High school football Week 10 roundup: Naples beats Barron Collier; Titans take the Gate
The streak continues.
Make that two streaks – two lengthy winning (or losing, depending on how you look one) streaks that are a testament to the consistency of the Naples High School football program.
After Barron Collier knocked the Golden Eagles on their heels early, Naples owned the final three quarters Friday in a 25-9 win at home in the Crosstown Showdown. It was the Eagles’ 20th consecutive victory over crosstown rival Barron Collier.
Most importantly for Naples, it clinched the Eagles’ ninth consecutive district championship. Naples also locked up a playoff berth and a first-round home game.
“It’s a big, big deal,” Naples senior linebacker Marc Viechec said of the district title, “especially when we didn’t have our star running back Chez (Mellusi) or our (starting defensive back) D’Andre (St. Jean). It was a big deal. We just decided to love each other, and we did our thing.”
The Golden Eagles were without Mellusi, who leads Collier County with 1,364 rushing yards and is committed to Clemson, because of a foot injury he suffered last week. Naples coach Bill Kramer would not disclose why St. Jean did not play.
Without Mellusi, the Eagles turned the offense over to junior Elan Sommala, who also starts in Naples’ two-back offense. Sommala rushed for 249 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.
“It didn’t faze me at all – it was just another game for me,” Sommala said. “I gotta do me, I gotta help the team win, and that’s it.”
Kramer said he and the team’s medical staff were overly precautious in holding out Mellusi. But his faith in Sommala and the Eagles’ rushing attack made him comfortable with the decision.
“(Mellusi) probably could have played. He maybe should have played,” Kramer said. “We want him for the playoffs. We want him down the road. I didn’t want him to get worse. I really didn’t think we needed him to win the game, and obviously that was the case.”
The game was for the Class 6A-District 12 title and had all the anticipation and excitement of a title bout. Friday also was the first time in the series’ 40-year history that both teams entered the game with more than five wins.
Already with their most wins in a season since 2010, the Cougars struck first. Barron Collier scored on its opening drive, a 6-yard run by Drew Powell, but failed on the two-point conversion to go up 6-0.
The Cougars got just one more field goal the rest of the way. After driving 66 yards on the game’s first possession, Barron Collier was held to 110 yards in the final 45 minutes of the game.
“We weren’t physical enough up front,” Cougars coach Mark Jackson said. “They brought the fight to us. We knew it was going to be a challenge. They have a great defense over there (at Naples).”
The Golden Eagles defense stifled Powell all night. The Barron Collier junior running back came into the game with 1,186 rushing yards and averaging 7.7 yards per carry. On Friday, Powell gained 42 yards on 16 carries (2.6 average).
Naples claimed its 20th district championship in program history. It is the 16th district title in 21 seasons under Kramer, all of them coming since 2001 (18 seasons).
“I feel proud of these guys,” Kramer said. “It was just a tremendous win. Everybody rallied around each other. We had a great work week. Our guys were really prepared and very enthusiastic.”
Records: Barron Collier 7-2, 2-1 in 6A-12; Naples 8-1, 3-0
Next games: Nov. 2 – Wauchula-Hardee at Barron Collier, Sunrise-Piper at Naples
-- Adam Fisher
Naples 25, Barron Collier 9
BC 6 3 0 0 – 9
N 7 8 3 7 – 25
First quarter
BC – Drew Powell 6 run (run failed), 9:13
N – C.J. Dietzel 33 run (Nick Herber kick), 3:10
Second quarter
BC – Ryan Bloch 40 FG, 11:08
N – Elan Sommala 18 run (Sommala run), 0:41
Third quarter
N – Herber 41 FG, 7:17
Fourth quarter
N – Sommala 7 run (Herber kick), 1:43
Golden Gate 21, Palmetto Ridge 13
at Bear Stadium
• Golden Gate drew first blood in this game on a 3 play drive. Ryan Magel found Lawerence Canton for 81 yards, and then Jouvensly Bazile carried the ball twice inside the 5 yard line and found the end zone for a touchdown.
