By Kyle Coppola
South Sumter High’s Malakhi Boone Is Our Defensive Player Of The Week
Bushnell, FL — Malakhi Boone, a senior linebacker for South Sumter High School, has been named Defensive Player of the Week following an outstanding performance against Niceville. Boone showcased why he is one of the top linebackers in Central Florida with 16 total tackles, including 3 solo and 13 assisted, along with a crucial interception that helped South Sumter nearly take down Niceville. Although they lost 35-28 there’s a ton of potential with this South Sumter team who have moved up a class from 2A this year to 3A.
JOE OTT PHOTOGRAPY
Boone’s ability to read the game and execute plays at critical moments was on full display. It’s something that just comes natural to him. The past few years Boone has been a force for the Raiders and he came out of the gate looking strong. His consistent pressure and on-field awareness disrupted Niceville’s offense throughout the game.
Boone’s impressive play the past few years caught the attention of college scouts, leading to his commitment to the University of Central Florida (UCF) earlier this year. Boone’s dedication and work ethic, both on and off the field, have made him a standout player and a leader for his team. Despite the loss South Sumter should be a heavy favorite in Class 3A this season.
Other standout defensive performances from South Sumter included George Mullins, James Laskey and Semaj Shines who had two interceptions. Overall it was a positive performance from South Sumter and Boone is going to be so much fun to watch this season.
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.
