By Kyle Coppola
Umatilla High School Football Off To Best Start In Over Decade
Not since 2014 has Umatilla High School football enjoyed such a promising start. And to find the last time the Bulldogs opened a season 4-0, you have to go back even further to 2012.
But that’s where the Bulldogs stand in 2025, and under third-year head coach Eric Samuels, Umatilla is quickly proving itself as one of the teams to beat in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference.
(Quarterback Ray Jenkins hands the ball off to running back Simon Hawkins. Photo Credit – Joe Ott Photography Fan Zone.)
Senior quarterback Ray Jenkins has been the steady hand of the offense, throwing for 647 yards and has 10 touchdowns through the first four games. His top weapon has been junior standout Bryce Norflee, who has scored nine touchdowns while racking up 338 yards as both a wide receiver and running back. In the ground game, sophomore Micah Lambert and senior Simon Hawkins have each eclipsed 200 rushing yards.
While the offense has been explosive, averaging 46.5 points per game with 186 total through four contests, it’s the defense that has set the tone. Umatilla has surrendered just 18 points all season.
(Kellen Hatcher #50 has been a huge reason for the Bulldogs defensive success. Photo Credit – Joe Ott.)
Linebacker Isaiah Brown, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior, leads the team with 33 tackles and three fumble recoveries. Defensive tackle Kellen Hatcher has anchored the D-line with 15 tackles, while the secondary has thrived with interceptions from both Jenkins and Norflee both with two each so far. Junior Grant Kirkland has also been opportunistic, recovering three fumbles.
(Umatilla High head football coach Eric Samuels is a former graduate of Umatilla High School and has led Umatilla High back to prominence now in his third year as head coach. Photo Credit – Joe Ott.)
It’s been a long time since there has been this kind of energy and belief around this program. Coach Samuels told us that the kids are buying in, and they’re competing at a high level. That’s one of the things this summer brought and it has carried into the season. Umatilla High also has a new strength and conditioning coach which has helped tremendously. It’s not out of the question that this team could make a real run in the SSAA playoffs as well later this year. Umatilla High is currently ranked as the #8 team in the Sunshine State.
But the playoffs are a long way off. This Friday night, the Bulldogs will look to keep their momentum going as they enter the heart of their schedule, starting against Central High School. They’ll also face Crystal River, Lake Weir, Discover, Taylor and Father Lopez to close out the regular season.
If the early dominance is any indication, Umatilla could be staring at its best season in more than a decade.
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.