• This game looked like it was all Golden Gate after the first half. Down 21-0, the Bears fought back and put up 13 unanswered points in the second half.
• On the final drive of the game, Colby Singletary was able to find Gensley Herard in double coverage for a clutch, 36-yard reception on 4th and 11 to keep the drive going.
• The Golden Gate defense stopped Singletary and Palmetto Ridge on 4th and 12 at the the 21-yard line, giving the Titans a much needed win after a three-game skid against three teams (Naples, Barron Collier, Riverdale) that have combined for two total losses coming into Friday's games.
• The Titans now lead the series against the Bears, 9-6.
Records: Golden Gate 6-3, Palmetto Ridge 3-6
Next games: Nov. 2 – Golden Gate vs. Gulf Coast; Palmetto Ridge vs. Lely
-- Alex Martin
GG 7 7 7 0 – 21
PR 0 0 2 11 – 13
First quarter
GG -- Jouvensly Bazile 2 run (Agustin Morales kick)
Second quarter
GG -- Gary Fortunat 72 punt return (Morales kick)
Third quarter
GG -- Bazile 2 yard run (Morales kick) 7:35
PR -- Safety, snap through end zone 3:24
Fourth quarter
PR – C.J. Moya 42 FG 7:27
PR – Ryan Ciresi 17 pass from Colby Singletary (Laurore run) 2:24
St. John Neumann 42, Oasis 17
at Cape Coral Storms Complex
• Hours before having to board a 6 a.m. flight for a recruiting trip to Air Force Academy, St. John Neumann quarterback Jensen Jones scored three more touchdowns in the second half to give him six rushing scores in the victory that had major playoff implications for both teams.
• While the Celtics (8-1) strengthened their chances to earn a top-two seed and first-round bye in the Class 2A playoffs, Oasis (5-4) may have seen its season and playoff hopes come to an end.
• After Oasis opened the second half with a scoring drive and an interception return for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-17, Jones helped answer with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that was all on the ground and ate up more than five minutes. Jones, who also holds scholarship offers from Dartmouth and others, finished with 225 yards on 27 carries and added 49 passing yards, all in the first half.
• “I think we’re just focused right now,” said the 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior, noting Neumann’s three wins in seven days that also included last week’s 48-0 rout of Community School of Naples. “I feel like all of us are on that level we need to be going into the playoffs that we preached all year.”
• “This one had me nervous all season long because they’ve got some players,” said Neumann coach Damon Jones. “Mack’s done a great job over there. But I couldn’t be prouder. They just played like animals tonight. When our kids play like they did tonight, where they tackle well and are disciplined in their assignments, we’re tough.”
Records: Neumann 8-1, Oasis 5-4
Next games: Nov. 2 -- Neumann at SFCA
-- Seth Soffian
SJN 7 14 7 14 – 42
Oasis 0 3 14 0 – 17
First quarter
SJN -- Jensen Jones 5 run (Patrik Hamann kick) 4:54
Second quarter
SJN -- Jones 33 run (Hamann kick) 7:37
O – Weston Wilson 31 FG 5:13
SJN -- Jones 7 run (Hamann kick) 2:58
Third quarter
O -- Jaheed Marcus 12 pass from Daniel Rennie (Weston Wilson kick) 8:48
O -- Marcus 45 interception return (Wilson kick) 5:51
SJN -- Jones 10 run (Hamann kick) 0:32
Fourth quarter
SJN -- Jones 2 run (Hamann kick) 8:46
SJN -- Jones 42 run (Hamann kick) 5:51
Lely 44, Cypress Lake 38
At Trojan Stadium
• The Trojans overcame blowing a 14-point lead in the first half to go on and defeat Cypress Lake 44-38 in their final home game of the season.
• “All year they’ve been fighting,” Lely coach Fritz Jacques said. “I’m happy for them. They came out and executed when it was important. We’ve been preaching finishing, and they finished tonight.”
• Sergio Morancy secured the victory for the Trojans, receiving a pass from Jonis Dieudonne in Randy Moss fashion before taking the ball 54 yards for a touchdown. The Panthers would respond with a field goal, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their deficit.
