Lely doubles-up Mariner 49-27
Lely danced to its first win of the season over Mariner 49-27 Friday night.
“It feels good, it feels good,” Lely coach Culmer St. Jean said. “I couldn’t ask for anything more. The kids played well, and they played tough.”
The Trojans scored off two explosive plays in the first quarter – a Jacques Carter 20-yard quarterback keeper and Jean Joseph’s 63-yard scamper on a reverse. Carter had been out with a leg injury, and leading rusher Calerb D’Haiti returned after missing last week’s game.
Several penalties thwarted Lely’s effort to drive down the field during its two-minute drill prior to halftime. However, Carter tossed up a desperation throw to Lik Estilien as the clock drained down to zero. The 6-foot-4, 227-pound senior wide receiver overpowered Mariner ‘sdefensive back to make the reception, and dashed to the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown to give Lely a 28-7 lead.
Lely’s defense held Mariner in check throughout the first half. However, the Tritons broke through for their first touchdown midway through the second quarter.
Mariner scored twice in the third quarter to drain its deficit to just eight points, but Lely responded with a trio of touchdowns late in the game.?
“We’ve got a good group of kids and they realize we can win, but it’s just a matter of executing,” said Tritons coach Travis Smith. “We have a week off, so we have two weeks to prepare for Immokalee. We have a good coaching staff, and we know we can do things right and not shoot ourselves in the foot.”