FOOTBALL

High school football: Naples routs Golden Gate for a 10-peat as district champions

The sign was so tall that Bill Kramer had to stand to the side.  Then he had to drape it over some players so the entirety of it could be seen in the photos.

The sign said "10-peat" with a list of the past 10 years.

The Naples High School football coach and his team celebrated a perfect 10 and another mark for the century on Friday night.

The Golden Eagles won their 10th straight district title with a resounding, 49-14 victory at Golden Gate that made them 101-11 against county opponents since Kramer's first season in 1998.

The Naples High football team won at Golden Gate, clinching its 10th straight district championship with a 49-14 victory on Friday night.

"Unbelievable," Kramer said. "I'm just really proud — 10 years in a row. For people that have been in Naples any length of time, 22 years ago, if somebody would've said Naples is going to win 10 consecutive district championships, they'd probably have had you locked up somewhere.

"I'm just really proud of our current and former players, the foundation that was set, the culture that has been created by our coaches and our former players, and it's a tribute to that tonight."

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The players who started that streak are now in their mid- to late-20s and many of them have their own kids.

"When you're in the middle of it, you don't say 'Let's go win 10 straight district championships," said offensive coordinator Paul Horne, who was named the top assistant in the state by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association earlier this season, and has been with Kramer all 22 years."You just win each game and focus on each opponent. It's awesome."

Naples had to do it this season for the first time without defensive coordinator Sam Dollar, who left for a high school job in Oklahoma in the offseason. Cliff Greer and Mike Sawchuk have shared defensive coordinator duties this season.

"It's a testament to what Bill and we have accomplished, and Cliff stepping up and Mike stepping up and running the defense, and our guys working hard each day, year in and year out," Horne said. "That's all hard work of the guys that came before this crew, and the standards that they set.

"I'm thinking back to just all of the countless dudes, and hours that they dedicated. ... It's fun to be a part of all of this, and to see the joy that everyone takes in upholding the tradition that these guys in the early years established."

The Golden Gate High School football team hosts Naples High in Week 9 of the high school football season on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, at Golden Gate High School. The Naples High football team won at Golden Gate, clinching its 10th straight district championship.

Naples won its first district title under Kramer in 2001, the same year it became the first Southwest Florida high school to win a state title. The Golden Eagles, who added a second state title in 2007, have won it every year since then except in 2005 and 2009.

Naples also produced its 34th straight win over a district opponent. The Golden Eagles  have outscored their four opponents 180-28 this season.

"It feels great just to know that we can keep the legacy alive, and all of the young dudes to give them hope, to know what we have to keep doing and keep improving," said senior offensive lineman Mike Fangman, a Missouri State commit.

Naples will close its regular season next Friday at Immokalee, a Collier County opponent that's in Naples' district this season for the first time in a while. The Golden Eagles have a bye the last week of the season, meaning they will only play nine games, and have a week of rest heading into the playoffs.

Gulf Coast (0-19), Palmetto Ridge (0-15) and Golden Gate (0-15) have never beaten Naples. Lely is 2-20 against the Eagles since 1999 after its 45-0 loss in the Coconut Bowl last week. And Naples has won the last 21 meetings with Barron Collier.

After going 6-2 against the Eagles from 1999-2006, Immokalee is 3-9 against them the past 12 years. The Indians last beat Naples in 2013.

"The way the RPI's set up, you've got keep winning," Kramer said of facing the Indians. "We have to keep winning to secure home field."

The Naples High football team prays after their win on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, at Golden Gate High School. The Naples High won at Golden Gate, clinching its 10th straight district championship.