March 20, 2025
Tavares High’s Jordan Talmage Named FHSAA Class 2A Unified Coach of the Year
By Kyle Coppola
Tavares High’s Jordan Talmage Named FHSAA Class 2A Unified Coach of the Year
TAVARES, Fla. — Jordan Talmage, head coach of Tavares High School’s Unified Basketball team, has been named Lake & Sumter Style Magazine’s FHSAA Class 2A Unified Coach of the Year after leading his team to a state championship victory in Lakeland.
Under Talmage’s leadership, Tavares capped off an undefeated season with a dominant 7-0 record in tournament play, culminating in a 48-41 championship win over Cypress High School two weeks ago in Lakeland at the FHSAA State Basketball Championships. One of the season’s defining moments came when Tavares defeated Fort Myers twice in highly competitive matchups. It was just an overall fun season and each student represented Lake County with the pride you would come to expect from our region.
(The Tavares Unified Special Olympics Basketball team lift the FHSAA Class 2A Unified State Championship Basketball trophy after their victory.)
“All of the players contributed to the win and gave their best efforts,” said Talmage, who has been coaching Unified sports for three years. “For me, it’s the most rewarding thing I have ever had the opportunity to take part in.”
Unified Sports, which brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities, has seen significant growth in Lake County in recent years. Michelle Metheny, Lake County School’s Special Olympics Co-Coordinator, praised Talmage’s impact on the program and his players.
“Coach Talmage is committed, dedicated, and has a great rapport with the players,” Metheny said. “His love for the game is contagious. He was a player himself here at Tavares High School when he was a student.” Metheny has also been involved in much of Unified Special Olympics success in our area. Metheny and Matt Griffin were also assistant coaches on the state championship winning team.
(Coach Talmage is also the head coach of the Tavares Unified Special Olympics Flag Football Team.)
Talmage’s coaching extends beyond the basketball court—he also oversees flag football, bowling, tennis, and both traditional boys’ and girls’ tennis at Tavares High School. His involvement in Unified Sports has helped create more opportunities for student-athletes to engage in competitive play while emphasizing teamwork and sportsmanship.
“Most kids who play Unified sports are just happy to be playing,” Talmage said. “And it’s among the best types of sportsmanship displayed. Each time you go to a competition you see kids helping each other off the floor, encouraging one another, it’s an amazing thing to be a part of.”
As Unified Sports continue to expand in Florida, Talmage has been a geat leader and ambassador of Unified athletics in Lake County. We want to congratulate coach Talmage on his continued support to the student-athletes in our area and continuing to foster a welcoming enviornment for these student-athletes. Well done coach!
Photo Credit – Tavares High School
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.
