July 23, 2025
South Sumter’s Kiwanis Cope Emerging as One of Counties’ Top Football Players
By Kyle Coppola
South Sumter’s Kiwanis Cope Emerging as One of Counties’ Top Football Players
South Sumter High School’s Kiwanis Cope is preparing for a pivotal junior season in 2025, looking to build on a breakout sophomore year in which he proved himself as one of the most versatile athletes in the Wildwood Wildcats lineup.
A 5-foot-11, 175-pound middle linebacker and wide receiver, Kiwanis showcased his playmaking ability on both sides of the ball last season. Defensively, he racked up 48 total tackles, 45 of them solo, along with five tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery. On offense, he averaged 7.2 yards per reception, hauling in 19 passes as a reliable target in the short and intermediate passing game.
Cope is coming off a nice sophomore year at Wildwood where he impressed as a linebacker but also as a receiver. Photo Credit – JOE OTT PHOTOGRAPY
Senior quarterback Landen Sherman is expected to take over the offense in 2025. Kiwanis’ receiving numbers are projected to climb as the Raiders expand their aerial attack.
“Kiwanis shows up every day with his work pail and hard hat,” South Sumter head coach Ty Lawrence says. “He works extremely hard and is an outstanding teammate. He makes others around him better on and off the field. He is such a joy to be around. He’s also a great human being.”
(Cope #9 is among the most athletic players in Sumter County.)
Kiwanis’ combination of football IQ, toughness, and leadership has made him a cornerstone of South Sumter’s plans heading into the fall. Whether flying to the ball from the middle of the defense or moving the chains as a dependable receiver, Kiwanis’ presence is expected to be felt all over the field again this season.
He also just picked up his first NCAA Division 1 offer from Bethune Cookman with more offers expected to arrive later this year.
South Sumter opens its 2025 campaign next month as they look to return to the state playoffs. Kiwanis won’t have to wait long to play his former team as South Sumter opens up the season at Wildwood Middle High on August, 15th at 7pm.
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.
