Lightning strike down Seahawks 34-23
What was a bright moment for the Lehigh Lightning was nothing but trouble for the Cape Coral Seahawks.
If anything Cape’s trouble may have taken a turn for the worse.
Lehigh (1-5) picked up its first win of the season Friday night, riding a bruising running attack to beat the Seahawks 34-23 at Cape High.
Seahawks quarterback Maurice Flournoy was injured in the fourth quarter. After the game, he was on crutches with an ice pack on his right ankle.
“That’s what I hate happening,” Seahawks coach Larry Gary said. “Trying to do too much.”
It is the Seahawks’ fifth consecutive loss after a season-opening win against Sarasota.
For Lehigh, it was a night to put aside an 0-5 start and the reassignment of first-year coach James Chaney.
Mike Farley, who shifted from defensive coordinator to interim head coach got a win in his third game at the helm.
“I’m so proud of those guys,” Farley said. “I told the kids tonight that if we could ever put all three parts of the game together – defense, special teams, and offense – the sky’s the limit.”
Lehigh piled up 351 yards rushing. Christopher Curry carried the ball 20 times for 188 yards and a touchdown. Christopher Matheus rushed eight times for 97 yards and two TDs.
Shyheem Jacques-Louis scored the first two touchdowns for the Lightning, catching a 23-yard pass from Delshawn Green and running an end-around 19 yards for another.
Cape mistakes played a huge role. The Seahawks (1-5) muffed a short punt to set up one Lehigh touchdown, and a fumbled lateral led to another Lightning score. The Seahawks also fumbled away the ball inside the Lehigh 30.
“Still, we’re knocking on the door,” Gary said. “We’re still killing ourselves. For the most part we played decent. If it’s not the defense, it’s the offense.”
Farley said the Lightning’s rugged early schedule – Palmetto Ridge, South Fort Myers, Barron Collier, Island Coast and Fort Myers – had its benefits despite the 0-5 start.
“We played the first half of the season with some really good football teams,” Farley said. “You look back and it was almost like playing in the AFC East. We went through it, but I think what happened was that helped us build a tenacity, learning how to work hard, fighting through adversity and persevering. That’s what we did tonight.”
The teams swapped touchdown passes on their opening possession. Lehigh scored first on Jacques-Louis’ 23-yard TD catch.
Flournoy had two touchdown passes for Cape, hitting Hunter Bontrager for a 9-yard score and C.J. Lewis from 12 yards out. After Flournoy’s injury Bontrager came in and threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Lewis.
Isaac Washington had 120 yards rushing on 18 carries. Lewis had 120 yards on seven pass receptions.
Cooper Stone kicked a 30-yard field goal for Cape.?”Our kicker, we had to bring him up” from the junior varsity, Gary said. “I think he was pretty much the bright spot.”
The Seahawks, at home against Island Coast next Friday, must wait and see how seriously Flournoy is injured.