Football Week 4: Dunbar downs Fort Myers in 2 OTs; Verot, Cape Coral, Mariner, CSN stay unbeaten

A roundup of Week 4 Southwest Florida high school football games from Thursday, Sept. 14, and Friday, Sept. 15.

FRIDAY

Dunbar 40, Fort Myers 39 (2 OT)

No two Lee County high school football teams consistently produce a “you had to see it to believe it” showcase quite like Fort Myers and Dunbar.

The 2023 edition of the Edison Corridor Showdown featured a borderline fumble returned for a score, a touchdown that shouldn’t have been, a highlight-reel 85-yard punt return, a blocked overtime extra point that kept the game alive and finally, a first-year starting quarterback buying time like a veteran to deliver the winning two-point conversion pass.

The result? Dunbar 40, Fort Myers 39 in double overtime.

The winners? Anyone lucky enough to be inside North Law Firm Stadium on what proved to be an unforgettable Friday evening.

“Fort Myers-Dunbar, that’s what you get every year,” Tigers coach Sammy Brown said. “This is really a rivalry. Throw the records out the window, everything’s out the window. You get a great ballgame and that’s what we gave the fans.”

The victory gave Dunbar (3-1, 1-0) an early boost in District 3S-15 and also delayed the Green Wave’s quest to become just the fourth Florida high school program to reach 700 all-time wins.

Fort Myers (2-2, 0-1) mustered fewer than 50 yards of offense in a snoozefest of a first half that saw Dunbar take a 7-3 lead into the break.

Senior wide receiver Eric Fletcher’s 16-yard touchdown catch made it 14-3 early in the second half and when Fort Myers quarterback Chris McFoley tossed his second interception of the game a few plays later, it looked like the Tigers were firmly in control.

But then Fort Myers-Dunbar things started happening.

First, highly-touted freshman Jyden German scooped up what was ruled to be a fumble off a backward pass and raced 33 yards for a touchdown that cut the Green Wave’s deficit to 14-11.

A 38-yard catch and run by Dunbar senior wide receiver T.J. Abrams put the Tigers up 20-11 heading into the final quarter. But Fort Myers narrowed the deficit again on sophomore Madrid Tucker’s 26-yard touchdown run, a play that officials allowed to continue, ruling Tucker landed on the tackler and never touched the ground. Video of the play showed Tucker’s knee hitting the turf but the scoreboard showed Dunbar 20, Fort Myers 18.

With just under three minutes remaining, the Tigers again appeared poised to put the game on ice when Fletcher fielded a punt at his own 15-yard line and weaved through a stream of Fort Myers defenders for a scintillating 85-yard touchdown. But Dunbar missed the extra-point attempt, making it 26-18.

Tucker delivered again, hauling in an 18-yard touchdown pass from McFoley and then running in the 2-point conversion with just over one minute left to tie the game at 26-26 and set up overtime.

Dunbar got the ball first in overtime and on fourth down, junior quarterback Austin Price threw the ball up to Fletcher who outleaped German and came down with the 4-yard touchdown. The Green Wave stuffed the Tigers’ two-point conversion run attempt, keeping the score 32-26.

Fort Myers needed just two plays to tie the score and did so on McFoley’s 8-yard touchdown run. All the Green Wave needed was the extra point. But a trio of Dunbar defenders broke through the line and blocked junior kicker Vaughn Lennon’s attempt, sending the game to a second overtime.

“We just didn’t have good protection,” Fort Myers coach Sam Sirianni Jr. said. “I don’t know if they were just too excited. I thought about a timeout but then you break the rhythm. I thought (Dunbar) may have been a little down so don’t let them regroup.”

The Green Wave took a 39-32 lead on a 2-yard run by McFoley and Lennon’s PAT.

On Dunbar’s first play of the second overtime, Price connected with sophomore Javirin Singleton for a 10-yard scoring pass. Having already missed two extra-point kicks in regulation, the Tigers opted to go for two points and the victory.

Price took the shotgun snap, started rolling to his right but was pressured and cut back to his left when he spotted Abrams and lofted the ball over a leaping Fort Myers defender for the decisive conversion.

“We knew once we got the ball in the second overtime, we weren’t going into a third overtime,” Price said. “We had to win the game right there. We had to get the ball to our playmakers and that’s what we did.”

Dunbar Takeaways

1. Tigers successfully walk the tightrope. Dunbar won its fourth consecutive game over Fort Myers, despite committing more than a dozen penalties for 100-plus yards, turning the ball over four times, botching a punt attempt and missing two PATs. A big reason why is the Tigers had the best two playmakers on the field in Abrams and Fletcher.

2. The area’s best receiving duo shines in the spotlight. Abrams, a Florida commit, and Fletcher, an East Carolina commit, combined for five touchdowns, three through the air, one on the ground and Fletcher’s punt return. “Those guys, they make plays, play after play,” Brown said. “They are incredible.”

3. The Price is right. The junior quarterback showed a ton of poise, passing for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns. Abrams, who caught the game-winning two-point conversation, said Price’s quick-thinking made his heroics possible. “We practice the scramble drill all the time and if he hadn’t put that in his mind, he wouldn’t have seen me,” he said. Abrams added that Price’s clutch performance was just what the team needed and showed his improvement four games into his first year as a starter. “We’re definitely tough on him in practice and get on him about making good throws,” Abrams said. “We just want him to be great and he’s showing that now.”

Fort Myers Takeaways

1. The Green Wave squandered early scoring chances. Fort Myers moved the ball into Dunbar territory on its first three drives but was only able to come away with three points. “You leave them enough touches with their playmakers and you’re going to pay,” Sirianni Jr. said. “We’re only up three points and the whole game was in their end and that came back to haunt us.”

2. Fort Myers got beat in the trenches. The Green Wave struggled to move the ball on the ground and protect McFoley in the passing game. “They took it to us a little bit physically,” Sirianni Jr. said. “They’ve got a lot of great skill players but I always think it’s who wins in the trenches. And for the majority of this game, that’s where they beat us.”

3. McFoley had a big second half. Early in the third quarter, the senior quarterback had rushed 15 times for 20 yards and completed 5-of-13 passes for 12 yards and two interceptions. But McFoley connected on six of his next eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for both Green Wave scores in each overtime but it wasn’t enough. “Obviously it didn’t work out the way we wanted it to but we’ve got to move on. A loss is just a loss. We’ve just got to move on. We’re still in playoff contention.”

