A roundup of 2026 Southwest Florida high school football spring games.
Thursday, May 28
Gulf Coast 27, Riverdale 27
After what was largely a sloppy and boring game, Gulf Coast and Riverdale turned it up a notch in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders and Sharks played to a 27-27 tie Thursday, with both sides relatively content with the result considering the ebbs and flows of the game.
Trailing by eight points with less than a minute to go in regulation, Gulf Coast struck quickly, as Wyatt Raymer’s pass to Elijah Hicks resulted in an 80-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown.
After Hicks committed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the celebration, the Sharks had their two-point conversion from the 17-yard line, which was successful after Raymer completed a no-look pass to Jack Crifasi in the middle of the end zone on an impressive contested catch.
“To start the game, definitely pleased with how we came out,” Gulf Coast coach Manny Evans said. “We had a lot of energy. Defense was playing at a very high level with the turnovers that were created. Torren Crane with a pick-six, getting some fumble recoveries. Offensively, we were moving the ball pretty good.
“… That was one of the things I spoke about at the half, being in that very same situation in the playoff game (against Cape Coral) and how it ended. To see them never give up and continue to fight, as a head coach, I couldn’t be more proud. That’s what I told them after the game.”
What we learned about Riverdale football
Ball security. The Raiders did not do a good job of taking care of the ball, as a mistimed snap on their first offensive play resulted in a turnover. In total, Riverdale fumbled the ball eight times, and lost four of them. Between that and two interceptions, there’s plenty of work to be done during the offseason, fine tuning things before the program aims to defend their regional title.
“We had everybody out here scouting when I looked to the sidelines,” Gibson said. “We know that there’s guys that are gonna want to beat us, and we understand that. Ball security and things like that, those are easy fixes and things we can clean up. Later on, we were able to run the ball at will and score, which is what we wanna see.”
Run game remains crisp. Outside of the fumbles, Riverdale looks poised to succeed with Josiah Bataille in the backfield, who ran 16 times for 183 yards with a pair of scores. Ky’moni Gordon added 68 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in the I-formation, often gashing Gulf Coast on toss plays rather than in the interior.
Injury news. Phillip Botsford, who started at quarterback for the Raiders, took back-to-back sacks before the end of the first half that resulted in what’s likely to be a broken collarbone that will sideline him for the summer. In his absence, third-string quarterback Maddux Danowit came in, completing 3 of 7 passes for 65 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
“It’s the second spring we’ve had somebody break a collarbone, so that was upsetting,” Gibson said. “Maddux came in and did an awesome job just settling everyone down. We still have a lot of work to do. We’re so far away from where we want to be, and that’s how I want it. I like it like that.”
They don’t care. For Gibson entering his third year as Riverdale’s football coach, he’s never put much stock into spring games, especially with Lee County’s rule about not being able to play transfers. He expects things to look much different come the fall after extensive work in the weight room during the summer, hoping to follow the same blueprint that got them to the Final Four in 2025.
“I could care less about spring football as far as the score,” Gibson said. “I just wanted to come out here and see what we could do on the field. We’ve got a lot of young bucks. Our offense, it takes a while to get going. We’ve got a lot of teaching we’ve still gotta do. There’s some things I loved and some stuff I never wanna see again. That’s what spring football is… We should’ve lost that game.”
What we learned about Gulf Coast football
They’ve got a kicker. Jerin Watson proved his worth early on, banging home a 53-yard field goal on Gulf Coast’s first offensive drive. The rising senior was on the soccer team last season, and was kicking field goals during halftime of one of Gulf Coast’s games in the fall, leading to Evans giving him a shot at kicker.
“He’s our secret weapon,” Evans said. “That definitely helps… At the Catfish Bowl, he kicked two 40-yard field goals during halftime. We didn’t find that information out until well into the new year. I was talking to him, asked him to come out during the spring, he wanted to, and it changed everything. If we can get within the 30, 35 yard line, there’s no hesitation to put Jerin in there and kick it, and that’s what we did tonight.”
Handled adversity in plenty of ways. Whether it was players like Gio Marenco, Colbert Joly, Marciano Charles, and others transferring out, or being 10 points up to eight points down, the Sharks showed plenty of grit in crunch time to be able to come back and force the tie. The defensive unit played strong together, especially the secondary, which didn’t let Riverdale attack vertically much at all until late in the fourth quarter.
“The kids have been through a lot since the start of the year,” Evans said. “Everything’s out there, so I won’t elaborate on that, but I was proud of the way they came out, the way they responded, and the end.”
Don’t try Torren Crane. If Pro Football Focus and their analytics existed at the high school level, Crane would have one of the best coverage grades as a defensive back. An All-Area First Team selection last year on defense, Crane had a 59-yard pick-six and broke up multiple passes from his nickel/safety spot.
Not scared. Evans enjoys the ability to schedule teams who made deep playoff runs the year prior, with Riverdale reaching the Final Four and Venice finishing as the Class 7A runner-up. They’ll hope those moments, even when those games don’t count, end up paying dividends come playoff time in November.
“It was a really good spring,” Evans said. “We had one of the longer springs. We had it calculated on the calendar with a lot of off days, watching film and everything. It was a long, drawn out spring. Kids got mundane with the same schedule day after day, but I’m very pleased and proud. It gives us a springboard going into summer workouts. They should be overly excited.
“Last year in the spring, we scheduled a state semifinalist. In the kickoff classic, a state semifinalist. This year, spring game, Riverdale, state semifinalist. Kickoff classic, on the road, Week 0 at Venice. Their history speaks for itself. Just want to challenge us. It’s all you can do.”
— Alex Martin
Friday, May 21
Lehigh 40, Cypress Lake 35
The Lightning and Panthers traded blows in a high-scoring affair, but Lehigh held on for the spring game victory at home on Friday night.
Both squads are entering new eras with first-year head coaches – Sean Downing was hired to lead Lehigh, and Cypress Lake named Mark Flaherty as their head coach earlier this year.
The lead changed six times in the back-and-forth contest, but the Lehigh offense was consistently dangerous throughout.
“These guys didn’t lose control,” Downing said. “It got a little chaotic there at the end, but we settled down and we were able to execute, which I liked to see.”
The Lightning struck first, building a 13-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of touchdown passes from junior Melvin Lawson to sophomores Jai Young and Andrew Jean.
The second quarter belonged to the Panthers as the Cypress Lake quarterback hit Nolan McKinnon and Jaydon Henderson for touchdown passes to take a 14-13 lead into the half.
After Lehigh recovered a Cypress Lake fumble deep in their own territory, junior running back Kendrick Major cashed in with a 2-yard score.
Henderson capitalized on a broken play, catching a ball tipped off a Lehigh defender and taking it to the house for a 75-yard score. This put the Panthers in front 22-21.
Lawson showed off what he could do with his legs on a 36-yard touchdown run.
