By Kyle Coppola
South Sumter High School Names Ty Lawrence As New Athletic Director
South Sumter High School has named head football coach Ty Lawrence as its new Athletic Director, succeeding Keith Hileman, who is retiring after a 35-year career in education, coaching, and mentorship.
Lawrence, who has led the Raiders’ football program since 2016, steps into the role with nearly a decade of leadership experience on the field. He succeeded legendary coach Inman Sherman, who retired in 2015 after building a powerhouse program that produced NFL-caliber talent and community leaders. Lawrence has carried that torch with pride, compiling a 64-40 record over nine seasons and helping multiple athletes reach the NCAA Division I level.
(Coach Ty Lawrence “far right” has been the coach of South Sumter High since 2016 when Inman Sherman Retired. Photo Credit – JOE OTT PHOTOGRAPY)
“It’s an honor to step into the role of athletic director at South Sumter High School. I’m excited to build on our traditions, empower our student-athletes, and foster a culture of excellence, integrity, and unity, on and off the field. Hopefully I can do as good of a job as Coach Sherman and Coach Hileman did for our program.” says coach Lawrence.
The announcement marks a new chapter for South Sumter athletics, which has flourished under Hileman’s direction since Sherman’s departure from administration a decade ago. Coach Hileman, who arrived in Bushnell from Nebraska in 1990 with his wife, Debbie, began coaching football in 1991 and expanded his impact across several sports, including basketball, track and field, and softball.
(Coach Hileman ends a 35-year-career with South Sumter High that dates back to the early 90s. Hileman has been athletic director the past decade after taking over for Inman Sherman. Photo Credit – Matthew Gaulin.)
“I’ve been coaching football for 35 years, basketball for 26 years, and I spent about 10 years with track and a few with softball,” Hileman said. “For the last eight years, I’ve also been the athletic director and took over after Coach Sherman retired.”
Reflecting on his tenure, Hileman said the true reward has come not from wins or trophies, but from seeing former students return to give back to the Bushnell community.
(South Sumter continues to be among the top football and athletic programs in the Sumter County area. Photo Credit – JOE OTT PHOTOGRAPY)
“A lot of history happened here,” Hileman said. “But what makes me most grateful is seeing all the kids who graduated from here coming back to serve the community. That’s what it’s all about.”
Hileman’s influence is deeply woven into South Sumter’s culture, one that embraces the motto “Tradition Never Graduates.” Now, that tradition continues under Lawrence, whose passion for students and the school has made him a familiar and respected face on campus.
Lawrence will continue to be the head coach of the varsity football team while also being the athletic director. We wish coach Lawrence success!
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.
