High school football teams back at it
A standard high school varsity football schedule consists of 10 regular season games. Players on teams fortunate enough to reach the playoffs, get a few extra chances to perform on the big stage, under the bright lights.
The games offer a thrilling experience, which, for the most part, drives the sports’ popularity and high participation numbers.
Before that time arrives, though, much more time is spent on the practice field, running, hitting, and going over the same plays numerous times until they’re executed with the right precision – all under the warmth of the Southwest Florida sun.
It’s also a time when teams determine which lesser-known players are ready to step forward and become a contributing factor.
“Practice is where it all happens,” Cape High senior Jaylen Watkins said Monday, prior to the team’s first practice session. “The games are when you have fun.”
With a new season of competition approaching, area teams gathered Monday for the first official day of fall practice, as mandated by the FHSAA.
Several preseason classic scrimmages are scheduled for Aug. 28 and the opening of the regular season is the following Friday night, on Sept. 4.
A new district reclassification has thrown a wrinkle into this season, and should establish some intriguing new rivalries. Still, some old ones will be renewed.
Cape High, which is embarking on its 30th varsity season, travels to archrival Mariner in the annual Black ‘n’ Blue Bowl in the season-opening game Sept. 4.
Seahawks coach Mike Goebbel, who has guided the team to back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in program history, said the start of a new season feels the same as it did when he first started coaching approximately 30 years ago.
“There is a newness to every season,” Goebbel said. “I don’t know many jobs out there where you have an ending and a start. There is always that ending and you don’t have to wait very long for it to start again, and it kind of brings the best out in everybody.”
Goebbel, in his third season as Seahawks head coach, said during the first week of practice an emphasis is placed on each player being introduced to a position on offense and defense.
Though some players may end up playing on only one side of the ball at the start of the season, they’ll have the base knowledge to step in if an injury occurs.
For the Seahawks, the months leading up to the start of practice have included a whirlwind of recruiting buzz for several highly touted returning players.
Watkins, a quarterback/defensive back, verbally committed to Florida, while others like senior running back/defensive back Spencer Boyd (Notre Dame), senior offensive tackle Dan Koenig (Oklahoma State) and senior receiver/defensive back Jeremy Davis (Miami) also have chosen prominent Division I schools.
Given the undeniable talent level and high expectations, the Seahawks want to make sure they establish a strong work ethic during August.
“It’s all a matter of how hard we work in practice,” Boyd said. “That really depends on how our season is going to go.”
The Seahawks move from District 5A-12 to 4A-12, which includes city rival Ida Baker, Gulf Coast and Palmetto Ridge.
After going 10-3 and reaching the Class 5A Regional Finals in 2007, the Seahawks went 7-4 last year and returned to the playoffs. They lost to Venice 35-14 in the opening round.
Mariner returns to the field looking to improve on its 4-6 campaign.
The Tritons have had good attendance and positive work in the weight room since the conclusion of spring practice. They held their annual “Camp Mariner” last weekend, which helped build momentum heading into the start of practice.
“I feel like we won the summer,” said Mariner coach Chad O’Brien, who is entering his third season. “Nobody got in trouble. Nobody on the active roster had to do summer school, which is a big thing for us. My first year we had 24 kids, last year we had 12, and this year zero, and they’ve done things in the weight room.”
O’Brien said there have been a few surprises already as far as players emerging on the practice field.
The Tritons return key players such as senior running back/defensive back Eric Mitchell, senior quarterback Gabby Rojas, senior wide receiver David Tyrell, senior lineman Cody Siebert and seniors Mario and Nick Perone. They also return much of their coaching staff.
On the first day of practice Monday, Tritons coaches stressed organization and hard work, urging players to hustle on and off the field and when moving to the next drill.
“What we’re asking the players is give us what you got, and don’t back down,” O’Brien said. “We don’t play a cake schedule, and you don’t want that. We’re trying to teach them to compete all the time, whether you’re up 30 or down 30.”
The Tritons are now in District 3A-11 along with North Fort Myers, Bishop Verot, Fort Myers, Riverdale and South Fort Myers. They’ll play at Island Coast on Oct. 2 and end the regular season Nov. 13 at Ida Baker.
Baker posted a 5-5 record last year in their fourth varsity season. Fifth-year coach Brian Conn guides the Bulldogs as they move into a new district.
Senior tight end/linebacker Johnny Garcia, who recently committed to Wake Forest, is among the key returning players for the Bulldogs, along with senior running back/defensive back Joseph Byrd, senior running back/safety Andrew Haynes, senior wide receiver/defensive back Jake York and junior quarterback Sean Francis.
Island Coast hopes to build off its 3-3 record in six varsity contests last year. In their second varsity season, the Gators are eligible for the postseason and will play in District 2B-6 with Dunbar, Gateway Charter, Clewiston, LaBelle and Lake Placid.
The Gators open their season Sept. 4 at North Fort Myers.
North improved over the course of last season, as the players adapted to first-year coach Barry Goettemoeller. The Red Knights closed with a thrilling 35-28 win in double overtime over Baker to finish 5-5.
The Knights return a solid nucleus of players, which includes senior quarterback/defensive back Tre Boston, who committed to Cincinnati.
This season begins a new era at Bishop Verot. A stadium renovation project has increased seating. It’s being done in preparation for the Vikings transition into the new district, where they’ll face more area teams like longtime basketball rival, Fort Myers.
The Vikings, who went 6-4 last year, previously belonged to District 2A-5, primarily consisting of out-of-area opponents.
With the changes, they’ll cut down on travel and host more attractive games.
“It’s a real exciting time,” said Vikings coach Phil Dorn, who enters his fifth season at the school. “There is more opportunity for us to develop local rivalries and create a lot of interest.”