However, Henderson wasn’t finished with his flashy night, catching a 7-yard touchdown pass with one hand for a 29-28 Cypress Lake lead at the end of the third quarter.
Lawson found junior DD Dorelys for a 12-yard touchdown pass as he was getting hit to put Lehigh back in front.
After the Lightning defense forced a turnover on downs with three minutes to go, Lawson made a critical play, rushing for a 39-yard touchdown for a 40-29 lead.
The Panthers quickly answered on a long touchdown pass, but the Lightning recovered the onside kick to secure the spring win.
“Just good momentum,” Downing said. “It’s great to get a win, especially being a first-year head coach and I just want to build off of it.”
What we learned about Lehigh football
Get to know Melvin Lawson. The junior quarterback dazzled, connecting on 6-of-13 passes for 119 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 125 yards and two scores. His last touchdown was a statement as he took contact to break a tackle.
“Gutsy, man,” Downing said. “Baker Mayfield-esque. He lowered his shoulder there at the end to get that last touchdown – I’d ride with that kid any day.”
Thunder and Lightning. The rushing tandem of Major and sophomore Zion Coleman looked fruitful on Friday.
“(Major)’s our guy we rely on, 3, 4 yards,” Downing said. “And then Zion, change of pace. He’s our lightning.”
Quan Martin’s jersey retired. The standout Lehigh safety, who now plays for the Washington Commanders, had his No. 21 jersey retired during halftime at James A. Adams Stadium.
“I just want to thank everybody here who made this possible,” Martin said. “I want to give big thanks to my family. Without them, this opportunity wouldn’t be here. They’ve been with me every step of the way. Big shout out to the Lehigh Senior High program. Thank you for making this happen, and bolt up.”
What we learned about Cypress Lake football
The Panthers fought through adversity. They didn’t make it easy on the Lightning, even after suffering some freak injuries during the game.
“It’s a spring game, and we’re about a month into me being here as the head coach. New defense, new offense,” Flaherty said. “And they came out and fought – 35 points is not bad in the spring game. Giving up 40 is not great. We had some poor tackling, and we had a lot of injuries – a couple clavicles got broken tonight on some routine plays, and it just happens.”
Henderson shines in new role. Fans are used to seeing No. 2 under center for the Panthers – last season he threw for more than 1,800 yards and 19 touchdowns. In the spring game, he debuted at wide receiver and safety, something that came as the result of offseason conversations with Flaherty.
The results looked good – Henderson caught four passes for 119 yards and three touchdowns.
A different sideline for Flaherty. The Cypress Lake coach was on the Lehigh staff last season and served as interim head coach late in the year.
He recalled last year’s spring game when Lehigh pummeled Cypress Lake 48-13. This year, the Panthers showed more resolve.
“The big thing is they played hard, they fought,” he said.
— Dustin Levy
Dunbar 63, East Lee County 0
Dunbar’s spring football game last year, compared to this year, was night and day.
So much so, the lead percussionist in the Dunbar band got in on the action and had some fun.
After a 47-12 trouncing at home against St. Petersburg Lakewood last year, the Tigers and their offense were not afraid to light up the scoreboard, scoring nine times in a 63-0 win on the road against East Lee County.
“The guys were excited, but we had to get them calmed down a bit,” Dunbar coach Sammy Brown said. “Once they got their feet under them, I thought they rocked off the ball. I thought they made good tackles. I thought offensively we would move the ball at times. We
The Tigers finished with 433 yards of offense, and got RJ Matthews in to throw a two-point conversion pass. The lead percussionist knows not just the notes, but the playbook as well.
What we learned about Dunbar football
Brandon Seabrook’s put in the work. Entering his second season as a full-time starter, it’s evident the junior worked a lot in the offseason with his receiving corps during practice and after hours. Seabrook and his receivers were on the same page virtually the entire night, with just a few small mistakes in a game where he went 17 of 22 for 305 yards with seven touchdowns.
“Last year, he took some lumps,” Brown said. “We expected that. But this year, he’s come in with a different mindset. He’s leading the team and put in a new offense in 20 days. It’s still really rusty, but I thought we got the ball out quick to get it into some playmakers’ hands, and it made a difference.”
Thornton’s offense plays. Dunbar offensive coordinator Tim Thornton, who was Lely’s offensive coordinator with Brady Quinn, Nino Joseph, and others over each of the last three years, had to have liked what he saw offensively, as both the run and pass were efficient, hitting double digits on explosive plays, with everyone making an impact.
Running back Eddie Gore ran five times for 125 yards and a touchdown, while Andre Moss hauled in four catches for 65 yards and a pair of scores. Fred Jackson should be lethal in this group as well, as he caught four passes for 94 yards with three touchdowns.
Between those skill guys, Tihiem Hutchins, Ke’Non Fuller, and Kenan Thomas, expect the Tigers to be a tricky offense to deal with.
“Tim does a hell of a job,” Brown said. “I’ve watched him from afar the last couple of years, and was trying to get that offense and bring it here. I didn’t know we were going to have a chance at Tim, but the last couple of years, I’ve been calling him and we’re supposed to meet up, but it never happened. And then something happened down there and we had a chance to get Tim, and I jumped at it.”
Correcting the little things. Early on, the Tigers were off with their snap count, leading to multiple false starts along with some holding penalties downfield on the receiving corps. Focusing on technique and timing should be a good thing for Dunbar this summer, because outside of that, everything else was nearly flawless.
“We had a couple of bad snaps we’ve got to clean up, a couple of false starts,” Brown said. “Just the little stuff you do in the spring that we can’t have in the fall. All in all, it was a tough 20 days of spring ball and thought we played a pretty good ballgame.”
What we learned about East Lee County football
Vanilla offense. Whether it’s because the Jaguars anticipate different personnel come the fall, or because first-year coach Justin Dyer is starting from scratch, the Jaguars repeatedly ran the same run concepts and threw it four times. East Lee had 29 yards total on 32 offensive plays.
Big bodies. Although they were beaten up front, East Lee’s offensive line had size that many coaches in this area would like to have. Although they didn’t generate move Dunbar’s defense much at all, more time together during the summer and fall camp could see this group take strides come August.
— Alex Martin
Cape Coral 56, Fort Myers 21
The spring classic between the visiting Seahawks and the Green Wave at Sam Sirianni Field featured teams at different stages of development.
Cape Coral, coming off a 10-win season and a regional semifinal playoff appearance, is looking to make a deeper postseason run this fall. Fort Myers, fresh off its worst finish since 2009, is starting a new era under Green Wave alum Joey Mendes.
The Seahawks certainly looked the part of a final four contender, especially on offense. Cape Coral piled up more than 600 total yards with rising senior quarterback Derek Hooker throwing for nearly 400 yards and five touchdowns. Four of those scores went to rising senior TJ Schley, who had 300-plus receiving yards.
Rising junior running back Kaden McMaree added 200-plus rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries.
