Ida Baker, Lehigh, Riverdale, Gulf Coast, Immokalee, Palmetto Ridge 2023 football previews

The News-Press and Naples Daily News will get you ready for the coming high school football season. Here are team previews for the Collier and Lee County teams competing in Class 4 Suburban, Districts 15 and 16 in 2023.

Class 4S-District 15

Ida Baker

Coach: Steve Howard (first season)

Last season: 4-4, missed playoffs

Overview: Howard, who spent last season as Immokalee’s defensive coordinator, replaces Chuck Faucette, who stepped down after leading the Bulldogs to a 17-19 record over four seasons. “We’re trying to set a culture and a standard and expectations for the players,” said Howard, who also served as Riverdale’s defensive coordinator in 2017-18. “With me coming in, there’s isn’t that continuity, that structure where everyone knows what to do all the time. But we’re learning daily and we’re getting better.” Baker lost most of its primary contributors from last season’s team, either to graduation or transfers. Howard said the team only had about 25 players at the end of spring football. “The numbers game is very interesting right now, Howard said. “I’m excited about the guys that have come back and continue to work.” Seniors Brandon Donnelly (fullback/linebacker), James Donnelly (running back/defensive back) and Joseph Miceli are two key returners who will help lead the Bulldogs on both sides of the ball.  “He’s just brought in good energy,” senior Brandon Donnelly said. “We’re all trying to work together and get better together.” After severe damage to Baker’s field from Hurricane Ian forced the team to play its final six games on the road, the Bulldogs will be able to play in front of their home fans again this season.

Season outlook: With many of the players on Baker’s downsized roster having limited varsity experience, the Bulldogs could experience some growing pains this season. “It’s going to be a trial by fire,” Howard said. “The guys are going to have to grow and they’re going to have to grow fast.”

Schedule: Aug. 25 at Cape Coral; Sept. 1 at Bonita Springs; Sept. 8 vs. Mariner; Sept. 15 at Port Charlotte; Sept. 29: vs. Lehigh; Oct. 6 at Island Coast; Oct. 13 at Riverdale; Oct. 20 vs. IMG; Oct. 27 vs. Charlotte; Nov. 3: at Palmetto

More: Cypress Lake, Dunbar, East Lee, Fort Myers, South Fort Myers 2023 football previews

More: Barron Collier, Bonita Springs, Golden Gate, Lely, Naples football previews for 2023

Lehigh

Coach: Antwan Dixon (first season)

Last season: 5-4, made playoffs (lost to Venice in Class 4S-Region 4 semifinal)

Overview: The Lightning named the 26-year-old Dixon as their head coach in early July after a mutual parting with Casey Creehan, who coached the team in the spring. Dixon, who was Lehigh’s wide receiver and offensive play caller last season under James Chaney, is the youngest head coach in Lee County. The uncertainty resulted in the Lightning losing a number of projected key returners to transfers. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it, we lost a lot,” Dixon said. Lehigh also needs to replace workhorse running back Richard Young, who’s now at Alabama. In the backfield, the Lightning will rely on shifty junior Jimarien Braxton and senior Robert Raybon to provide a mix of speed and power from the tailback position. Up front, Lehigh will need a largely untested group of linemen including sophomore Judah Daniels, juniors Jeremiah Rugama and Prince Johnson, and senior Caleb Paulissaint to stabilize a unit that was a strength in 2022. Junior quarterback Dorian Mallory, whom Dixon called arguably the team’s best athlete, will also see time at wide receiver and defensive back this season as the team will look to junior Ladarius Ridley to take snaps under center. Another pair of juniors – Terrance Smith Jr. and Sean Battle – lead a talented group of pass catchers. “We have a lot of elusive guys that are going to be hard to tackle so we’re going to try and keep the ball on the edges,” Dixon said. On the other side of the ball, the Lightning will have a huge hole to fill in the middle of its defense with linebacker Tyre Cunningham graduating. Lehigh will look to Raybon and junior Landon Rewis to help fill that void. The Lightning have a strong secondary with juniors James Little IV and Jeremy Ware Jr. among the standouts.

Season outlook: With so many newcomers and opening games against Naples and Bishop Verot, the Lightning could get off to a slow start. However, provided its lines mature quickly, Lehigh could again find itself contending for a district championship.