• The Panthers put together a comeback in the first half, after trailing 21-7 in the first quarter. Cypress Lake managed to outscore Lely 21-7 in the second quarter to tie the game at 28 just before the half, despite turning the ball over multiple times on offense and on special teams.
• Junior quarterback C.j. Shedd threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns, shaking off his three interceptions in the first half.
• Koby Moore and Kelsey Demps combined for 145 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Demps hauled in a touchdown and ran in a 53-yard touchdown while Moore found the end zone with a 5-yard run.
Records: Lely 2-7, Cypress Lake 4-5
Next games: Nov. 2 –Lely at Palmetto Ridge; Estero at Cypress Lake
-- Miguel Rodriguez
L 21 7 3 13 -- 44
CL 7 21 0 7 -- 38
First quarter
L – Nick Obsaint 20 pass from Jonis Dieudonne (John Liberal kick) 9:12
CL – Kelsey Demps 53 run (Brett Reed kick) 8:12
L– Schneider Natan 25 interception (Liberal kick) 5:45
L – Chevy Octa 3 pass from Dieudonne (Liberal kick) 38.1
Second quarter
CL – Koby Moore 5 run (Reed kick) 5:31
L – Octa 80 kick return (Liberal kick) 5:25
CL – Kyrie Savoy 4 pass from Shedd (Reed kick) 2:55
CL – Demps 10 pass from Shedd (Reed kick) 4.1
Third quarter
L– Jeffrey Martinez 43 field goal (6:14)
Fourth quarter
L– Dieudonne 11 run (Liberal kick) 11:54
CL – Kyrie Savoy 10 pass from Shedd (Reed kick) 8:35
L – Sergio Morancy 54 pass from Dieudonne (kick blocked) 7:07
CL– Reed 37 FG, 2:09
Gulf Coast 49, South Fort Myers 37
At Frank Tudryn Field
• Gulf Coast’s Anthony Henderson rushed for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns. His 300-plus yards took him over 1,000 yards on the season. He also completed a pass on a two-point conversion to Luke Baker.
• “The whole season, coach (Tom Scalise) has preached family,” Henderson said. “My goal was to get 1,000 yards for these guys and this O-line. I give all the credit to the offensive line. They had a heck of a game.”
• Quarterback Justin Mattia rushed for more than 110 yards and threw for more than 170 yards. Baker was his biggest recipient with 107 yards and one touchdown.
• South Fort Myers quarterback Ra’heem Gibson threw for almost 190 yards and teammate Freddie Ward rushed for almost 100 yards.
• Wolfpack wideout Malik Curtis finished with about 80 receiving yards and three touchdowns. One play would top another. On his second touchdown reception, Curtis caught it in between two Sharks with arms draped over him. The sophomore showed off his speed on the next touchdown when he returned a kickoff 80 yards in about nine seconds flat.
Records: Gulf Coast 4-5, South Fort Myers 1-8
Next games: Nov. 2 — Gulf Coast at Golden Gate; North Fort Myers at South Fort Myers
-- James Kellerman
SFM 7 10 0 20—37
GC 21 7 7 14—49
First quarter
GC — Anthony Henderson 10 run (Run failed) 7:34
GC — Eli Carter 60 run fumble recovery (Luke Baker pass from Henderson) 5:27
SFM — Malik Curtis 51 pass from Ra’heem Gibson (Kevin Leon kick) 3:57
GC — Justin Mattia 14 run (Jackson Beebe kick)
Second quarter
SFM — Julian Durham 34 pass from Gibson (Leon kick) 11:54
SFM — Leon 38 FG 7:49
GC — Henderson 71 run (Beebe kick) 4:26
Third quarter
GC — Baker 52 pass from Mattia (Beebe kick) 3:45
Fourth quarter
SFM — Curtis 32 pass from Gibson (Leon kick) 10:24
GC — Henderson 3 run (Beebe) 7:31
SFM — Freddie Ward 1 run (Leon kick) 6:15
GC — Henderson 62 run (Beebe kick) 5:21
SFM — Curtis 80 kickoff return (Ward run failed) 5:08
Moore Haven 36, First Baptist Academy 14
at First Baptist Academy
• Moore Haven’s secondary helped highlight the Terriers’ win in First Baptist Academy’s regular-season home finale.