“We’re very explosive offensively, as you can see,” Seahawks coach Jaylen Watkins said. “We have a senior quarterback, throwing the ball around, getting us in the right reads, and the receivers are making catches.
“Kaden, he’s our third running back and he played really well. Just seeing what we had and what we were able to do, there’s a lot of confidence there.”
Fort Myers showcased a pass-heavy offense similar to what Mendes employed during his previous head coaching stint at Cypress Lake. Rising senior quarterback Anthony Mendes put the ball up 47 times, completing 17 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns.
“We started off strong in the first half and just had some mistakes in the second,” Joey Mendes said. “It’s a good thing that it’s a spring game so we have time to go over and address it throughout the summer.”
What we learned about Cape Coral football
The Seahawks can score from anywhere on the field. Cape Coral averaged nearly 15 yards per play and had six touchdowns of 46 yards or more, including a 90-yard run by McManee and a 99-yard pass play from Hooker to Schley.
Hooker, who played just two of the three varsity quarters, completed 12 of his final 14 passes and had plenty of room to operate behind an offensive line that looked to be much more seasoned.
“Our last few years, that’s been one of our biggest problems, trying to keep him clean and give him a pocket to throw confidently,” Watkins said. “That unit, they’re been together for three years now so we’re starting to see the fruits of that. They’ve got a lot of chemistry on the field.”
Cape’s back seven on defense is a work in progress. The defensive secondary, a perennial strength for the Seahawks in recent years, is breaking in a slew of untested talent following the graduation of several standouts, including Almirian Thomas, the reigning Southwest Florida Defensive Player of the Year.
That unit struggled mightily in the early going, committing a number of holding and pass interference penalties, and surrendering three touchdowns passes. But in the final two quarters, they settled down, intercepting Mendes three times as Cape outscored Fort Myers 35-0 in the second half.
“I thought they battled,” Watkins said. “A lot of these guys, it was their first time playing under the lights and that’s what spring’s about. We have a lot of competition in the secondary room and we’ve got even more now because I saw some guys who played well that did not practice well.”
Penalties were a huge impediment. Evenin a dominant victory, it was difficult to ignore just how much the Seahawks were on the wrong side of the whistle. Cape committed 22 penalties for more than 230 yards, with nine personal foul, pass interference or unsportsmanlike calls. Those miscues helped Fort Myers stay in the game in the opening quarter by continually keeping Green Wave drives alive.
“I think we had 140 yards of penalties in the first quarter with the varsity, which is crazy,” Watkins said. “But our guys are trying to play aggressive. We’ll watch the tape and we’ll see what we can do to improve.”
What we learned about Fort Myers football
The Green Wave are young up front. Fort Myers’ offensive line couldn’t get much push against an improved Cape Coral defensive line. The Green Wave finished with negative rushing yards and Anthony Mendes took several hard hits in the pocket.
“We’ll get in the weight room and kind of get them a little bit stronger,” Joey Mendes said. “Some of them are freshman, about to be sophomores.
“They have a really good d-line; I thought they did well wit slanting and getting some good pressure on us.”
Fort Myers has some weapons at wide receiver. Rising sophomore Christopher Campion and rising senior Kayden Palmer both showcased strong hands and a willingness to attack the football. Campion led the Green Wave with seven catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were highlight-worthy. On the first, he caught a pass that deflected off two Cape defenders in the end zone and on the second, outfought a Cape player at the goal line, ripping the ball away for the score.
“We’ve got a couple of things to clean up in the pass game, but I thought our receivers stepped up,” Joey Mendes said.
Mendes settling in at Fort Myers. The first-year Green Wave coach has big shoes to fill, replacing a legend in Sam Sirianni Jr. His staff includes some longtime Fort Myers assistants, including Chad Terrell, who served as the Green Wave’s interim head coach for the team’s final seven games last season. Mendes also brought over assistants Ricky Epps, Mac Wallace and David Pasquale from Cypress Lake.
“It’s been good,” Mendes said of the transition. “A lot of us played here so we remember that tradition and now we’re trying to build off of that.”
— Dan DeLuca
Bishop Verot 55, South Fort Myers 28
Bishop Verot cruised past South Fort Myers, downing the Wolfpack in a home spring game.
The Vikings jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. An electric one-handed grab from Derrick Fletcher in the corner of the end zone set the tone early.
The Wolfpack used an interception from Jershard Benjamin to score a touchdown that trimmed the lead to 14-12 early in the second quarter, but Bishop Verot cashed in on Wolfpack turnovers and ran away with the game by halftime.
What we learned about Bishop Verot football
Bishop Verot has another stout defense. The Vikings forced five turnovers in the win, and cashed in on nearly all of them on the other side of the ball.
The secondary didn’t give up a deep ball all night, and the front seven were in the Wolfpack backfield regularly.
“…You know you’re not going to be where you want to be in the spring,” said head coach Richie Rode. “But five turnovers. We challenged them at halftime after we didn’t play very well in the second quarter. I thought we played really well in the second half. WE rotated a lot of bodies. We’re really youthful, so I saw some really exciting things out of some young guys.”
Derrick Fletcher is just the start of the elite talent. The 6-foot-6 rising sophomore is the next superstar recruit out of Southwest Florida, and it showed in his spring debut.
Fletcher was impressive at tight end and came up with several catches, showing off a big catch radius and solid YAC. He shined on defense as well, batting down a pair of passes at the line of scrimmage as an edge rusher.
“He’s a cheat code,” Rode said. “I’m glad he’s ours. And he’s young. But he barely says a word, he just works, he shows up, he’s a great teammate. His talent is just off the charts. We can’t cover him in practice either.”
Then there’s Ayden Gonzalez, a rising senior who shines as a two-way player, as well as Robi Duclona. Gonzalez caught, rushed in, and passed for a touchdown in the win.
“Ayden’s incredible,” Rode said. “He’s one of the best players in the area and the state. Last year after we started having some issues getting him the ball, and he went to running back and wildcat, and now you’re going to see the full compliment…”
Quarterback battle still brewing on Sunrise Drive. TJ Taylor made the most of the split reps with Hudson Peak, and tallied 128 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception on 6-of-8 attempts. Peak went 3-for-6 for 23 yards with another 45 rushing yards on six carries.
“Super impressed, very happy,” Rode said. “…We have a great situation. We have two great young men who bring two different things to the table. They were both highly effective tonight. I don’t know what the spring and summer will hold, but we might just play two quarterbacks. I was very pleased with both of them tonight.”
What we learned about South Fort Myers football
More bodies will ease the Wolfpack’s woes. Many players, most notably those in the trenches, played both ways against Bishop Verot out of necessity. Head coach Matt Holderfield says while it’s not an excuse, it still explains a lot of what went wrong.
“Bishop Verot is a good program, I mean they’ve got as many coaches over there tonight as we do players,” Holderfield said. “…That’s pretty much it right now. We’ve got kids that weren’t able to play and it did impact us, especially in the second half. But the little things that we’ve got to do are already here, and we’ve got to fix the things that we can control right now.”
