High school football: Barron Collier seeks revenge for 20-year losing streak to Naples

Two yards and 90 seconds.

That’s all that separated the Barron Collier High School football team from one of the biggest victories in program history; from ending a dominant district run by the most powerful program in Southwest Florida; from putting to rest all the talk about a decades-long losing streak.

Heading into Friday’s Barron Collier (7-1) at Naples High (7-1) district title tilt, the Cougars haven't beaten Naples in 20 years – 19 straight losses to the program that has won two state championships and seven regional titles in that time.

Yet last year the Cougars came close enough to break their own hearts.

Last year:Naples uses improbable comeback to beat Barron, win district

Barron Collier led Naples for 40 of the game’s 48 minutes. With 1:30 left, the Cougars failed to convert on fourth down with 2 yards to go. The Golden Eagles took over, drove 73 yards in 70 seconds, kicked a field goal with 20 seconds to win 16-15.

“It was not a good feeling,” Barron Collier running back Drew Powell said bluntly. “It became a reason for us to work even harder throughout the offseason, to finish the job this year.”

Barron Collier hasn’t beaten Naples since before the current Cougars were born, so the rivals haven’t put on much of a rivalry recently. However, the Crosstown Showdown always generates excitement.

With storylines abounding, this year’s matchup has created more buzz than any Cougars-Eagles game since perhaps 2000 – the year after Naples ended its own 10-year losing streak to Barron Collier then damaged the Cougars’ goalposts and locker rooms in a raucous celebration.

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First off, it’s a district championship game. The winner of Naples-Barron wins the Class 6A-District 12 title, an automatic playoff berth and a first-round home game.

Then there’s the memory of last year, which was the first one-point game between the two since 1987. It also was just the fifth game decided by one score since the Cougars last won in 1998. It was the first time since 2011 that Barron Collier came within seven points of Naples.

“Last year’s game was a tough loss to swallow, but this year we are coming back hungry,” Cougars two-way lineman Elkhanan Tanelus said. “We have worked hard this offseason and that will show on the field.”

To add to the anticipation, this year’s game features the most combined wins (14) between the teams at kickoff in the series’ 40-year history.

Riding a six-game winning streak after a one-point loss in Week 2, and eager for revenge after last year, the Cougars are brimming with confidence.

“The past of this rivalry does not define our team this year,” Powell said. “I’m sure we are more ready for this game than any of the teams in the past 20 years.”

Bill Kramer has coached Naples in more than half of its 37 all-time games against Barron Collier. Kramer is 19-1 against the Cougars.

However, Barron Collier coach Mark Jackson is relatively new to the rivalry. This is his fourth season with the Cougars and just his eighth in Southwest Florida. But when Jackson arrived at Barron Collier he inherited the school’s animosity toward Naples, though he said the game isn’t personal.

“I don’t hold ill will toward anyone, but I go in understanding the importance of this game,” Jackson said. “We’re constantly reminded of it by people on campus, that the last time we beat (Naples) was a long time ago.

“When I (took over at Barron) we wanted to close the gap (with Naples). We’ve done a good job doing that. We’ve gotten as close and as far as we can without flipping it around.”

To be fair to the Cougars, they aren’t the only local team that has a losing streak against Naples. Gulf Coast, which opened in 1998, and Golden Gate and Palmetto Ridge, which both opened in 2004, have never beaten the Golden Eagles. Lely is 2-18 against Naples since 1999.

Naples has had just as much success in its district recently. The Golden Eagles have won eight straight district championships, going 29-0 against league opponents since 2010.

Despite the dominance, the Eagles still take district games very seriously and consider Barron Collier a potent rival.

“It’s really great to get to play for another district championship,” Naples quarterback Drew Wiltsie said. “We really need to focus this week – just focus, focus, focus. We need to put all of our effort into this week, go out there and drive on them and just beat them.”

Kramer said he’s seen a difference in his team in practice as the Eagles prepare for their biggest game of the year so far.

“We’ve had our best work week of the year,” Kramer said. “The tempo and effort have been terrific. We’re really fortunate to be in the position we’re in, to be able to play for a championship at home on Friday night.”