• Dawnya Washington returned an interception 75 yards for an early Terrier score, and Jay Tullock also picked off FBA quarterback Brady Dean in the second half deep in Moore Haven real estate. That seemingly took the wind out of the proverbial sails for the Lions.
• “We had some chances to score early, but then we made some mistakes and turned it over,” First Baptist coach Billy Sparacio said. “Momentum is a big thing in football, and we definitely lost a lot of momentum right there. But I’m not taking away anything from Moore Haven. They’re a great team that is coached well.”
• Quarterback Lorenzo Sampson directed a mostly ball-control offense that nonetheless was capable of striking from anywhere. Sampson threw for a score and also had a rushing touchdown. Nate Crawford rushed for two touchdowns and 76 total yards.
• First Baptist’s Brady Dean threw for 129 yards for First Baptist. His favorite target was Kyle Batiano, who caught three passes for 80 yards.
• Colby Gonzalez rushed for 83 yards for the Lions and a late touchdown. Due to the rout, the game was at a running clock for the entire second half.
• First Baptist has a bye in the final week of the regular season next week and will likely get a playoff berth on Nov. 9. “There were some positives tonight. There always are,” Sparacio said. “We played hard in the second half and showed a lot of character. We’re going to look at the game films later on and see how we can improve."
Records: Moore Haven 7-1, First Baptist 4-5
Next games: First Baptist has completed its regular season; Nov. 2 -- Moore Haven vs. LaBelle
-- Tom Corwin
MH 6 30 0 0 -- 36
FBA 0 0 7 7 -- 14
First quarter
MH - Dawnya Washington 75 interception return (kick failed), 9:02
Second quarter
MH – Nate Crawford 54 run (Nate Crawford run)
MH – Lorenzo Sampson 14 run (kick failed), 8:08
MH – Winston Gilkes 35 pass from Sampson (Gilkes run), 6:15
MH - Nate Crawford 2 run (Crawford run), 0:30
Third quarter
FBA – Austin Edie 15 run (Taylor McCain kick), 2:28
Fourth quarter
FBA - Colby Gonzalez 18 run (Dario Araya kick), 5:29
Lehigh 45 Estero 13
Fast AC Field at Jeff Sommer Stadium
• First-half chunk plays by Lehigh put the game out of reach early. The Lightning had eight first-half plays of 10 yards or more led by quarterback D’Mateo Collins (3 for 3, 84 yards, 3 carries 91 yards) included two touchdown passes and a 25-yard touchdown run.
• Estero running back Max Bosi celebrated his senior night with a 19-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Tanner Elliott. Bosi (7 carries, 15 yards) finished the night with three catches for 32 yards.
• Lightning receiver Delshawn Green (5 catches, 120 yards) caught two first-half touchdown passes and ran for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
• Wildcats junior quarterback Elliott (16 for 38, 1 int, 175 yards) threw his second touchdown of the game to Derrick Peart before giving way to John Malooly late in the fourth quarter.
• A key turning point in the game came when Lightning defender Dequaveon Fuller partially blocked a second-quarter punt which TarVarish Dawson returned 48 yards giving Lehigh the ball deep in Estero territory leading to a score.
Records:
Next games: Nov. 2 -- Estero at Cypress Lake; Lehigh Acres at Riverdale
-- John Rinkenbaugh
L 25 14 0 6 - 45
E 7 0 6 0 - 13
First quarter
L – D’Mateo Collins 26 run (David Falleiros kick), 10:13
E – Max Bosi 18 pass from Tanner Elliott (Mason Crowell kick), 8:38
L – Delshawn Green 13 pass from Collins (kick blocked) 8:03
L – James Chaney 7 run (pass failed), 4:31
L – Adonis Delva 5 run (kick failed), :38
Second quarter
L – Green pass from Collins (Jordy Soto kick), 11:30
L – Collins 25 run (Soto kick), 10:56
Third quarter
E – Derrick Peart 5 pass from Elliott (pass failed), 9:15
Fourth quarter
L – Green 3 run (run failed)
LaBelle 68, Community School of Naples 20
at LaBelle High School
• The Cowboys took advantage of two Seahawks turnovers that were both forced by linebacker Agustin Perez as he caught an interception and forced a fumble to set up quick scores in a 34-point LaBelle first quarter.