— Dan DeLuca

Bishop Verot 49, First Baptist 22

As Bishop Verot safety Leroy Roker laid the boom on First Baptist running back Teagan Gonzalez out of the backfield late in the second quarter, it sent a clear message.

The Vikings may have taken a personal foul on the play which led to an FBA score right before halftime, but Roker’s hit was a microcosm of how big the gap is in Southwest Florida between No. 1 and the rest of the field.

Bishop Verot silenced the Lions Friday night, winning 49-22 at Viking Stadium. With three straight running clock wins over top-five opponents in Southwest Florida, the Vikings have asserted themselves as the area’s undisputed top team.

“All this team can be right now is 4-0,” Bishop Verot coach Richie Rode said. “We’ve got to continue to maintain the same approach. We’ve got to continue to put the work and effort in like we have. I know it’s coach speak and all of that, but we’ve literally got to stay focused on each day, moving to 5-0, and progressing from there. None of that matters though if we don’t take care of our district.”

First Baptist’s defense came out strong, taking advantage of a sluggish Verot offense to begin the game. Verot running back Deshon Jenkins was bottled up, and the Lions were making the right reads against Carter Smith and the Vikings to keep the game tied at 0 after 12 minutes of action.

“It was frustrating in the moment,” Rode said. “But looking back on it, championship ballclubs don’t always have their best. You can’t expect everybody to play their best every quarter, all year, 10 games and so forth. To be able to see us struggle but then dig deep and pull ourselves out of it. The mood on the sidelines was good, we just kinda had the defensive mojo. Our leaders stepped up and made some plays. Our defense kept us in the game.”

Logan Bartley capped off a drive in which the Lions drew first blood in the contest, scoring from a yard out as FBA took an 8-0 lead after the first play of the second quarter.

From there, the horse that is Verot’s offense got out of the stable and never looked back. Rode’s group outgained the Lions 477-188 after 48 minutes.

Bishop Verot Takeaways

1. Switch flipped. The Vikings turned it on in the final 12 minutes before halftime as lightning loomed inland. Ryan Gadson gave the team a huge spark with a 49-yard touchdown run on the very first play after FBA’s score, followed by a Leroy Roker 89-yard touchdown run on Verot's second play after Gadson's score. From there, Josh Vogelbach’s offense was clicking, scoring on seven straight possessions to take a 33-14 lead at the break before opening it up to 49-14 in the third quarter.

“The (offense) knew that their teammates were picking them up, and to be doing well in other phases, they knew they had to carry their own weight,” Rode said. “They had to stop putting them back out on the field. Then once you hit something and have a little momentum, it obviously helped. They’re a tight-knit group and they play for each other. They don’t point fingers.”

2. The Lion King. After posting a running clock against Dunbar, Smith was dubbed as the Tiger King after scoring 7 total touchdowns in a 49-14 blowout. Smith again asserted his will on another team with a feline for a mascot, completing 15 of 24 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns, adding 43 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground.

“We started off really slow, and you could tell our guys were upset about it,” Smith said. “The second quarter was better. We got into the locker room, talked everything out, figured it out, came back out like it was a normal game, and did what we needed to do.”

3. Strong defensive effort. Outside of a penalty-aided drive that started with a controversial defensive pass interference call against Parker Turner and another score with Verot’s backups in the game against FBA starters, Dave Villegas’s defense has allowed 14 or fewer points in meaningful time against three strong opponents in Port Charlotte, Dunbar, and First Baptist. The pressures were getting home, forcing First Baptist quarterback Ethan Crossan to rush a few throws.

“From January on, we figured it all out but didn’t see it,” Villegas said. “From January on, these kids have worked so hard in the weight room, all spring, all summer. They play with a relentless effort. They’re such hard workers, and they’re coachable. They’re phenomenal.

“That felt good. We had this one earmarked for a while. We wanted for the lack of a better word, payback. I think we were a lot better than what we showed last year. I was just really happy for them to get what they deserve.”

First Baptist Takeaways

1. Tall order. The Lions just couldn’t sustain long drives against the Vikings, and couldn’t match Verot score for score, especially in the second quarter. Once the running clock hit in the third quarter, Crossan completed 13 of 26 passes for 93 yards with a touchdown, adding 5 rushing yards on four attempts. Crossan finished the game by completing 22 of 38 passes for 161 yards with a pair of touchdown passes, adding on 11 rushing yards.

2. Inability to connect deep. The Lions struggled to work downfield against Verot’s secondary, whether it was drops or Verot’s pressure getting home to force rushed passes. Crossan opted to take what he was given more often than not, relying on the FBA receivers to create after the catch. Verot’s secondary tackled well, as Andrew Azunque was the lone receiver to eclipse 50 receiving yards, with six of those catches for 44 yards coming against Verot’s second-team defense. No. 1 receiver Jayden Petit was held in check for the most part against Gadson, as he caught six passes for 34 yards and a touchdown on double-digit targets.

3. No Sam Sparacio. The starting running back, who gives the Lions a dynamic weapon out of the backfield, was held out of the game with a left ankle injury, dating back to their game against Estero in the season opener on Aug. 25. The Lions’ run game may have been able to establish itself more than it did, as the team ran for 27 yards on 16 attempts (1.69 yards per carry) with Bartley rushing for 22 yards on seven attempts.

— Alex Martin

Cape Coral 20, Cypress Lake 6

The Seahawk defense once again prevailed, keeping the team undefeated at 4-0.

Both teams were slow to get going. After each team had a long first-quarter drive, Cape managed to get only as far as the 20-yard line. Blake Thomas finished off that drive with a 37-yard field goal, making it 3-0. Thomas was called upon again early in the second, this time booting a field goal from 26 yards.

The Seahawks reached the end zone for the first time midway through the second quarter. Tight end Maddox Howerton ran a slant route from left to right while quarterback Ivan Harvin rolled left. Howerton signaled that he was open and Harvin threw the ball. Howerton caught it at the 5-yard line and ran it in, making it 12-0.

The Panthers broke the shutout late in the third quarter with a 29-yard touchdown run by E.J. Codie. He recovered from catching a low snap, took the ball around the left side, and carried it all the way, turning it into a 12-6 ballgame.

Early in the fourth, Ta'Darien Green caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Harvin. then in the closing minutes, a fumble in the end zone gave Cape 2 points for a safety.

