Prep Football 2016: North Fort Myers withstands Barron Collier comeback

NORTH FORT MYERS – The regular season didn't end well, but it didn't end the Barron Collier High School football team's season.

North Fort Myers built a 40-14 lead, then held off a Cougars comeback for a 40-30 win Friday night at North Fort Myers High.

For Barron Collier (5-5), while it was the second loss in a row, what really mattered was what remains: Another game to play.

The Cougars travel to Fort Myers next week in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.

“We're in the playoffs,” Barron Collier coach Mark Jackson said.

Still, he admitted, “Anytime you come out here, you want to play to win. We played a good first half. We didn't so some things right in the third quarter, but I thought we fought like heck in the fourth quarter.”

“They did not quit,” North coach Earnest Graham said of the Cougars. “It's been that kind of game two years in a row (North won 44-41 in 2015). We love playing this program. It was a very good game.”

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Barron Collier was led by Dana Brown's 140 yards and three touchdown runs.

“He ran downhill hard all night,” Graham said. “We knew they were a team that was going to drive the ball and try to punch it in the end zone.”

Down 40-14, Brown scored his third TD of the night to start closing the gap. A two-point conversion made it 40-22. Then the Cougars crunched North Fort Myers quarterback Ben Pogue, who fumbled. Tyler Mansfield scooped up the loose ball and ran 45 yards for a touchdown. Another two-pointer cut the margin to 40-30.

Barron Collier pulled off an onsides kick, but North's Joe Wilkins picked off a Jacob Kuhlman pass to put an end to the rally.

North (6-3) got touchdown runs from Fanajae Gotay, Zaquandre White and Luis Alfonso. White finished with 104 yards on 16 carries, while Gotay got 80 of his 84 on his long TD run.

Pogue (312 yards passing) connected with Terry Lindsey, Errick Harris and Herb Riggins for scores.

“Hopefully we learned something, and we take that to practice next week,” Jackson said. “We've got one more week at least and we'll fight like heck week after week as long as we're playing.”

NORTH FORT MYERS 40, BARRON COLLIER 30

BC  7 7 0 16 -- 30

NFM 7 7 6 20--40

First quarter

BC -- Dana Brown 1 run (Ryan Bloch kick) 6:47

NFM -- Zaquandre White 35 run (Ethan Bennett kick) 3:31

Second quarter

NFM -- Terry Lindsey 30 pass from Ben Pogue (Ethan Bennett kick) 6:13

BC -- Dana Brown 1 run (Ryan Bloch kick) 1:18

Third quarter

NFM -- Luis Alfonso 5 run (conversion failed) 4:42

Fourth quarter

NFM -- Fanajae Gotay 80 run (Ethan Bennett kick) 11:33

NFM -- Errick Harris 45 pass from Ben Pogue (Ethan Bennett kick) 8:06

NFM: Herb Riggins 12 pass from Ben Pogue (kick failed) 6:47

BC -- Dana Brown 6 run (Ryan Harder pass from Jacob Kuhlman) 4:17

BC -- Tyler Mansfield 45 fumble return (Dana Brown run) 2:40