Schedule: Aug. 25 vs. Naples; Sept. 1 vs. Bishop Verot; Sept. 8 at Lake Gibson; Sept 15 vs. Tampa Catholic; Sept. 29 at Ida Baker; Oct. 6 at Sebring; Oct. 13 at Charlotte; Oct. 20 at North Fort Myers; Oct. 27 vs. Riverdale; Nov. 3 vs. Dunbar

Riverdale

Coach: Kendoll Gibson (first season)

Last season: 4-4, made playoffs (lost to Venice in Class 4S-Region 4 quarterfinal)

Overview: Gibson, the team’s defensive line coach last season, took over the Raiders’ program in January, replacing Frank Hepler, who remains on the Riverdale staff. Gibson said the team has fully adapted to the changes in the system and program, which is epitomized by the acronym CLIMB (which stands for Commitment, Little things, Intensity, Mental toughness and Brotherhood). A self-described old-school coach, Gibson said the team will employ the Wing-T offense. “Running the ball is going to be our staple,” he said. “Up front we’re going to be tough. They have taken pride in that aspect of the game.” The Raiders return four starters on the offensive line, led by imposing 6-foot-8, 285-pound junior Cole Cooke. Riverdale has a number of talented options in the backfield including senior Nicardo Dunkelly, juniors Orville Jackson and Cole Hayes, and sophomore Lovensky Blanchard, a transfer from Lehigh. Defensively, the Raiders graduated top defensive backs Jaheim Clarke and Anthony Baxter along well as two of its leading tacklers in linebackers Colton Flint and Roman Deleon. However, with close to 100 players participating in Riverdale’s program, Gibson said the Raiders have plenty of depth to fill in the defensive gaps.

Season outlook: Gibson said one of the team’s goals this season is to win a district championship, something the Raiders last accomplished in 2018. “They voted on it and I’ve got their back,” Gibson said. “I hope they’ve got mine.” In a district where Lehigh and Ida Baker also have first-year coaches and Charlotte’s Cory Mentzer is just in his second year, it’s easy to see a path for the Raiders to deliver a title.

Schedule: Aug. 25 vs. Lely; Sept. 1 at South Fort Myers; Sept. 8 at Fort Myers; Sept 15 vs. Mariner; Sept. 22 at Cypress Lake; Sept. 29 at Charlotte; Oct. 6 at Port Charlotte; Oct. 13 vs. Ida Baker; Oct. 27 at Lehigh; Nov. 3 vs. North Fort Myers

Class 4S-District 16

Gulf Coast

Coach: Todd Nichols (fourth season)

Last year: 8-3, made playoffs (lost to Sarasota Riverview in Class 4S-Region 4 quarterfinal)

Overview: Talking to head coach Todd Nichols, you wouldn’t know that the Sharks have to replace a four-year starting quarterback, his seven leading rushers, six leading receivers, and his top offensive lineman. That’s how confident and optimistic the fourth-year head coach is in the program’s ability to sustain success. That includes the fact that the school lost virtually its entire JV program to newly opened Aubrey Rogers, which is expected to pull the lion's share of its current students from Gulf Coast. “There’s no question, we graduated a lot of seniors,” Nichols said. “We have a big offensive line and have guys ready to step in. We’re not going to be the same team we were a year ago, but we’ve got guys that are ready to play… I don’t see a drop off. I’m a big believer in team football. One guy doesn’t win you a game.” One of those players having to step in will be Peyton Hale, who was a wide receiver last season. He’s set to be the starting quarterback for the start of the season. “The bottom line is, he’s ready to go,” Nichols said of Hale. “Coach (Jordan) Erickson’s got him ready to play. We’re excited for him.” Chris Jimenez, a SWFL Defensive Player of the Year finalist last season, will anchor a Shark defense at linebacker that surrendered 14 points or fewer on five different occasions. Will Brockmeier is also expected to take on an even larger role on the defensive side, as is Evan Hermanson, both of whom played key roles in Gulf Coast’s 8-3 season.

Season outlook: The Sharks have four relatively strong tests out of the gate, headlined by a Port Charlotte program with legitimate state-title aspirations this season. Gulf Coast will have their first of two district contests against Palmetto Ridge and Immokalee on Sept. 29, giving the team plenty of experience on the field to contend and perhaps repeat as champions in Class 4S-District 16. Under Nichols, the program has never started worse than 2-2 in the first four games of the season. If Gulf Coast can manage to be sitting at .500 heading into their date with Palmetto Ridge, their district title odds will look solid. The strength of schedule early on should give them a good sense of what’s to come over the final three weeks of the season against West Broward, Immokalee, and Barron Collier. Expect the Sharks to have one of the better strength of schedules areawide this season.

Schedule: Aug. 25 vs. South Fort Myers; Sept. 1 at Lely; Sept. 8 at Port Charlotte; Sept. 22 vs. Golden Gate; Sept. 29 at Palmetto Ridge; Oct. 5 at Cypress Lake; Oct. 13 vs. West Broward; Oct. 27 vs. Immokalee; Nov. 3 vs. Barron Collier

More: Cape Coral, Island Coast, Mariner, North Fort Myers 2023 football previews

More: Who are the 30 most underrated football players in Southwest Florida for the 2023 season?