Cypress Lake Takeaways

1. The defense kept the Panthers in the game by running stunts on the defensive line. This kept the Cape offense off-balance and resulted in several tackles for loss.

"It looked like we were confused on how to block them," Cape coach Larry Gary said. "Hell, I do the same thing. That's what we do."

2. Penalties eliminated Cypress Lake's initiative on multiple occasions. On a second-quarter drive, the Panthers were backed up to their own 5 and punted to their own 21. Then in the fourth, more offensive penalties led to a turnover on downs with 8 minutes left.

3. The Panthers had a few second-half drives that showed some promise, but they both ended in turnovers. One ended with a Tyler Rehm interception, the other with a fumble.

"Everything. Holding penalties, pretty much any penalty that comes down to it, turning the ball over," Cypress Lake coach Joey Mendes said. "Those are all the little things that you've got to clean up."

Cape Coral Takeaways

1. The defense did it again, holding another opponent to under 10 points, which they have done in all 4 games this season. Gary took the blame himself for the game not being a shutout.

"I made a bad call," Gary said. "I should've called this and I called that. I got a little greedy with it and put them in a position where they got scored on. But overall, they're pretty damn good. They play hard and they run to the ball."

2. Gary was concerned after the game with the numerous fouls committed by his team. With more difficult opponents coming up, the offense will have to make less mistakes if they hope to continue their success. After all, Gary said, committing errors just makes things harder on themselves.

"We played hard and I know they want to win, but we've got to have a little more mental discipline, self-discipline, so they don't have to work as hard," Gary said. "We've still got work to do. These next ball games, it's going to get a little challenging each week from here on out. And we must improve."

3. Howerton is becoming a favorite target of Harvin's. After the game, Harvin tweeted "My travis kelce!", making reference to the Kansas City Chiefs tight end.

− Dave Montrose

Lemon Bay 34, North Fort Myers 33

Linebacker Christian Weber and his North Fort Myers teammates celebrated in the end zone following his fumble return for a touchdown in Friday night’s game against Lemon Bay.

The strip-sack and score appeared to strike a mortal blow at the Mantas Rays’ hopes of starting the 2023 season 4-0.

The Mantas responded to the latest momentum swing in a game full of them with a body blow of their own and went on to pull out a 34-33 victory on the road against a Red Knights squad that is significantly better than its now 0-4 record.

Let’s reset: When Weber turned Lorenzo Mauceri’s fumble into a defensive touchdown, it gave North Fort Myers a 33-28 lead. It was a deflating turn of events coming on the heels of Lemon Bay’s surge from a 20-6 deficit to a 28-20 lead.

In a game of miscues and copious amounts of penalties, it appeared as if Lemon Bay had shot itself in the foot one too many times.

But as it had done when it fell behind the first time, Lemon Bay went to work.

During an eight-play, 62-yard drive, the Mantas pounded the Red Knights up front, breaking off chunks of real estate by Landon Spanninger, Joe Scott (who tallied five touchdowns in the win) and Mauceri.

The run focus caught North Fort Myers on its heels when Mauceri connected with Asher Spring for a 39-yard catch-and-run into the red zone.

Still, North Fort Myers was confident enough in its own offensive big-play ability and its defense that it opted to punt in Lemon Bay territory with 4:19 remaining in the game.

They never got the ball back. Scott and Spanninger kept the chains moving, even after the Red Knights called all three of their timeouts, and Lemon Bay ran out the clock to seal the victory.

Both of North Fort Myers’ primary running backs eclipsed the century mark. Andre Devine ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns while Virgil Maloy ran for 116 yards and a score.

Mariner 36, Riverdale 19

Lost fumbles on its first two possessions doomed Riverdale's hopes of scoring an upset.

Riverdale was moving the ball smartly downfield when Mariner’s Javon Lambert recovered a Riverdale fumble at the Raider 48. On the next play, Tritons quarterback Noah Tolbert spotted Kaelen Davidson streaking down the sideline for a 48-yard touchdown pass.

Less than three minutes later, Mariner scored again after another Raider fumble when Tolbert hit Marcus Kelley, Jr. on a 26-yard hook and lateral.  Tolbert tossed the ball 8 yards downfield to Justin Lewis.  Lewis turned and pitched the ball to Kelley who covered the remaining 18 yards for the touchdown.

Riverdale refused to go away, using its running tandem of Cole Hayes and Lovensky Blanchard to score two touchdowns to pull the Raiders within one.

Mariner put one more score on the board just before the half when Tolbert threw a 7-yard fade to a diving Lewis.  Tolbert ran in a 2-point conversion to put the Tritons up 22-13.

The heavens opened at halftime and the Tritons made their first mistake of the game.

The Raiders blocked a Mariner punt and lineman Jean Joseph scooped the ball up and rumbled into the end zone making it a three-point game.

Mariner decided to focus on its run game led by Tolbert who threw his third touchdown pass of the game and then ended any doubt with a 28-yard touchdown run on a bootleg.

“We have a feisty bunch but we’re so young, we just don’t know how to finish,” said Raiders head coach Kendoll Gibson.

Mariner’s key to victory, keep it simple. “We’ve had limited practice because of the heat and the weather so we try to keep things simple and just let our athletes play ball,” said Tritons head coach Josh Nicholson.

Mariner remains undefeated at 4-0 with a homecoming match with Bonita Springs next week. Riverdale is looking for its first win of the season and will travel to Cypress Lake next week.

Mariner Takeaways

1. Quarterback Noah Tolbert (10-15-0, 197 yards) is the real deal.  Tolbert threw three touchdown passes and ran for another.  The Triton signal caller ended the night with 136 yards on the ground on 15 carries. That’s 333 yards of total offense.  “Tolbert is a dog.  He played the whole second half with a bruised shoulder,” said Nicholson.

2. The Tritons took the wraps off its running game in the second half.  Nicholson said when the rain came they had to challenge their team. “The rain started to come they started looking around and I said good teams win in these conditions,” said Nicholson. Mariner ended the night with 222 yards on the ground.

3. Being undefeated, Coach Nicholson is working on keeping his squad focused.  “We talk to these guys about staying level-headed and staying humble and continue to improve, that’s what it’s about,” said Nicholson.

