By Kyle Coppola
Tavares High Soccer Team Has Historic Start Of Season
The Tavares High boy’s soccer team is off to the best start in school history. Sitting at 8-1-1 the Bulldogs have plenty to be happy about this season. Head coach Scott Rusin has elevated the Bulldogs in 2023 to be true conteders for a possible district championship.
(Coach Scott Rusin talks with #20 Oliver Trejo before the teams game against Redeemer Christian.)
The Bulldogs play in a difficult division that includes Eustis, Davenport, Bishop Moore and Lake Region. They have come out and won some key games in 2023. Wins against Eustis, last year’s district champions Leesburg and a close contest against Apopka which was Tavares only loss this year has the town buzzing.
The past few years have been great for Tavares. A few years ago, the 2019 team finished with 10 wins and went to the FHSAA Regional Playoffs. That team really put Tavares on the map and since then the teams have averaged at least 8 wins per season since that 2019 year.
(#13 Jareth Medina takes a goal kick.)
#11 senior Carlos Ortiz has led the team all season long. He is one of the better forwards and strikers you will find in Lake County. He’s been a huge reason for the success that the Bulldogs are having in 2023. #6 Joncarlo Guerrero and #10 Gabriel Rodriguez have also had a good impact.
Athletic Director Tracey Hanson attributed the success to that 2019 squad which really took Tavares to the next level. “That 2019 team showed great sportsmanship and was full of a bunch of good kids who cared about the program. We applaud their efforts and the past few teams who have really put our soccer team on the map.”
(John Methany gives a thumbs up. He’s feeling really great about being a part of this Tavares team that has started the season 8-1-1.)
The 8-1-1 start is the best beginning to a season in Tavares High School history in the modern era. In the past 20 years the best team Tavares has put out on the field has been the 2019 squad who reached the FHSAA Playoff Regional round. This team has big aspirations to do some great things.
Goalie Roman Rangel has been terrific in the net this season. He has only given up 11 goals all season long. Tavares is outscoring their opponents 41-11. That is a recipe for success. The offense looks as good as it has ever been. While Tavares has not played a ton of high caliber programs this season, they have shown they can compete against good opponents.
(#9 Jarrett Navarette plays keeps the ball away from two RCA defenders.)
Such was the case in early November during a close 5-4 loss against Apopka. That was a decent Apopka team. They also had a 1-1 tie against South Lake, A 1-0 win against Eustis and a 4-2 win against last year’s district champions the Leesburg Yellow Jackets.
Tavares High appears to have finished their 2023 portion of the schedule=. The next game on their slate is a January, 4th rematch at South Lake High. If Tavares can stay healthy headed into the final stages of this season look for them to do some damage when the District Playoffs come around in Mid-January.
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.
