PHOTOGRAPY
With no easy games on the schedule, South Sumter, under Lawrence’s guidance, took on the gauntlet, standing firm against top programs across Florida. Their 3-6 record doesn’t fully capture the team’s competitiveness, grit, and rank among Class 3A’s best. Despite their record, they’re currently rated 11th in Class 3A, a testament to their strength of schedule and facing high-caliber opponents.
The Raiders’ Class 3A District 5 is among Central Florida’s most competitive, including formidable teams like Dunnellon, Gainesville’s Eastside, and North Marion. South Sumter has proven that it was ready to take this jump up the ladder and the future looks bright for this team who are sending a handful of athletes to NCAA Division 1 programs this upcoming year.
South Sumter Head coach Ty Lawrence told us at the beginning of the year that this would be one of if not the most challenging schedules the school has ever embarked upon. He and his team have done a fine job coaching through challenging moments but delivering a fantastic football team this season. Photo Credit – JOE OTT PHOTOGRAPY
Standout performances have propelled South Sumter throughout the season. Running back Ja’Kyrian Turner has racked up 862 yards and eight rushing touchdowns, providing steady offensive firepower. Receiver Stanley Young has also delivered key plays, while quarterback Blaine Walker has shown notable improvement, peaking at the right time as the Raiders push through the final stretch of the regular season. Defensively Malakhi Boone has 100 tackles on the year and 16 tackles for a loss coming into the final game of the regular season. Senior, Walker Mears leads the team in sacks and Rashad Johnson leads the secondary with 4 interceptions.
South Sumter’s school motto is Tradition Never Graduates. These parents, fans and alumni have believed in this team all season and know that this is just the beginning for what this school is capable of in the coming years in Class 3A. Photo Credit – JOE OTT PHOTOGRAPY
As South Sumter braces for the playoffs they are ranked as a #3 seed currently. Things can still change and the brackets get released this weekend. Coach Lawrence and his team have earned high praise for their tenacity and for embracing a new level of competition in Class 3A. Worth noting 5 out of 6 losses this year came by 1 score. South Sumter could easily have 5 or 6 wins had things went slightly different this year but this is a very successful transition into Class 3A. Don’t lose sight of the 3-6 record. This team has impressed the heck out of me and for good reason. Think about this, all four teams in Class 3A district 5 have a shot at making the playoffs. Even North Marion can get in although ranked #27 and likely would be a 7 or 8 seed at this point.
Also a shoutout to Mount Dora High and Tavares High who are both looking like they will be in the Class 3A Playoffs as well. This final week of the regular season was due to games being postponed by Hurricane Milton. Usually this is the first weekend of playoff football but that will now happen November 15th.
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.