Riverdale Takeaways

1. The Riverdale ground game is going to keep the Raiders in every game.  Running backs Cole Hayes (22 carries, 110 yards 1TD) and Lovensky Blanchard (10 carries, 74 yards 2TD’s) give Riverdale a nice inside, outside combo.  Blanchard could have joined Hayes with 100 plus yards had a 48-yard touchdown run not been called back due to a holding penalty.

2. The Raider special teams played Jekyll and Hyde.  The blocked punt and resulting touchdown kept Riverdale in the game.  But problems with the long snap cost the Raiders three extra points and a short field goal try.  Add to botched snaps on Riverdale punts and the Raider punter barely escaped getting their kicks blocked at least three times.

3.  The Raiders showed a lot of guts after getting down 14-0 early against a heavily favored Mariner squad. Gibson said it seems like his team has started every game this season with turnovers.  “We got punched in the mouth early and suffered a couple of turnovers early but our boys continued to fight," Gibson said.

− John Rinkenbaugh

Estero 21, Island Coast 6

The Estero football team learned Friday night that the best offense is a defense that produces turnovers.

The Wildcats picked off Island Coast quarterback Rex Elliott twice in the first quarter and returned both for touchdowns, leading to an Estero victory in Jeff Sommer Stadium in Estero.

Gervaris Leaphart led Island Coast (1-3) with 80 yards rushing.

Even though the Wildcats moved the ball a lot with passing, Malik Allen did manage 95 yards rushing. Matthew Wilson completed 8-of-13 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.

“A win is a win, and we’ll take it,” said Estero coach Darren Nelson. “It was by far not one of our prettiest wins. The defense had a good game plan, and we executed it well. We got a little worn down on defense, especially when we were out there for most of the first quarter.”

With six interceptions, Island Coast coach Tyran Jones felt it was easy to see where the problem was.

“Turnovers and injuries are killing us,” Jones said. “But we’ve got to keep looking forward. We feel we were our own worst enemy tonight. Our wounds were self-inflicted.”

The Gators moved the ball about 20 yards on their opening drive before Estero came up with a big pick. Luke Ghannam stepped in front of an Elliott pass and ran it back 48 yards to put the Wildcats up 7-0.

Less than two minutes later, Michael Lau intercepted a hurried Elliott and ran it back 38 yards for a 14-0 Estero lead.

Island Coast Takeaways

1. The Gators aided the Wildcats with a short field. The Wildcats began their opening possession on a kickoff at their own 48-yard line. A punt deep in Gator territory also gave Estero possession inside the 20 twice in the second quarter.

2. Island Coast got within the Estero 20-yard line only three times in the entire game. Late in the first half, the Gators mounted a drive but Drew Arrington ended it with an interception at the Estero 10-yard line. Elliott has thrown for 11 interceptions in the last two games.

3. Jones saw a few notable performances in the game, including Leaphart and inside linebacker Anthony Harris.

Estero Takeaways

1. Nelson was worried about Estero’s performance in the red zone. “We’ve had opportunities to score, but we haven’t been able to punch it in,” Nelson said. “We are not executing like we are accustomed to. We’ve got to figure out why that is.”

2.  Allen responded well after an injured ankle last week. “As far as his ankle goes, he just gutted it out tonight,” Nelson said. “He looked good running the ball.”

3. Thanks to plenty of defensive pressure, Estero held the Gators to only 72 yards of offense in the first half.

− Tom Corwin

LaBelle 28, Gateway Charter 0

Friday night's football game between LaBelle and Gateway Charter was briefly delayed by thunder and lightning.

Once the game began, LaBelle unleashed its own thunder and lightning en route to a 28-0 victory.

Senior Isaac Santamaria had 11 carries for 156 yards and a pair of electric touchdowns while Immokalee transfer Darian Robinson ran for 101 yards and a score on 17 attempts.

"I call them my thunder and lightning," LaBelle coach Maurice McClain said. "We just had to come up with a scheme to make it work. Both kids are willing to feed off each other. They're not selfish, and they're doing a great job working together."

When a holding penalty negated a 22-yard run by Santamaria, he took the ball on the next play 58 yards to put the Cowboys up 28-0 late in the third quarter. Santamaria even threw a touchdown pass with a 19-yard strike to William Smith just before halftime.

"He's a special kid. He's a Swiss Army knife, just a lot of talent," McClain said. "He's humble and willing to work and grind, and do what's best for the team."

The win improves LaBelle to 3-1 ahead of its matchup with Miami Florida Christian next week.

LaBelle Takeaways

1. Dominant defense: The LaBelle defense was dominant for most of the night, holding Gateway to 38 yards of total offense. The Cowboys sacked Gateway quarterback Juan Ibarra three times, with freshman Marquay Bradshaw recording a pair. In addition to the sacks, the Cowboys had seven additional tackles for loss.

"We have a great defensive coordinator who loves to watch film and scheme," McClain said. "The kids are buying in."

2. Cowboys future is bright: "We're senior-heavy, but we are still very young," McClain said before adding that 25 freshmen dress for varsity games. That includes quarterback Zachary Campbell, whose 43-yard completion to senior Nathan Alvarado in the second quarter set up Santamaria's first touchdown, a scamper of 32 yards.

"It's looking bright," McClain said of Campbell's future at quarterback and lauded his athleticism as a multi-sport athlete. "He's also willing to work and put in the time to study film."

3. Too many penalties: The margin of victory could have been greater, but the Cowboys were penalized 16 times for 120 yards. Eleven of those penalties were either offsides or false starts.

"We really preach discipline," McClain said. "We're really preaching holding yourself accountable. At the end of the day, you made that mistake and you've got to be accountable.

"We've been trying to hard on self-inflicted wounds, just shooting ourselves in the foot. That just blows a whole drive. Not to take anything away from Gateway, but if we play a tougher opponent that's in the game with you, one mistake can cost you a whole game."

Gateway Charter takeaways

1. Turnovers killed the Griffins: Not many teams will win when they turn the ball over five times, and Gateway Charter coach Ben Daley knows they need to clean that up. Two turnovers came on special teams with a muffed punt at the 2-yard line that led to an easy plunge by Robinson and failing to scoop a short kickoff.

"It was another sloppy game," Daley said. "Silly mental mistakes. We're beating ourselves and teams are just sitting back and waiting for us to make mistakes. That's on me and the coaching. We've got to be better."

