Weather delays North game

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YUNET HOLMES Only a few fans protected by umbrellas and plastic sheets sat in the stands Friday night at Sam Sirianni Field during a 90-minute weather delay. The game between North Fort Myers and Fort Myers was halted with four minutes left in the first quarter, and was postponed until Saturday morning.

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JUNET HOLMES Young football fans sought shelter from heavy rain and lightning against the concession and lockerroom buildings Friday night at Sam Sirianni Field. The bad weather would not let up and the Fort Myers High game against North Fort Myers was postponed until 10 a.m. Saturday.

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Friday night’s big rivalry game between the North Fort Myers Red Knights and Fort Myers Green Wave at Sam Sirianni Field was postponed after nearly two hours of rain and lightning delays.

It was homecoming night for the Green Wave, but North gave them an early homecoming present on their first drive. On second down and three, North senior Mike Rosario took a handoff and gained the first down, then coughed up the ball and the Wave recovered at the Red Knight 45-yard line. The teams traded punts and Fort Myers started to gain momentum, driving inside the Knights’ 30.

With 4:16 left in the first quarter, a lightning strike sent the teams to the lockerrooms and forced fans from the bleachers. Rules state that the game cannot resume until after 30 minutes since the last lightning strike. Strong rain showers then flooded the field and kept the stadium cleared for nearly an hour.

Around 8:45 p.m., the rain stopped and 15 minutes later two-thirds of the fans had returned. It was announced the game would resume around 9:20. A meeting in the end zone between school officials carried on till 9:30, when the game was postponed to 10 a.m. Saturday.

North High athletic director Erik Timco said, “Safety is the number one concern, safety of the players and the spectators. We really wanted to get it in tonight. The coaches, principals, and athletic directors of both schools came together and set a break off point of 10 o’clock, and when lightning struck at 9:30, we had to go to our back-up plan.”

There were few options for a back-up plan, as the Fort Myers Homecoming dance was set for Saturday night. The Lee County School District would not allow any school activities on Monday, as it is Rosh Hashanah, a Jewish holiday.

“We had to call the game,” said Fort Myers assistant coach Don Weekley. “There was a large storm cell moving in from the Cypress Lake area, and it was bringing more lightning and rain.”

The game resumes at 10 a.m. Saturday at Sam Sirianni Field, and admission is free to anyone who would like to attend.