South Fort Myers has a ferocious defense. Cornelius Tims III (Louisville commit) is a wrecking ball at defensive tackle, and Ja’Dell Carter (North Carolina State commit) is a versatile edge rusher with devastating length.
While the duo are an elite pairing, Holderfield knows it takes more than just two special players. Players like Jershard Benjamin, who had a pick, a sack, and a TFL, will help alleviate some of that defensive pressure.
“We’re going to lean on them a lot, the problem I think right now is we’re leaning on them a little bit too much,” Holderfield said. “Our biggest thing is we’ve got to pick the guys up around them.”
Wolfpack offense still finding its footing. James Kelly was under pressure all night, and did a good job of turning broken plays into positive yards. While he did throw three interceptions, South Fort Myers is by no means dead in the water with Kelly running the show. Expect a big offseason from the rising junior.
“I thought James played really, really well at times,” Holderfield said. “One of the problems that he’s got is he’s a shorter kid,and our entire O-line is 6-foot-4… We’re trying to do things that compliment him a little bit more, and we saw that tonight. It’s just little things. But the biggest thing is we tried some people in some places tonight.”
— Nick Wilson
Aubrey Rogers 28, Island Coast 6
On one side of the field was a team seeking the culmination of a culture established. On the other was a team with a brand new coach trying to establish one.
The former was the winner, as Aubrey Rogers beat Island Coast 28-6 to complete the spring football session. The Patriots, who went 2-8 last fall, have 19 rising seniors on the roster, the cadre who were freshmen for the school’s inaugural season.
“These seniors, I can remember us when we first opened the school,” Aubrey Rogers coach J.J. Everage said. “They were freshmen and going over to the middle school because we didn’t have a field yet. It wasn’t ready for practicing over there. I just hope that this season goes as planned and we can go out as winners.”
The host Gators, coming off a 1-9 season, are now coached by Justin Midgett, once a star quarterback at Charlotte and longtime assistant at his alma mater and at Fort Myers. Only two months into the job, he is working to establish both the wing-T offense and the personal development of young men that his Hall of Fame mentors, former Charlotte coach Binky Waldrop and former Fort Myers coach Sam Sirianni Jr, were known for.
“We’re trying,” Midgett said. “We’ve got a great group of young guys. We’ve got a great core and we’re trying to build around them.”
For this game, it was experience that won the day. After both teams played the first quarter and a half without a score, Liam Neary lit the bulbs when he took a handoff and swept left for a 26-yard touchdown. With Landon Cammons’ extra point, it was a 7-0 game at halftime.
The third quarter was when the Patriots started to find their offensive groove. Quarterback Braden Houser launched a long pass to Ryan Joseph near the left sideline for a touchdown less than two minutes into the third.
Then later on a carry, Hudson King scampered left like he was going to cut towards the middle. This fooled the defender in front of him, leaving him a clear path to the end zone. Aubrey Rogers finished the third quarter up 21-0.’
A beat up Dontavian Wilson got the Gators on the board by pushing through for a touchdown early in the fourth. He got up and limped over to the spot where he would hold for the extra point kick, which missed wide right.
Houser completed his second touchdown pass of the night, finding Cameron Cusick across the field at the goal line. Matthew Sheena-Lopez made the extra point kick to complete the 28-6 score.
What we learned about Aubrey Rogers
Neary going far. On a team with so many seniors, rising sophomore Neary is distinguishing himself as a fast ball carrier. Since Houser, the quarterback, recently joined the team after baseball season ended, the Patriots made more use of the running game, giving Neary plenty of touches.
“Liam is going to be a superstar, you know,” Everage said. “He’s just a freshman who’s going to be a sophomore. He’s just got natural instincts that you can’t coach, and we’ve got a pretty good offense up front for him.”
Neary had to wait his turn with two seniors ahead of him last fall, but he made good use of his opportunities, averaging 17 yards per carry.
Big boys growing up together: Neary will get his lanes and Houser will have a pocket to throw from. And opposing quarterbacks should beware: the offensive and defensive lines are loaded with big seniors. Timothy Miller, Levi Bourke, and Zachary Vanover are among the standouts in from Friday night’s game.
This is the core of the team that has developed in the program’s first years.
“That’s the weight room with these kids for four years,” Everage said. “We’ve been everybody’s Homecoming and everybody’s Senior Night because we were 14-15 year old kids against 17-18 year old kids, and you know? We’re finally caught up, for the most part.”
The school schedule has worked in their favor as the players were enrolled in weight training as a physical education class, which has helped that growth process.
Houser makes it count. Aubrey Rogers’ quarterback did not throw the ball a ton, but when he did throw the ball, it was impactful. He threw accurately on short and deep passes and executed the play action fake.
He arrived late this spring because of baseball, which limited the calls for passing plays, and he is expected to throw more passes in the fall.
“He basically took spring off, playing baseball, and just got back to us as soon as baseball ended,” Everage said. “So he’s not really got his football sea legs yet, but he can spin the ball.”
What we learned about Island Coast
Natural consequences. Island Coast players were on the ground with cramps so many times that there was a tongue-in-cheek concern that the trainer might get leg cramps from having to run back onto the field so many times to help cramping players. The players were clearly not in shape, and Midgett established that conditioning will be the priority over the summer months.
The problem was magnified by the small roster size with only 31 players listed. It looked like fewer were dressed for the game. Midgett identified that factor, as well as the players not taking their instructions seriously during their personal time.
“We stressed it all spring because we don’t have a lot of guys,” Midgett said. “It’s been to take care of your body. Hydrate. Get enough sleep. Eat well. You know, they’re high school kids, so sometimes they listen, sometimes they don’t. But I think they saw why they need to do it tonight. So tonight was a good lesson to learn.”
Henderson handling things. Wide receiver/defensive back Christian Henderson was one of the players getting his leg stretched multiple times. But when he was on his feet, he was fast. Though he did not find the end zone, he put up considerable yardage. And in the defensive secondary, he was a big part of why it took a while for Aubrey Rogers’ offense to get going.
“He’s great, man,” Midgett said. “I firmly believe he’s one of the top players in Lee County, and if he’s in shape, he’s one of the top 5 players. I mean, he’s just gifted. He’s blessed. We got to get him in better shape because we’re going to ask him to go both ways. We’re going to ask him to be our playmaker.”
A linebacker who can throw and kick. Wilson, a rising junior linebacker, has taken on the role of quarterback since the team does not have a true quarterback. The wing-T is not a pass-heavy system, but he will have to be a passer at times. He will also have to handle all the complicated misdirection that goes with such a system.
“We asked a lot of him,” Midgett said. “He’s not really a true quarterback. We put him there because we needed someone and he’s a leader and he could handle it. He didn’t come off the field tonight. He was starting outside linebacker and starting quarterback.”
