By Kyle Coppola
Tavares High School Wrestling Team Impresses at District Dual Meet
TAVARES, Fla. — In just the fourth year of the program’s existence, Tavares High School’s wrestling team delivered a gritty performance at the District Dual Meet last night finishing third in a highly competitive field. River Ridge claimed the top spot, with Springstead taking second, while the Bulldogs edged out Lecanto and Leesburg for a well-deserved podium finish.
The Bulldogs’ success was fueled by standout performances across multiple weight classes. Jelani Bentley, competing in the 215-pound class, dominated his matches, showcasing why he’s considered one of Tavares’ strongest wrestlers. His brother, Ari Bentley, also had a strong showing, scoring multiple points to contribute to the team’s success.
(Tavares High wrestler Jeremy Batista continued his dominance this year securing multiple wins during the evening.)
Khairi Coleman and Jeremy Batista added to the Bulldogs’ momentum, with Batista continuing his streak of dominance on the mat. Josh Bell, competing in the challenging 285-pound class, has not backed down from any challenge. He has fought hard all season long and last night put in a lot of work on the mat.
“This is a tough meet with some of the best programs in the area, and our guys battled every step of the way,” said head coach Gavin Jones, who also leads Tavares’ football team. To finish third in just four years as a program says a lot about the hard work and dedication these athletes put in every day. For Tavares High they continue to improve each year. As the Individual competitions draw closer in February we are looking forward to some Tavares High wrestlers representing. It’s great to see programs like Tavares, Mount Dora High and South Lake and The Villages push wrestling in our area.
(Tavares beat Lecanto High to secure a 3rd place finish at the District Dual Meet.)
Many school’s still do not have wrestling programs but hopefully as the popularity continues to rise, more and more schools in our area decide to get into this sport. If you have never been to a wrestling match they are very exciting and I highly reccomend attending one.
The Bulldogs’ third-place finish marks another milestone for a program that has made steady progress since its inception. This years Tavares High roster is filled with determined young men and they are committed to building a strong foundation for the future. This program is quickly making a name for its self in Central Florida.
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.