Immokalee

Coach: James Delgado (second season)

Last year: 4-5, missed playoffs

Overview: On multiple occasions last season, Immokalee felt as if they had opponents right where they wanted them. The Indians fell to Community School in the closing seconds of regulation in last year’s season opener, while having Gulf Coast dead to rights before a fumble forced the game into overtime, which the Sharks won. Immokalee could’ve easily posted a 7-2 record during the regular season in James Delgado’s first year leading the program. Delgado appears to be taking a page out of Ted Lasso's book with the theme for the year. “Our theme for this season is ‘Believe’,” Delgado said. “For us to take that first year and build off it, these guys are now grabbing younger guys and coaching them up and getting their technique right. That’s a huge difference and makes all the difference in the world. We can get further than we were mentally. We’re smarter, we’re tighter, everything that it takes to have a special run are right in front of us.” Trannon Villarreal, one of the area’s top dual-threat quarterbacks, will return for one more year under center. Villarreal is coming off a season in which he threw for 1,266 passing yards, rushed for 893 more, and totaled 18 touchdowns. Justin Compere had his flashes as a freshman and is poised to take the starting running back spot as a sophomore. Defensively, Delgado and company have their share of returners but will be looking at replacing their three top tacklers in Gregorio Herrera, Akeem Cummings, and Darius Billie.

Season outlook: Immokalee will have their hands full early on this season, taking on the likes of Booker, Golden Gate, and Naples out of the gate. The offensive group that will need to score against those squads expressed optimism with the chemistry that Villarreal has with the receiving corps this season. “It’s making us more dangerous as a team,” Immokalee senior Chandron Pierre said. “The more we can do, the harder it is for other defenses to guard us. Individually, we’re great. But together, we can be unstoppable.”

Schedule: Aug. 25 at Booker; Sept. 1 at Golden Gate; Sept. 8 vs. Naples; Sept. 14 vs. Lake Placid; Sept. 22 vs. Barron Collier; Sept. 29 vs. South Fort Myers; Oct. 6 at Okeechobee; Oct. 13 vs. Palmetto Ridge; Oct. 27 at Gulf Coast; Nov. 3 at Lely

Palmetto Ridge

Coach: Zach Yates (first season)

Last year: 1-7, missed playoffs

Overview: Zach Yates enters his first season as the Bears’ coach and is trying to turn around a 1-win team. “We're really trying to just get comfortable and finding that rhythm that we are able to kind of run with on offense and on defense,” Yates said. “On offense, I like to go a little bit quicker and like to be able to mix tempos and stuff, so getting the kids up to that level of being able to go go go and conditioning has been a huge aspect of that this summer. And so getting the kids ready for that even with a smaller roster in comparison to other schools around here is what we are going to deal with.” Yates mentioned the success Bears programs like wrestling and basketball have had in recent years and would like to get his program to that point and tap into that talent. Kaden Darwin, a top wrestler, will anchor the offensive and defensive lines this season. “There's a lot of athletes that aren't being tapped into that. We're just trying to get them back and involved in the football program and how much fun football can be.”

Season outlook: Senior Demetri Zertopoulis (551 yards passing, 3 TD, 9 INT last season) and sophomore Dominic Giovine have been taking the snaps at quarterback. “Demetri will probably be the starter because he was a starter last year,” Yates said. “He handles the offense making decisions very well. Just kind of having both ready to be ready because you know, it only takes one play.” Isaac Garcia, whose main sport is basketball, will be relied on heavily to run the ball. On defense, Colby Blocker and Steven Rousseau will run the unit as the team’s middle linebackers. “They're very talented kids, work really hard, they're going to kind of control our defense, make sure kids are in the right spots and kind of do the right things.” The biggest thing Yates is trying to pass on to his players is to stay positive even when things look bleak. “When you're down 7-0, it kind of feels like you're down 21. And we're trying to get rid of that feeling. You know, seven points is one play. Fourteen is two plays, you just got to kind of put that in perspective of, you know, it's not as bad as it seems and we've got to continue to fight through four quarters.”

Schedule: Aug. 25 vs. Evangelical Christian; Sept. 1 vs. Barron Collier; Sept. 8 at Lake Brantley; Sept. 14 vs. Hardee; Sept. 22 at Lely; Sept. 29 vs. Gulf Coast; Oct. 6 vs. Naples; Oct. 13 at Immokalee; Oct. 27 vs. DeSoto County; Nov. 3 at Golden Gate

Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writers Alex Martin, Dan DeLuca and Sports Editor Ed Reed on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin, @NewsPressDan, and @EDREED_NP. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Ida Baker, Lehigh, Riverdale, Gulf Coast, Immokalee, Palmetto Ridge 2023 football previews