2. Consistency and discipline: The Griffins (1-3) were coming off a dominant 45-0 win over Trinity Prep from Winter Park, but couldn't get rolling on Friday. Just when you thought the Griffins would get something going, they'd have a penalty, loss of yards or fumble. The wet conditions led to six Gateway fumbles, losing three of them.

"We had a great drive from the 20 down to the other 20 and then had three straight penalties," Daley said. "There's no play for third-and-25.

"We were doing well between the 20s, but then we get into the red zone and can't execute."

3. Defense held its own: The Griffins defense did a commendable job of preventing a running clock. One bright spot was senior defensive tackle Franklin Gutierrez, who had several tackles for loss and even fought through a mid-game shoulder injury.

"The defense was on the field for most of the game and the score doesn't reflect the defense's effort," Daley said. "Franklin is a hog. Hats off to him. He played his butt off."

− Ron Clements

South Fort Myers 41, East Lee County 7

A dominant first half led to a district win for the Wolfpack.

South limited the explosive East Lee offense to one score while picking off four passes. Offensively, it was the Victor Jenkins show – the junior running back produced more than 200 yards of offense and scored two touchdowns for the Wolfpack.

South quarterback Chase Enguita had a goal-line score and threw two touchdown passes to help his team build a 27-0 lead at halftime. His night was over midway through the third quarter.

The Jaguars were able to get on the board with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Gary Hagan to Victor Georges in the third quarter. It was a better effort after halftime for the team, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the Wolfpack.

In the fourth quarter, South's Jarri Gibson rushed for a 15-yard score, and backup quarterback Will Bichler hit Quinn Enguita, who raced down the sideline for a 91-yard touchdown.

South Fort Myers (3-1) will enter their bye week before traveling to face Immokalee.

“Got three phases together and real happy that we were able to come away with the W, especially against East Lee,” head coach Willis May said.

East Lee County falls to 1-3 and will face another district opponent on the road in Fort Myers after their bye week.

South Fort Myers takeaways

1. Victor Jenkins showed out on both sides of the ball. He rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown just in the first half, and had a strong receiving night, catching 4 passes for 66 yards and a score.

Not content to be a one-way player, he also intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter, which he followed up with a 35-yard run on the very next play.

“He’s a special player,” May said. “He works real hard, and not only on the football field – in the classroom, the person he is, I mean I can’t say enough good things about Victor.”

2. The South defense is continuing to wreak havoc. They held their opponent to 7 points or less for the third consecutive week. That meant keeping East Lee running back Lazaro Rogers in check after a 257-yard performance a week ago.

The secondary also shined with Jenkins and Justin White coming up with interceptions and Michael McDonald grabbing two.

“Defense has been outstanding all year,” May said. “I can’t say enough – Coach (Matt) Holderfield, the defensive staff, and our guys on that side of the ball – they’ve done an excellent job this year of just keeping people out of the end zone and just playing technique and just doing what the coaches are telling them to do.”

3. The offense rebounded from last week. The Wolfpack came away with a big road win against North Fort Myers, but the offense put up just 14 points. On Friday, they nearly doubled that by halftime.

Chase Enguita played efficiently, going 10-of-13 for 116 yards and two touchdowns – a 20-yard dump off to Jenkins and a 10-yard pass to Joshua Raphael.

“After last week, we weren’t very happy with the way we played, and we came back, worked real hard all week, had good practices and it showed today,” May said. “The guys were executing a little bit better.”

East Lee County takeaways

1. The Jaguars were much more productive in the second half. Their quarterbacks went from no completed passes to 5 for 163 yards in the second half.

Georges was a consistent threat downfield with a 100-yard game.

“I talked to them about believing in themselves and not giving up on themselves because that’s the things that we struggle with right now,” head coach Herbans Paul said.

2. Rogers came off the field after being shaken up, but was able to get back in the game. Southwest Florida’s leading rusher went down after his helmet got grabbed and his chin strap got stuck on his throat, but he was able to come back in the game and finish.

He went for 83 yards on 22 carries.

3. Paul is focused on his team learning to become more resilient. No matter how much better they executed in the second half, the early deficit proved too much to overcome.

“We got to figure out a way to stay together in any situation no matter what it is, even if we’re doing real well or we’re doing real bad,” he said. “That’s what a team is.”

− Dustin Levy

Tampa Catholic 55, Lehigh 19

Lehigh had a case of ‘fumbleitis’ as the Lightning had five fumbles on the night, in which one resulted in a short field for the Knights to score the first points of the game, and another occurred when the Lightning (0-4) snapped the ball into the end zone and a Knights’ defender fell on the ball to make the score 14-0.

After Tampa Catholic (2-1) methodically drove the ball down the field in the second quarter for another Knights touchdown, the Lehigh offense emerged with junior quarterback Dorian Mallary providing a spark on offense. Late in the second quarter, Mallery found junior TJ Smith on a slant for a 25-yard touchdown pass. Despite Tampa Catholic blocking the extra point, the momentum shifted in Lehigh’s favor. After the Lightning defense forced a three-and-out, Mallary found junior Marquan Young in the middle of the end zone for his second touchdown pass of the night to make the score 21-13.

Unfortunately, the Lightning defense, who had been playing strong, gave up a 40-yard bomb by Tampa Catholic’s senior quarterback Trey Hedden to wide receiver TJ Moore just as the half expired. In the second half, the Knights opened the game up by capitalizing on the turnovers committed by Lehigh to give them a convincing victory.

Lehigh Takeaways

1. Mallary completed seven passes for 190 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Three of his passes fell through the hands of his speedy receivers. Mallary rushed 13 times for 92 yards.

2. The offensive turnovers put the Lehigh defense with their backs to the goal line on a few occasions. Despite being forced to play most of the first half on their side of the field, the Lightning defense held strong, broke up passes, and even got a big goal-line stop early in the first quarter.

−Melvin Whitlock

Community School of Naples 37, Oasis 13

Oasis led 10-7 at the half but the Seahawks were able to dominate all phases for the last 24 minutes besides a stopped fourth-down conversion to open the third quarter. After giving up excellent field position, CSN was able to block a 38-yard field goal which led to a Sean McNamara touchdown. His older brother, Bobby, was also able to find the end zone when he made a one-handed catch down the sideline, then shimmied back toward the middle of the field making a man miss.

CSN sophomore quarterback Cale Austin threw for over 280 yards while finding five different receivers. He added two rushing touchdowns of his own on quarterback sneaks in each half.