He was also the punter, and apparently a good one. He sent a boomer of a kick about 50 yards, backing the Patriots inside their 15 yard line.
— Dave Montrose
Evangelical Christian 48, Bonita Springs 0
Evangelical Christian dominated the ground game against Bonita Springs on the back of a four-touchdown performance by halfback Elijah Yzaguirre.“He’s sudden with his movements, he’s shifty, he’s physical, and he’s fast, but the one element that really separates him from most is his level of toughness,” ECS coach Mack Mitchell said. “He is the model of what we stand on right now, is tough people win, and that’s what we want to bring to the table every Friday night.”
After a three-and-out from the Sentinels defense, it took one play for their offense to score as Yzaguirre rushed 45 yards into the end zone. Another three-and-out and an interception on the following defensive drives allowed Yzaguirre to continue this momentum with 11-yard and 6-yard rushing touchdowns. It took all but seven minutes for ECS to be up 20-0.
Sentinels’ halfback Mack Mitchell showed his skill on the ground with a 42-yard rushing touchdown to end the first quarter. However, momentum quickly shifted when ball control became an issue, as Bonita Springs forced two fumbles in the second quarter. Combine this with holding penalties called on ECS nearly every offensive drive in this span, and it forced the defense to step up.And they did.A strong defensive shutdown broke up double-digit pass attempts in the backfield, including an interception and a fumble recovery. This allowed the Sentinels to leave the half without giving points away. A 10-yard rushing touchdown by Yzaguirre, for a 34-0 lead, effectively put the game away midway through the third quarter.“I think it brings us some great energy to our program. [The] kids were looking for something to buy into and try to rebound from the year we had,” Mitchell said. “I think tonight was a small step to doing so.”
What we learned about ECS football
Rushing reigns supreme. The Sentinels’ ground game was a critical reason for its dominant showing. ECS found the endzone seven times between three different running backs and totaled 271 yards on nine carries. Yzaguirre led this group with 126 yards on nine carries and four touchdowns, highlighted by his ability to shift out and into different gaps.Defense held strong. Defensive back Elias Morris highlighted a star-studded defensive group comprising Brayden Stewart, Tyrell Cortez-Brown, and Will Hoffman, who held the Bull Sharks to 83 offensive yards, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
This was cemented by this group’s effort to break up the ball against the Bonita Springs receivers, forcing Bullsharks quarterbacks Hayden O’Connell and Tuan Nguyen to throw 6-of-20 (30%) through 48 minutes.
“[Defense Coordinator] Cole Shuker does a phenomenal job getting those guys to buy in and believe in a certain style of play, and they definitely displayed that tonight, and it was spread throughout the seniors all the way down to the freshmen,” Mitchell said.
Ball control issues. With a 48-0 win, it’s difficult to point out any issues. Yet, ECS’ rushing offense was plagued by fumbles, as their unit gave up two fumbles and recovered two of their own. This kept Bonita Springs in the game late, until a 42-yard rushing touchdown from Slota in the third quarter forced a running clock.
What we learned about Bonita Springs football
Passing offense struggled to get going. When the rushing offense failed to move the chains early, the attempt to move the ball through the air struggled as badly. Through four quarters, O’Connell and Nguyen went 6-of-20 for 48 yards with two interceptions. These inconsistencies weren’t due to bad reads but because of ECS’ defensive pressure, overthrown balls, and lack of ball control from receivers.
Defense showed promise. Although the Bonita Springs defense allowed 48 points, a scoreless second quarter showed what the unit can be. Two forced fumbles, disruption of deep passes, and forcing the Sentinels into penalties displayed promise for the Bullsharks’ front seven.
Growing pains. For first-year coach Tony Mottola, growing pains were to be expected when dealing with a new roster, new coaches, and playing a variety of new competition. Miscommunication was a significant hindrance to his squad, as there were multiple instances in which players lined up in the wrong assignments, forcing Mottola to waste timeouts to avoid penalties.
— Jeffrey Hrunka
North Fort Myers 14, Oasis 3
Thursday, May 20
Immokalee 35, Estero 27
In a rare battle of two playoff teams in the month of May, there was not a shortage of offense between the Wildcats and the Indians.
A combined 937 yards between the two sides resulted in a 35-27 win for Immokalee, with plenty of explosive plays to go around for both teams.
“I thought it was a great game,” Estero coach Darren Nelson said. “I thought it was maybe the best spring game I’ve been a part of since being down here. In terms of entertainment as a fan, it was a fun game to watch. As a coach, good and bad, right? A lot of things we’d love to have back, a lot of little mistakes, but a lot of those came to some guys that just need reps and experience, and we got that. We’ll learn from that, grow from that, and get better from that.”
Estero capitalized on a bad snap that went over the head of Immokalee quarterback Jayden Cowgill, recovered just outside the red zone. The Wildcats jumped out to a 7-0 lead, after quarterback Maddox Stewart threaded the needle, finding Jackson Woss with a perfect throw.
An Immokalee punt gave Estero another score after a pair of explosive plays on the drive, as Townsen Green rushed in from 2 yards out to give the Wildcats a two-score lead.
But that lead was short lived, as the Indians roared back with 21 unanswered, counting on familiar faces to make things happen.
“That’s a really good football team,” Immokalee coach James Delgado said. “They’re really well coached. Coach Nelson does a great job. That quarterback’s special, and can put you in situations where you’re in trouble at any given time. We had a lot of guys that had to step up and play, and grow up a lot tonight. I think we had some great opportunities. I think we missed some, and that’s something we’re going to have to learn from, in a hurry.”
What we learned about Immokalee football
Stars are shining, and poised for more. The Indians had a ton of playmakers return from last year’s team that went to a regional semifinal, each having their moments against the Wildcats defense.
Marshon Jackson looked even more elusive than last season, while Youvensley Methulus looks to be the bell cow at running back after splitting time with Cherlin Michel in the fall. Methulus took up wrestling in the winter, built solid upper body strength, and produced multiple grown man runs despite being under 150 pounds.
Jayden Cowgill looked seasoned and comfortable in the pocket, stepping into a starting role midway through last season after Chris Germinal sustained an injury on his non-throwing arm. Cowgill completed 11 of 16 passes for 332 yards with a pair of touchdowns with an interception.
Kendrick Perry was elite on both sides of the ball for the Indians, catching three passes for 175 yards and a touchdown, while also adding an interception on defense.
“You have two incredible weapons that can make a difference at any given point in the game,” Delgado said of Jackson and Perry. “They’re special, and they know it. When they work and they sharpen each other like they did all spring, those guys were competing against one another, and the proof is in the pudding. It’s going to show up on the field, and I’m excited about challenging them and getting them to rise to the occasion because this is it. This is their last ride.”
