October 29, 2024
Umatilla High Junior Kellen Hatcher Dominates Defensive Line as Playoffs Begin
By Kyle Coppola
Umatilla High Junior Kellen Hatcher Dominates Defensive Line as Playoffs Begin
UMATILLA, Fla. — Umatilla High School junior Kellen Hatcher has been a force on the defensive line this season, emerging as one of the Sunshine State Athletic Association’s top defensive players. As the playoffs approach, Hatcher is leading the Bulldogs’ charge in a season filled with standout stats, including a team-high 10 sacks, a fantastic 35 tackles for loss, and a season total of 69 tackles. His relentless play has also seen him block six punts this year, adding to his career total of 13 after he notched seven last season.
(Hatcher is among the best defensive lineman in all of the Sunshine State Athletic Association.)
In Umatilla’s final regular-season game, Hatcher surpassed 100 career varsity tackles. Known for his ability to disrupt opponents’ plays, Hatcher’s combination of speed and strength have been instrumental in shutting down offenses and helping his team secure a playoff berth. In fact this is the first time in ten years that Umatilla High School will host a playoff game! That’s a big accomplishment for this team and a huge deal for this defense. Hatcher’s performance this season has him ranked as a top 3 player in the SSAA this year with his 10 sacks among the league leaders.
Beyond football, Hatcher maintains a 3.2 GPA and participates in weightlifting and track and field. As Umatilla heads into the playoffs, the Bulldogs will be counting on Hatcher’s terrific defense to help them advance. Umatilla also has linebacker Dallas Cottle who has an impressive 105 tackles this year and fellow linebacker Nate Hawkins who has also been impressive.
(Hatcher will be one of the keys to Umatilla High going on a playoff run this year.)
“Kellen’s drive and focus have set him apart this season,” said Umatilla head coach Eric Samuels. “He’s a game-changer, and he’s just getting started.”
While Umatilla High last hosted a playoff game in 2014 they lost that game 63-0 against Bolles. They have a good opporuntiy to win this game and become the first Umatilla High team in over two decades to accomplish it.
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.