Oasis had momentum in the first half, getting on the board first when quarterback Parker Smith found Tommy Murphy with a 25-yard touchdown. These would be the first points CSN gave up this season. After Smith put up over 150 yards in the first half, CSN’s front seven provided pressure making the Sharks' passing game disappear. In the second half, Smith went 6 for 21 for 82 yards. George Haseotes and Ben Varga each got a sack for the Seahawks.

CSN was able to open the run game. Charlie Youngs and Liam Casey combined for over 150 yards with the longest run of the night being Casey’s 69-yard touchdown to put the game on ice.

CSN Takeaways

1. The defense continues to be a strong spot for the Seahawks. Oasis came into this game with 92 points scored in their previous three games, after giving up a touchdown early in the second quarter they were able to get multiple fourth down stops resulting in turnovers along with an Isaiah Allen interception. The Seahawks' defense also showed resilience holding the Sharks to a field goal after Oasis drove down the field on a 14-play drive.

2. The two-headed attack of Casey and Youngs on the ground opened the passing game for Smith. Along with the help from the big guys up front, the offense totaled over 320 yards on offense. The field position game was also won with the offense’s ability to put together first down after first down in the second half.

3. After the blocked field goal early in the third quarter, the crowd was able to feed into the momentum shift, and the players capitalized by making explosive plays on both sides of the ball. They had multiple plays over 50 yards and on defense were able to dominate the line of scrimmage.

Oasis Takeaways

1. In the first half the Sharks defense forced five punts, but the offense wasn’t able to capitalize off all the opportunities. "We had one opportunity to really take hold of the game, but we let the opportunity slip and that’s what happens when you play a really good opponent,” said head coach Jason Grain.

2. The Sharks showed no quit. In their final possessions, they put together chances to score but weren’t able to piece anything together. They had a few dropped balls and balls just out of the reach of their fingertips.

3. “One week at a time,” said Grain. The Sharks are looking forward to building off the positives this week like the running game that is led by junior Fred Harley. The defense proved that they could keep up with and contain powerful offenses like CSN’s but need to do it for all four quarters.

− Ty Maranzatto

Lely 46, Southeast 13

Like most freshmen, Nino Joseph never really thought he’d get such an opportunity so quickly, but Trojans coach Ben Hammer didn’t hesitate when the team’s leading ground-gainer, sophomore Jayvian Tanelus, went down with an injury Friday night.

Joseph rewarded him with 142 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, helping Lely (2-2) score 39 unanswered points and roll past the host Seminoles (0-4) at John Kiker Memorial Stadium.

“Freshmen on varsity don’t really touch the field like that,” Joseph said. “When you get that opportunity, you gotta go hard for it.”

The 5-foot-7, 160-pound rookie had pretty much remained a secret through three games.

“I only let Nino play one quarter (in the JV games) because as a freshman, he’s our true (varsity) backup,” Hammer said. “But he came in and carried the load and didn’t think twice. His legs just keep churning.”

Tanelus (14 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD) departed late in the first half with what Hammer called “an injury to his lower extremities.” He already has 458 yards and six TDs in four weeks.

By that point, though, the Trojans had built a comfortable 19-7 lead, despite their offense controlling the ball for less than eight minutes.

Colin Raymond’s 16-yard pass to Loveguens Avena had tied it after the ’Noles had driven 80 yards in 15 plays on the game’s opening drive, and a pair of short-field chances (Osyrus Boykin’s interception return to Southeast’s 23 and a short punt to the 32) produced Tanelus’ 2-yard score and Luca Rama’s 35-yard toss to senior Joshua Philogene.

Joseph had breakaways of 20 and 24 yards on the first of those drives.

Raymond (8-of-12, 61 yards) threw three of Lely’s four TD passes, capped by a 2-yard strike to Gage Rice and a 12-yarder to Kevin Guzman that pushed the Trojans’ advantage to 32-7 midway through the third quarter.

Lely Takeaways

1. Hudson Switken, a sophomore, handled most of the Trojans’ extra-point and punting duties, but senior Emiliano Nicasio boomed five consecutive kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. “Our kicking coach is a soccer coach, so we actually have five senior kickers and (Switken),” Hammer said. “Four of the seniors are out for the first time, and none of them are bad.”

2. Both of Lely’s wins are on the road, but Hammer hasn’t been happy with his team’s slow starts, including this one: “We’ve gotta do a better job of getting off the bus. … We left a lot out here. We can be a better team than what we were tonight.”

3. The Trojans’ defense allowed 10 first downs and 214 total yards before the half – but no more first downs and only 27 yards until the game’s final two minutes. “Our defense played great in the second half,” Hammer said. “We did a great job running to the ball and getting off blocks.”

− Donnie Wilkie

Port Charlotte 62, Ida Baker 0

PORT CHARLOTTE − Going up against a powerful Port Charlotte team wasn’t going to be an easy task for Ida Baker Friday night, but the Bulldogs couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start as Eli Manley and Jamal Streeter teamed up for two touchdown passes on the Pirates' first two plays from scrimmage en route to a 62-0 victory at Pirates Cove.

Before the first quarter was over, Ike Perry would add a 42-yard punt return for a score, Justice Becerril caught another TD pass from Manley, and the Pirates turned a blocked punt into a 1-yard TD run by Cameron Becerril for a 34-0 lead.

Baker held PC scoreless in the second quarter to keep the score at 34-0, but Manley threw another TD pass to Justice Becerril on the Pirates' first drive of the second half to increase the margin to 41-0 and usher in a running clock.

Baker struggled to move the ball against a Port Charlotte defense that was shutting out its third straight opponent.  The Bulldogs had negative yard rushing for the game. Quarterback Adrian Scott was able to complete 9 of 13 passes, but only for 51 total yards, as Baker dropped to 0-4 on the season while the Pirates improved to 3-1. Manley completed 11 of 17 passes for the Pirates for 210 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Cameron Becerril had 6 receptions for 110 yards as Port Charlotte’s leading rusher, Edd Guerrier, sat out his second straight game with an injury.

Ida Baker Takeaways

1. The quick start by Port Charlotte didn’t discourage Baker coach Steve Howard. “At the end of the day, the bottom line for us is what we’re doing,” Howard said. “I’m not worried about what they have going on, I’m worried about us trying to get to where other teams are right now. I’m talking about effort, execution, consistency, and belief. If we can do those four things, we’re going to be all right.”