Winning in the trenches. The Immokalee offensive and defensive lines both had the better push against the Wildcats, sacking Estero quarterback Maddox Stewart multiple times and getting to him quickly. Between that and the holes the offensive line generated for Methulus and Cowgill on QB keepers, Delgado was very pleased with the result.
“I’d have to watch the film to grade their effort, I’m truly proud of their effort,” Delgado said. “They battled, that’s for sure. They dug deep, they finished. There were several times where defensively, we only have three d-linemen in the game, and those guys were getting held but they never came off the field complaining about that. They just lined up and gave everything they had, and I’m proud of the way they fought.”
Building depth. Delgado emphasized to his depth players that they need to be ready, describing this summer as “crucial” for the program and working with the guys who partook in spring football. With the unlikeliness of the Indians gaining transfers due to their isolation inland, he acknowledged that backups have to step into bigger, more reliable roles heading into fall camp.
What we learned about Estero football
Mike Leach would be proud. The late football coach who was considered an architect of the air raid offense in college would’ve enjoyed the offensive schemes the Wildcats put out against the Indians. While the run game lacked with 30 rushes for 45 yards, Estero had success through the air, getting multiple explosive plays on sneaky good offensive scheme and decision-making from Maddox Stewart, who will enter the fall as a third-year starter in the Wildcat offense.
“He can handle a lot,” Nelson said of Stewart. “He can lead the group and continue to keep challenging them. Don’t get satisfied, status quo, and just keep getting better and better. He’s gonna shatter all these records. He’s got goals, and he’ll just keep getting better and better. When your best talent is your best worker, you’ve got something special, and that matters.”
Emphasizing the trenches. While Nelson is happy with his offensive linemen, many of which return from last year, they’ll look to take the next step as a unit to keep Stewart in the pocket, rather than improvising and scrambling as much as he did against the Indians’ pass rush.
Defensive miscues exploited. The little things bit Estero’s defense against an athletic and quick Indian offense, as missed tackles were aplenty and playing assignment football. Jackson’s lone receiving touchdown saw six Estero defenders miss a tackle, which will be addressed over the summer before fall camp.
“A lot of it was self-inflicted,” Nelson said. “Tackling was a concern, some poor angles, some softness, those types of things, wrong fits. They hit us on a couple of screens where we weren’t doing what we were supposed to be doing, and we got outleveraged, and then some bad tackling happened. A lot of that was inexperienced guys… But I feel encouraged. We made some plays, we got some turnovers. We’ve got some work to do.”
— Alex Martin
Mariner 41, SFCA 0
Two quick-fire drives by Mariner staked the Tritons to an early lead they wouldn’t relinquish as the visitors defeated Southwest Florida Christian Academy in spring football action Thursday night.
A 65-yard run by Wenstan Penermon on the first play offensive play from scrimmage gave Mariner a 7-0 lead. After forcing another punt, the Tritons would need just six plays and 1:34 to go 90 yards for another score. Chris Parada threw for 71 yards on the drive, including a 14-yard pass to Jamarion Corbett for the score to double the lead.
SFCA started to respond, taking over five minutes off the clock on an 11-play drive that would end with a sack in Mariner territory. After forcing a stop, the Kings would drive into the red zone for the first time, pushing it all the way to the Mariner 6-yard line, but the Tritons would get a stop and force a missed field goal. Mariner would take just six plays to march 80 yards, with J’marion Shortridge scoring from 12 yards out on a quarterback keeper to make it 20-0.
The Kings put together another methodical drive, sparked by Romie Afanador’s 21-yard run on 3rd-and-12 and a tunnel screen by Afanador to Austin Jennings for another 45 yards. The drive would slow down at the 11 of Mariner, with an interception at the goal line ending the drive and the half.
Right out of halftime, a pass to Corbett for 67 yards gave Mariner a 27-0 lead. Penermon would catch a 76-yard swing pass for a touchdown after a Knights’ three-and-out, pushing it to 34-0. The Tritons would score their final touchdown with just over three minutes to go in the contest on a long pass from Jervontae Johnson.
What we learned about Mariner football
The offense clicked under Brandon Benjamin. The former Dunbar standout joined the program as the offensive coordinator and saw his offense score with ease on the first two possessions. “My motto is ‘Play fast, score faster.’ We wanted to get off to a fast start and I believe that’s what we did,” said Benjamin.
Three quarterbacks saw time and led touchdown drives for the Tritons. Chris Parada started for Mariner, with Jervontae Johnson coming in late in the second quarter and J’marion Shortridge getting snaps late in the second half. “To a man, this spring I thew a lot at them and they were able to come out here and put it all together,” said Benjamin.
The defense bent but didn’t break. SFCA put together a couple of long drives, especially late in the first half, but the Tritons held the Knights out on both trips into the red zone. “It’s always good to get a shutout for them,” Benjamin said. “It was fun to see it.”
What we learned about SFCA football
The King’s performed admirably for being outmanned. SFCA dressed out just 28 players, including some seventh and eighth graders, with many of the 28 playing on both sides of the ball. Thursday night was one of the first opportunities for the team to compete as interim head coach Matt Davidson kept the team from a high level of physicality during spring practice due to fear of injuries. “We weren’t able to really go live a lot in practice,” Davidson said. “We feared losing guys to injury, so it was really their first opportunity and first chance at a live game.”
Romie Afanador guided the team well at times in the first half. A baseball player who played guard for the football team last season, Afanador was picked as the starting quarterback due to his strong arm.
“He’s a guy that we thought was confident,” Davidson said. “Because of baseball and because he’s a pitcher, he’s got a really good arm. We had no idea what we were going to do with that position, but we tried it out a little bit in the offseason. We asked him to do a crazy thing, and he agreed. I just love his willingness to compete.
SFCA grew as a team in the offseason. Davidson was happy with how the team progressed mentally from being players focused on individuals to players doing what they could to make the team better. “I think the attitudes have gotten better. There’s less of a reflection [on individuals] and more reflection on the team. We had to snap some guys back tonight and put them in check because they didn’t handle adversity well. But it was a great test to see if they would quit on the team and pitch a temper tantrum or are they going to fight until the clock stops. We saw a lot of attitudes change and get better.”
— Jason Hanes
First Baptist 35, Marco Island 0
First Baptist 7, Canterbury 0
Canterbury 28, Marco Island 0
The three-team jamboree at First Baptist Academy saw FBA and Canterbury in a defensivedogfight, ending in a last-minute touchdown for a Lions win, while Marco Island struggled tocompete due to their lack of depth and size.
FBA ended the jamboree with 35-0 and 7-0 wins over Canterbury and Marco Island, respectively. Canterbury claimed a win over Marco Island, 28-0, and the Manta Rays were shut out through 48 minutes.
Here are three takeaways for each team from the festivities on Thursday night.
What we learned about First Baptist football
Austrian Superstar. It’s rare that many players are immediately given the starting role intheir first time playing football. However, in only his second week in pads ever, Lions’wide receiver Christian Horvath had 163 yards over nine completions. He led his team intotal offensive yards, over 50 more than running back Selah Justice, who was the team’sleading scorer with 21 points over 48 minutes.