• LaBelle quarterback Bryce Hall finished with 113 rushing yards, including a 64-yard score and tossed four touchdowns, with two each going to Enrique Hernandez and Trace Burchard.
• Senior Maynard Blackmon ran for 180 yards on 15 carries, scoring four touchdowns as the Cowboys will take momentum into a critical season finale on the road against 7-1 Moore Haven.
• Community School senior running back Zachary Hurdis was the one consistent threat for the Sharks offensively, rushing for 140 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown and caught a 77-yard screen pass for a score.
• Despite turning the ball over three times in the first half, Seahawks quarterback Dylan McNamara played a much better second half as he threw for 139 yards in the final two quarters and punched in a 2-yard touchdown run on the last play of the game.
Records: LaBelle 7-2, CSN 3-6
Next games: Nov. 2 -- LaBelle at Moore Haven; CSN at Miami Somerset Academy Silver Palms
-- Bryan Cooney
CSN 0 0 14 6 – 20
L 34 27 7 0 – 68
First quarter
L – Trace Burchard 14 pass from Bryce Hall (Enrique Hernandez kick); 10:05
L – Maynard Blackmon 10 run (kick failed); 8:47
L – Hernandez 54 pass from Hall (Hernandez kick); 7:17
L – Blackmon 5 run (Hernandez kick); 4:17
L – Hall 64 run (Hernandez kick); 2:34
Second quarter
L – Hernandez 30 pass from Hall (run failed); 11:30
L – Blackmon 1 run (Hernandez kick); 10:28
L – Fred Davis 5 run (Hernandez kick); 9:05
L – Burchard 35 pass from Hall (Hernandez kick); 4:12
Third quarter
CSN – Zachary Hurdis 7 run (Ricky Abood kick); 6:37
L – Blackmon 3 run (Hernandez kick); 1:51
Fourth quarter
CSN – Hurdis 77 pass from Dylan McNamara (Abood kick); 9:25
CSN – McNamara 2 run (kick failed); :34
Final score
Evangelical Christian 49, Marco Island Academy 6
St. John Neumann 47, Keswick Christian 8
At Keswick Christian, Tuesday
• Celtics quarterback Jensen Jones had himself a day – completing 10 of 15 passes for 217 yards and three scores in a game rescheduled from earlier this season due to lightning. He also added 10 carries for 101 yards and four more scores as the Celtics rolled to a 47-0 halftime lead against the overmatched Crusaders.
• Receiver Nyre Handy hauled in 4 catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns, while Daniel Desantis added a 38-yard touchdown catch.
• Senior Wendy Luders added 100 yards on 10 carries, as the Celtics ran for nearly 300 yards.
• Freshman kicker Katie Reinert converted on 1 of 2 PAT tries for her first career point.
• Sophomore Joseph Donohue made the most of his playing time, rushing for 63 yards on 7 carries – including a 29-yard burst.
Records: St. John Neumann 7-1, Keswick Christian 4-5
N 27 20 0 0 - 47
K 0 0 0 8 - 8
First quarter
SJN -- Jensen Jones 11 run (Patrik Hamann kick)
SJN -- Jones 38 run (kick blocked)
SJN -- Nyre Handy 35 pass from Jones (Hamann kick)
SJN -- Jones 2 run (Hamann kick)
SJN -- Daniel Desantis 38 pass from Jones (kick blocked)
Second quarter
SJN -- Handy 50 pass from Jones (Kate Reinert kick)
SJN -- Jones 5 run (Hamann kick)
Fourth quarter
KC -- Silas Schoel 21 pass (Schoel run)