2. Howard was pleased with the effort in the second quarter as the Bulldogs kept the Pirates off the scoreboard. “You can watch the film and you can see there’s good things,” Howard said. “ But again it comes down to consistency. If we’re not consistent, things don’t happen, but if we’re consistent, good things are going to happen.”

3. The Bulldogs will host Lehigh next Friday night and Howard hopes to continue making progress.  “I’m trying to get these guys to buy in and have a belief in what we’re doing,” Howard said. “The only hard part is this generation right now is worried about immediate success. They’re worried about the end result and not about the journey. Right now, I’m fighting my dangdest to take them along on this journey, I never said it was going to be easy. Success isn’t easy. That’s what we’ve got to come to understand."

− Bruce Robins

IMG White 62, ECS 27

IMG was led by quarterback Ely Hamrick, who threw for over 100 yards while scoring himself a quick touchdown run early in the first quarter. Clay Ash ran for three touchdowns and close to 200 rushing yards.

ECS quarterback Tanner Helton hit wide receiver Jack Shuker for two touchdowns while Seven Bullock and Jamarion McElroy scored a rushing touchdown each.

− Staff Report

Bradenton St. Stephen’s 47, Aubrey Rogers 7

Evan Brown ran for four touchdowns and passed for another as the host Saint Stephen’s Falcons beat the visiting Aubrey Rogers Patriots 47-7 on Friday night.

The senior quarterback scored on runs of 10, 9, 2, and 13 yards, as the Falcons (3-1) erased an early 7-0 Patriot lead. Aubrey Rogers, a first-year school, took the lead on a 60-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game from quarterback Dominic Ardezzone to wide receiver Romeo Sararo.

But Brown’s only TD pass of the game, a 25-yarder to Ryan Jensen, tied the game at 7-all. Saint Stephen’s then slowly increased its lead. Running back Cameron Brewer (11 carries, 139 yards) scored on a 29-yard run with 5:10 left in the game. When he scored on the Falcons’ next possession, on a 40-yard run, it made the score 47-7 and triggered the running clock.

Besides the early TD, the Patriots (0-4) provided little offense. Ardezzone finished 6-of-15 for 82 yards and an interception.

A scary moment happened in the second quarter. Patriot running back Mikey Ramos took a handoff and ran left. Waiting for him was Falcon linebacker Jeremy Stroh, who leveled Ramos with a tackle. The 5-foot-7, 166-pound senior lay on the field for at least 10 minutes. EMTs were summoned, and Ramos was put on a stretcher and taken away.

“He lost consciousness for about 15 seconds,” Patriot head coach JJ Everage said. “I think it’s just a concussion, so I think he’ll be OK. He was talking and alert when he left.”

−Staff Report

Seven Rivers Christian 30, Canterbury 3

THURSDAY

Golden Gate 30, Naples 19

With the clock running down and a decision to make, Golden Gate head coach Nick Bigica turned to his kicker and asked if he was up to the task.

Greg Breston said, “Yes, sir.”

The field goal team raced onto the field with Breston blasting a 38-yarder through the uprights to put the Titans up on the Golden Eagles by two scores with less than a minute to go.

“It made a 40-yard field goal look like nothing,” Bigica said.

The moment was not lost on the Golden Gate sideline – celebrations broke out and hugs were shared knowing that history was about to be made.

Golden Gate took down Naples for the first time in program history, handing the Golden Eagles their first loss at home to a Collier County school since Oct. 16, 2009, which was a 12-6 overtime defeat to Lely.

They did it by beating Naples at their own game with a tenacious defensive effort, clutch playmaking, and strength in the face of adversity.

“It’s been four years in the making with this group,” Bigica said. “We’ve had to rebuild the program from scratch, and this 2024 class was the group that we built around. They truly believed in the process, and tonight is just a stepping stone, as we call it, to our next ultimate goal.”

It started auspiciously with Naples’ Ty Collins returning the punt from the Titans' opening drive 75 yards for a touchdown.

The Golden Eagles suffered a special teams snafu of their own with a snap sailing over the head of their punter. Golden Gate recovered, and Sam Powell scored on a quarterback sneak.

Both teams committed to running the ball without having much success. But it was the Titans who took more chances. Powell connected with Trayvon Jean for a 9-yard score on a drive with two long pass plays to Javon Pray, giving Golden Gate a 14-10 lead at the half.

The momentum swung dramatically toward the Golden Eagles when quarterback Jack Melton hit Jamarion Salters for a 76-yard score coming out of the break. They extended their lead with a safety when the Golden Gate punter reacted to a high snap by kicking the ball out of the end zone to avoid a defensive score.

No setback was able to unravel the Titans, who regained a 20-19 lead on a 5-yard rushing touchdown by John Lee Honorat.

Golden Gate extended their lead just over a minute later – Bradley Martino picked off Melton throwing into double coverage, then caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Powell.

The Titans defense lived up to their name and stood tall, even late in the fourth quarter, denying the Golden Eagles a whiff of a comeback attempt.

"Not many people gave us a chance in this game," Bigica said. "The players, the thing they know about me is I love them, and that’s the thing that got us through this is everybody loved each other and had each other’s backs in the biggest moments and that’s what showed tonight."

The loss is Naples' first of the season, and head coach Rick Martin gave credit to his opponents.

“It’s the first time in program history, (18) years,” he said. “That’s awesome for them honestly. I hope that it makes us better and I hope our guys are able to learn from this and just move forward.”

Golden Gate Takeaways

1. The defense contained the vaunted Naples rushing attack. Prior to this game, the Golden Eagles were averaging close to 375 yards on the ground a game. The Titans held them to about 300 yards less than that on Thursday.

Bigica credited his defensive coaching staff and the experience of the defense, which returned 9 of 11 starters from a year ago.

“We had an exotic gameplan going in with a lot of different fronts to challenge them, and the kids did a good job, and I think physically, up front, we physically handled our own up front,” he said.

2. Powell was a difference maker. The sophomore quarterback couldn’t connect on his first 6 passes, but he didn’t let that discourage him. With the running game stymied – though Jean broke free for a 46-yard run late in the game – Powell made critical plays for the Titans. In addition to his touchdown passes, he zinged a pass to Pray on fourth down on the drive that culminated in the team’s go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.