“It was crazy, because out here in practice, about a week ago, the Florida International coach was out here. This is his second week in pads, and he got a scholarship from one school,” FBA coach Jason Cauley said. “Some people are just natural with it, and Christian’s natural… it’s just going to get better from here. I mean, he’s learning every single day, he’s learning how to play the game.”
Developing depth. After losing a significant portion of his roster last offseason due to a coaching change, Cauley nearly doubled the depth of his spring team from 27 to 40 and overhauled his coaching staff, adding seven new coaches. This change proved wise, as the Lions totaled seven touchdowns, 519 yards of offense, an interception, and several knockdowns and sacks.
“It’s a rebirth of a program,” Cauley said. “Give those kids credit, because a lot of people told them they shouldn’t play. A lot of people told us, like, you shouldn’t even have a varsity team.”
Defensive line held strong. Although the FBA defensive line ended the night with a single-digit total, it held up against two teams with established run games. The Cougars and Manta Rays had 21 carries for 66 yards, held to only three double-digit rushing attempts.
What we learned about Canterbury football
Prioritizing the backfield. It only makes sense that a former NFL fullback, Canterbury coach Tommy Bohanon, established the ground game early in his first game heading the Cougars. While the offense got off to a slow start, being held to 68 yards against FBA, it showed its worth against Marco Island behind halfback Banner Brockington, who rushed for 122 yards over 18 attempts.
When the ball didn’t go to Brockington, Bohanon turned to several read-options, screen passes, and check-down opportunities.
“Banner is a great player, you know, being able to have somebody that once he puts his shoulder pads north and south, not many people are going one-on-one against him,” Bohanon said. “I think we probably had at least seven or eight guys touch the ball today, and they all made plays, which is cool to see.”
Dominant defensive unit. If it wasn’t for a last-second six-yard touchdown pass from Lions’ quarterback Jack Wise to halfback Justice Selah, Bohanon’s defensive unit would have had a perfect night. Through 48 minutes, they only allowed seven points, held the Manta Rays to a shutout, a scoop-and-score, three interceptions, and double-digit breakups and quarterback pressures.
“We don’t have a lot of numbers in terms of players, but all of our guys give it all they can, so being able to see the effort that they put forth on the defense,” Bohanon said. “We barely gave up anything against FBA, we gave up one touchdown, and then against Marco, we put a shutout…it’s our first showing, but now we’ve seen everybody compete, now it’s just time to get back in the lab.”
Penalty problems. There were many instances between the Cougars’ games when momentum stalled due to holding calls, late hits on receivers, or unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. These calls saw the Cougars line up over 10 yards behind the original line of scrimmage, as far back as third-and-38.
What we learned about Marco Island football
Struggle with numbers. Marco Island struggled to add depth to the field, rotating through 22 players over 48 minutes, which led to players competing out of position. This led to several stoppages during both of the Manta Rays’ games as players struggled to keep on the field, being forced to leave due to injury or cramps.
No time from the O-line. On nearly every offensive play, Marco Island quarterback Carter Good had to rush out of the pocket in an attempt to move the ball down the field. Through four quarters, Good went 6 of 18 (33%) for 39 yards and two interceptions. When the passing game failed, the attempt to get the rushing offense involved wasn’t much better, rushing for one yard on 13 carries.
Rethinking the defensive game plan. When two teams combine to score 68 points, it’s easy to point at the defense as a core issue. However, when you allow 576 yards of offense, five rushing touchdowns and four passing touchdowns, it’s clear the Rays have a lot of work to do to try and sustain their success from a season ago.
— Jeffrey Hrunka
North Port 24, Ida Baker 9
Cameron Wilson ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns as North Port overpowered Ida Baker for a 24-9 spring football victory Thursday night.
The rising sophomore assumed the quarterback position this spring and led the Bobcats to scores on their first three drives with a punishing ground attack.
The teams waited out an almost two-hour lightning delay before finally kicking off shortly before 9:00 with 10-minute quarters. The second half was played with a running clock.
The Bobcats moved effortlessly down the field on their first drive, needing just six plays to cover 75 yards, topped as Wilson rolled left and took the ball in on a scramble from the 9-yard line with four minutes gone for a 7-0 lead.
The Bulldogs answered back with a quick drive of their own, led by running back Patryell Coleman, although Baker had to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Aiden Graham to make it 7-3.
Following the kickoff, Christian Pagan broke several tackles on a 51-yard run to get North Port back in scoring position. Ayden Guerra finished the drive with a 3-yard TD run to make it 14-3 with 39 seconds left in the first quarter.
Coleman led the way on the next drive for Baker by picking up 55 quick yards on three carries to set up quarterback Brody Root’s 5-yard scoring run to cut the deficit to 14-9 early in the second quarter.
Javen Stevens added a 27-yard field goal to increase the Bobcats’ lead to 17-9 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs got their chance to close the gap by recovering a fumble at the North Port 10-yard line. But two plays later, Baker fumbled it right back as Kyle Sauer recovered for the Bobcats. North Port then moved 90 yards behind the legs and arm of Wilson, who ran the final 15 yards for the clinching touchdown.
What we learned about Ida Baker football
Coleman balls out. The biggest thing we learned tonight is that Patryell Coleman is a dog,” coach Cullen O’Brien said. Coleman ran for 106 yards on 7 carries before leaving the game with a minor leg injury. The Bulldogs offense failed to move the ball consistently after that as leading receiver Caelum Cragin was injured and didn’t play.
“When Patryell and Callum get back healthy, we’re going to put up a lot of points.”
O’Brien was happy with the play of Root at quarterback. “Brody grew up a lot this offseason,” O’Brien said. “I want to see him continue to mature and be a leader. I think he can definitely be one of the better quarterbacks in this area.”
The defensive side of the ball is where the Bulldogs really need improvement after surrendering 319 points last season. “We’ve just got to get stronger and tougher this offseason,” O’Brien said. “We were trying so much to keep our better linemen on the offensive side of the ball. But we might have to use some of them on the defensive side because we were getting pushed around. You can tell those North Port kids are lifting hard in the weight room, and they’re tough up front. They were beating us up on the defensive side of the ball. They were doing a really good job of that.”
— Bruce Robins
Tuesday, May 19
Lely 41, Palmetto Ridge 36
A late-game interception by the Trojans’ safety Maksim Noel, combined with a fumble on Palmetto Ridge’s penultimate drive, allowed Lely to cement its first win under head coach Dan Nieboer.
Although only a spring game, Nieboer, who took over after Lely let Ben Hammer go after three seasons, used this game to embed his no-rush, fast-paced offense scheme into a roster that lost its three biggest stars in Ty Collins, Nino Joseph, and Brady Quinn over the offseason.
