By Kyle Coppola
South Sumter Rising Star’s Passion for Sports Shines Bright
Malakhi Boone
South Sumter High School three-sport star Malakhi Boone has been a fixture in the county since about age 5, when he fell in love with sports.
Malakhi comes from an athletic background. His father James Boone played baseball for the University of Central Florida and his cousins Yourhigness Morgan and Earl Everett inspired Malakhi to begin playing football.
But no matter if it was baseball, football or basketball Malakhi simply excelled. That’s due to his work ethic.
“I love competition,” Malakhi says. “I love playing sports and the grind of it all. Football, in particular, has taught me how to communicate effectively and how to be a leader. It’s also helped me build lasting friendships that I cherish.”
The linebacker position is among the most important on defense. Last season Malakhi made an incredible 108 total tackles. He had eight sacks, 24 tackles for a loss and an interception. He also led the team with eight offensive touchdowns and ran for 351 yards as a running back.
During Malakhi’s junior baseball season, he was ranked as the No. 1 player in Class 3A District 9 with seven home runs. He finished second in district with 25 runs batted in and had a .431 batting average.
No matter what sport Malakhi plays, he dominates with his athletic ability. But it was his play as a football linebacker that caught the eye of the University of Central Florida. The school offered him a scholarship for the 2025 fall season.
“Getting the scholarship means the world to me, but it doesn’t happen without all my family, coaches, teammates and community at South Sumter High School for believing in me,” Malakhi says.
South Sumter High School is known for old school football. Many of the student/athletes have been playing with each other since they were little.
In Malakhi’s case, he truly appreciates being able to play with his younger brother Bubba Boone.
“Playing with my brother is amazing,” Malakhi says. “It makes me so proud to see him and watch the young man he has become. I play all three sports — baseball, football and basketball — with Bubba. When we aren’t playing sports, we like to go fishing and hunting together.”
Playing three sports demands a lot of time, but Malakhi doesn’t let that hinder his education, as he truly values academics.
“I maintain a 3.7 GPA. I like spending time in the library, and I make time during free periods and weekends to make sure I stay on top of my studies. It’s a lot of hard work but I love it,” he says.
As for his legacy at South Sumter, Malakhi wants to be remembered as a leader on and off the field.
“My parents James and Stacie Boone always taught me to be respectful and always be a leader,” he says. “That’s the legacy I want to leave. Our school motto is ‘Tradition Never Graduates.’ I will always be a South Sumter Raider.”
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.