“Sam Powell is the next big thing around here,” Bigica said. “You guys mark my words.”

3. The Titans executed their gameplan to perfection. It was by no means a pretty effort by either team, but Bigica’s team motto of “Nobody outworks us” proved true on the night.

“You can’t just mow them down,” he said. “You have to make big plays against them, and our guys made big plays when it mattered most. That’s the key – we did a great job, offense, defense, special teams, all the way around. That was our gameplan going in.”

Naples Takeaways

1. The offense has room to grow. The Titans found success making the Golden Eagles two-dimensional keeping Shawn Simeon’s gains minimal on drive after drive. Though Melton had the long touchdown pass to Salters, it was just one of two completions for the team on the night.

Martin described the offense as young and inconsistent, struggling to capitalize when they had chances in the game.

“We’re going to figure out how to do that,” he said. “I don’t know when it’s going to happen and how it’s going to happen, but we’re going to figure it out.”

2. The defense gave the team chances. Golden Gate didn’t get the win with gaudy numbers on offense – the Titans completed 5 passes, and Jean was held in check for most of the night. But the Titans defense had the edge in preventing big plays and won the turnover battle.

“Their defense did a great job scheming us, great job up front stunting on us, and we’ve got to get better,” Martin said.

3. Martin is well aware of the magnitude of this loss. He reminded his squad in the postgame huddle that they are still Naples High School, and this adversity will help them in the long run.

“I will take the loss,” he said. "I will take the criticism, and we will go back to work and we’re going to grind. We’re going to get better because that’s all we know how to do.”

− Dustin Levy

Barron Collier 49, Bonita Springs 0

An onslaught of Barron Collier points led to another short night and another victory for the Cougars on Thursday.

Quarterback Niko Boyce threw for 153 yards and four scores as Barron Collier easily defeated the Bull Sharks at Barron Collier in District 3S-16 play.

The game went to a running clock in the second half with the Cougars up by 42 points. Brody Graham scored on a touchdown pass and also a punt return for Barron Collier (3-0).

“It was our first district game, so it was a big one,” said Barron Collier coach Mark Jackson. “We started out trying to run the football well. Once we did that, it opened up the passing game. The offense all started with the linemen and running backs being physical.”

Jackson Polly ran for a 9-yard touchdown run for the Cougars’ first score. Barron Collier would then take to the air for its next two scores. Boyce hit Graham and Brian Williams for touchdowns to make it 20-0 after one quarter.

Graham returned a punt for a score early in the second, and Dylan Schmid and Brady Thomas would catch TD passes from Boyce before the intermission. It was 42-0 at halftime.

Bonita Springs coach Rich Dombroski saw a few things to build off of in the game.

“We did some good things on offense. We threw the ball well,” Dombroski said. “On defense we flew to the ball. Our headsiness was also good to see. I was proud of how physical we were. It’s a long season ahead of us, and we will build off of this.”

Barron Collier Takeaways

1. Barron limited Bonita Springs to only 167 yards of offense. “We came out and we were really physical on defense. The players flew to the football really well,” Jackson said. “Mostly, this game was a step in the right direction of where we want to go.”

2. The Cougars keep piling on the points. They have won their first three games by an aggregate of 139-12. Despite an easy win, the Cougars did not get complacent. “In high school football, you only get so many opportunities,” Jackson said. “You’re only guaranteed 10 games a year, so every second on the scoreboard is important.”

3. Barron Collier is facing a gauntlet of tough opponents in the coming weeks and is looking to get some full work in practice. “Hopefully, we’ll get a full week of practice coming up,” Jackson said. “We are battling so much stuff, so we want to get in a full week of practice and improve and stay healthy.”

Bonita Springs Takeaways

1. The Bull Sharks (1-3) moved the ball a little on their opening drive. Bonita Springs went on an 11-play drive early in the game, only to have it stopped on fourth down deep into Cougar territory.

2. Riley Deremer’s 31-yard run in the second quarter and a 38-yard run by Chase Garcia in the third period were the lone highlights for the offense.

3. It was the Bull Sharks’ 10th loss in 11 games, Dombroski says his team was just overmatched. “Barron Collier is a phenomenal football team,” Dombroski said. “We have to be at 100 percent to succeed against a team like this, and we weren’t. We had six or seven guys out with injury.”

− Tom Corwin

Immokalee 52, Lake Placid 8

Jontay Hais ripped off a 23-yard touchdown run just before halftime to give Immokalee some needed breathing room in their win over Lake Placid. The Indians cruised in the second half to even its record at 2-2.

The Indians dominated early, rolling to a 16-0 second-quarter lead. Trannon Villarreal ran for a short score and later found Omarion Carter from 55 yards out.

A safety made it 16-0, but the Indians let down a bit just before halftime. A bad snap sailed into the end zone for a safety and on the ensuing possession, Green Dragons’ quarterback August Stivender found DJ Bullard for an 18-yard touchdown reception.

The Indians executed the two-minute drill to perfection, aided by a nice kickoff return by Rodenel Anthony. Hais scampered virtually untouched for the score, and Justin Compere punched in the two-point conversion to give the Indians a 16-point halftime edge.

The Indians were never threatened from that point, controlling the second half and triggering the running clock with just over two minutes to go in the third quarter. Villarreal scored from 3 yards out, Gilbert Charles ran an interception back 35 yards for a score and Compere punched one in from seven yards out to invoke the running clock.

Compere scored on a 15-yard touchdown run with a minute remaining to cap the scoring.

− Andrew Sodergren

Hardee 35, Palmetto Ridge 22

Hardee spoiled Palmetto Ridge’s homecoming celebration in their win over the Bears on Thursday. Despite the loss, Palmetto Ridge has some bright spots.

Sophomore athlete Isaac Garcia caught seven passes for 97 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 47 yards on eight touches. Sophomore tight end Devon Messenger reeled in three passes for 40 yards, and back Steven Rousseau punched in two touchdowns for Palmetto Ridge.

“We’re trying to get these guys some experience, and that’s kind of the spot we’re in,” said head coach Zach Yates. “Guys like Messenger and Isaac are really stepping up for us and they are going to be big parts of our future here. It’s just that we've got to get through the growing pains right now.”

Senior quarterback Demtri Zertopoulis completed 14-of-24 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown to Garcia in the fourth quarter.

− Staff Reports

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Southwest Florida Week 4 high school football roundup, photos, video