Tritons stay hopeful
Mathematically the Mariner Tritons can finish this football season a .500 team. Realistically, that won’t happen, but the Tritons coaches and players still believe it can as they prepared this week to host East Lee County tonight at Tony McKenna Field.
After tonight’s game with the Jaguars (1-5, 0-2) the Tritons finish the season at District 5A-12 rival Dunbar and close out against city rival Cape Coral in the annual Black-and-Blue Bowl game. The Tritons, who trail in the series overall 15-13, will be trying to halt a run of 10 straight losses to the Seahawks.
“We’ve shot ourselves in the foot the past couple of games,” said Tritons coach Travis Smith. “We’re on a four-game losing streak, but I think the kids are up for the most part.”
The Tritons (2-5, 0-3 district) at the very least could achieve three wins in a season for the first time since 2012.
“We have an opportunity to win this week as long as the coaches make sure we’re calling a good game,” Smith said. “It comes down to what we do up front with the offensive line. They all have their assignments and know what they have to do.”
Smith said he’s not looking at the final weeks of the season as playing for pride or confidence for next year either.
“We’re still playing for this year. We have three games left, we’re 2-5 and have an opportunity to have a winning season, but we have to win this week,” said Smith. “Dunbar will be a tough one (to win).”
Still, the Tritons’ staff is evaluating the younger players and want to get them some work to take into next season, but the seniors are the leaders on the field.
“We want our seniors to do their jobs and be the ones that start the change in this program,” said Smith. “They all know their jobs and what their assignments are. Thy just have to execute the rules they are supposed to follow. It’s tough to win when you’re not executing.”
In other district matchups tonight, in District 6A-10 Ida Baker (3-5, 1-2) hosts North Fort Myers (2-5, 0-3), Cape Coral (2-5, 1-2) travels to Charlotte (7-0, 3-0) and Island Coast (2-6, 1-2) visits Port Charlotte (4-3, 3-0); in District 6 Bishop Verot (6-2, 3-1) descends on Gateway Charter (0-7, 0-4), Evangelical Christian (2-5, 1-3) hosts SWF?Christian (4-3, 2-2) and Tenoroc (4-3, 3-1) visits Mulberry (1-6, 1-3); in District 5A-12 Dunbar (5-1, 2-0) invades Immokalee (3-4, 2-0) and Cypress Lake (2-5, 1-2) heads to Lely (1-6, 1-1).
Elsewhere, Oasis (2-5) hosts AATL at Storms Complex; Fort Myers (5-2, 2-0) hosts Clewiston; South Fort Myers (6-1, 1-0) hosts Naples (6-1, 2-0); and Canterbury (4-1) visits Lake Placid (2-6, 1-4).