“Our philosophy is basically to create explosive plays as much as we can, and then we think that the best way to do that is to put the ball in explosive athletes’ hands in space,” Nieboer said. “So that’s the idea of stress, the defense, make them defend.”
Nieboer’s offense didn’t get off to a good start.
After Palmetto Ridge opened the game with an 84-yard receiving touchdown from Bears’ wide receiver Nico DiBendetto, cornerback Cali Pagan picked off Lely quarterback Cannon Boyd on the first Trojan offensive drive for a 12-0 lead.
The Trojans quickly rallied back on the back of running back Billy Bornelus and wide receiver Trevon Cherelus, who were Boyd’s primary offensive weapons through three quarters.
Charelus racked in four of Lely’s next six touchdowns to put his team up 41-18 before the end of the half. Bornelus reached the endzone once for a 2-yard rushing touchdown. The duo ended the game with 229 offensive yards through three quarters.
The aforementioned scoring run was only broken by a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Palmetto Ridge quarterback Harland Soucek in the second quarter. The Bears ended the game on an 18-0 run, via 22- and 3-yard receiving touchdowns by DiBendetto and a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Soueck.
However, once Nieboer put his starters back in for the final 12 minutes, Palmetto Ridge struggled, giving up three interceptions and two fumbles for a fourth-quarter shutout.
What we learned about Lely football
Boyd has been handed the keys to the offense. Quarterback Cannon Boyd stepped into the starting role with the loss of Brady Quinn over the offseason. Boyd went 10 of 20 for 152 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, he ran for 90 yards on nine carries.“Cannon has shown some moxie the last two weeks in camp of being able to kind of scan the field and know when it’s time to abort,” Nieboer said. “So I think we want to continue to build on that.”Developing discipline. Trash talk, personal fouls, and inattentiveness turned what looked to be a late-game shutout for Lely into a late-game resurgence for Palmetto Ridge.
“We believe that you are what you repeatedly do. So we try to do those things on a daily basis. We try to repeat the same things over and over and over so they hear it,” Nieboer said. “The game of football is a tool for us to build young men into champions, and so winning the game is one of our goals, but it’s not the top goal.”
Defensive dominance. Lely’s fourth quarter was in large part due to its dominant front seven, which forced three fumbles, two sacks, and several deflections late into the contest. This was complemented by five interceptions, including one by cornerback Brandon Babtist that put the game away with 7.4 seconds left.
What we learned about Palmetto Ridge football
Early growing pains. For Palmetto Ridge coach Jordan Hampton, this contest marked his first game as the full-time coach of Palmetto Ridge, serving in an interim role after the midseason departure of Zach Yates in October.The full-time position allows Hampton to surround himself with a new coaching staff and philosophy to turn around a program that went winless last season. He attributed the lack of offensive firepower to the start of a thorough rebuilding process.“I told our guys we had a different measuring stick for success,” Hampton said. “We had to rebuild what’s inside our four walls first, and then worry about the outside noise. So, for us, it was about implementing our system with our guys, getting our guys in positions to be successful.”
Pagan is a bright spot on defense. Cornerback Cali Pagan had a dominant game with a pick-six, three interceptions, and numerous knockdowns against a lively Trojan offense.“[Pagan’s] a three-year starter. He’s coming back for his senior season,” Hampton said. “He’s somebody who the guys rally around, he’s somebody that the kids have grown up with him, that they have a lot of faith in. Anytime you’ve got a guy like him walking around, it’s a good feeling.”Struggles in the backfield. On several occasions, the Bears’ offensive line struggled to give quarterback Harland Soucek time to escape the pocket, resulting in 30 negative rushing yards for two sacks. When not sacked, Soucek either threw the ball out of bounds or was forced to throw it on the run, which resulted in five interceptions and a 36% (14 of 38) completion percentage.
— Jeffrey Hrunka
Friday, May 15
Royal Palm Beach 46, Naples 0
Thursday, May 14
Lemon Bay 48, Gateway 14
ENGLEWOOD — The Gateway football team has played with new head coach Chris Strykowski for less than three weeks. That is a short period of time to try to change a culture.
But you have to start somewhere, and the Eagles are going to go through a lot of growing pains to get where they want to be as a program.
That started with the spring game against Lemon Bay in Englewood. After a promising start, everything went awry for Gateway as the Manta Rays scored touchdowns on seven straight possessions to cruise to a 48-14 running clock victory Thursday.
The Manta Rays dominated. Led by running back Hogan Winow’s 183 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and two scoring passes by quarterback Colton Davis and his 121 passing yards, Lemon Bay cruised.
Gateway got off to a great start. The Eagles drove into the red zone on its first possession before stalling. After Lemon Bay fumbled on its first possession, Gateway drove the short field and scored on a 2-yard run by C.J. Hood for a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Lemon Bay only needed one play, a 75-yard touchdown run by Winow to get on the board. A missed PAT made it 7-6 Gateway.
Lemon Bay would score on its next four possessions. Davis hit Cory Baker on a 32-yard TD pass to take the lead for good at 12-7.
Winow scored again a few minutes later from four yards out to make it 20-7 after a successful two-point play, then dazzled with a 91-yard touchdown run, outrunning the Eagles down the sideline the last 50 yards.
A 40-yard touchdown pass from Davis to Jacob Childers in the final minute of the half made it 34-7 at the break.
Lemon Bay picked up where it left off at the start of the third quarter. Eli Humphrey went up the middle for a 49-yard touchdown run and reserve Kendall McNealy got into the act with a 22-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to force a running clock for the remainder of the game.
Gateway got on the board again when Parker Ellis hit Aiden Gerardo on a 67-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
What we learned about Gateway football
Changing the culture will be difficult. The Eagles will be an FHSAA Independent this season after several years in Class 6A purgatory. Strykowski, who took over this spring, said this put the program in a bad spot.
“We went from 2A to 6A very quickly. It was tough for them to compete with that kind of schedule. When I was hired, they made it a point to go independent and set a foundation and do things in a more detail-oriented fashion,” Strykowski said.
The offense is still a work in progress. Ellis showed promise at quarterback and players like freshman guard Brayden Burke and freshman receiver Aiden Gerardo have earned praise.
“We’re starting to find out who we can run behind, and we have talent in the passing game at quarterback and receiver,” Strykowski said. “Ultimately, it will be having time to get them on the field together to make it jell.”
Despite the defeat, it was a successful spring season. The game doesn’t count. It’s a time to try things and see what the players can do. Summer and fall will allow them to clean up some things.
“We have a lot of details we need to hammer out, but I’m looking forward to getting into the summer and being able to shore those things up,” Strykowski said. “I’m looking forward to some healthy competition for jobs this fall.”
— Chuck Ballaro
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: SW FL Spring Football: Gulf Coast and Riverdale tie to close out spring
Reporting by Ed Reed, Alex Martin, Dustin B Levy, Dan DeLuca and Nick Wilson, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
