By DAVE DEVEREUX, “mailto:ddevereux@breezenewspapers.com”>ddevereux@breezenewspapers.com

Cape Coral High had its share of high points in 2007. The Seahawks finished 10-3, won two playoff games and reached the Class 5A regional finals. It was a banner year.

The lowest point came in week three when powerhouse Naples steamrolled the Seahawks 41-0 at Dave Warkentin Field.

The Golden Eagles, who went 15-0 and won the Class 3A state title, outgained the Seahawks 417-76 yards.

Even with several seniors graduated from both teams, the Seahawks (2-0) visit Naples (1-1) Friday in one of the biggest matchups of the season in Southwest Florida.

“They’re one of those programs that just reloads,” Seahawks coach Mike Goebbel said. “They have a system that allows them to win year in and year out. They probably have another shot at winning the state title.“

The Seahawks are ranked No. 8 in Class 5A state poll, while Naples is No. 5 in 3A. The clash is one of several huge measuring-stick games Friday night.

Mariner (1-1) visits Charlotte (2-0) in a rematch of a hard-hitting game last season in which the Tarpons prevailed 14-7.

There will be no shortage of playmakers when Dunbar (2-0) and North Fort Myers (2-0) tangle at Moody Field.

While the Red Knights have been impressive, so far, in victories over Wauchula Hardee and Estero, first-year coach Barry Goettemoeller said Dunbar is a “scary” team.

“I won’t sleep much watching film of their athletes and playmakers,” he said.

Cape opened the season with a 17-0 home win over Immokalee, and won at home over Lehigh last week. Their first road test is a big one at Naples.

From the first and second game, Goebbel said the Seahawks made strides in limiting penalties.

“We were just shooting ourselves in the foot (in the opener),” he said. “It’s hard to stay on track when you’re doing that. This past week the kids were a little more in tune.”

The Seahawks also hope to have key offensive players back in the lineup. Junior running back Spencer Boyd missed the first two games with a groin injury, and sophomore receiver Prince Holloway missed the Lehigh game due to an illness.



Mariner (1-1) at Charlotte (1-0): There is no break in the schedule for the Tritons. The Tarpons opened the season with a 42-0 rout of Lemon Bay and figure to contend for a playoff berth in District 5A-11.

Mariner appeared on its way to a second victory last week against East Lee County when disaster struck. The Tritons fumbled four times in the second half and the Jaguars rallied from a 19-0 deficit to win 25-19.

One positive for the Tritons has been the play of the defense, particularly forcing turnovers and creating opportunities for the offense. Jesse Crilly returned an interception for a touchdown against East Lee County.

The Tritons and Tarpons played a hard-fought contest last season in which the Tritons had two touchdowns called back because of penalties and the Tarpons escaped with a seven-point victory.



Dunbar (2-0) at North Fort Myers (2-0): It’s been an encouraging start for the Red Knights under Goettemoeller. They were impressive in a 13-3 win over Ida Baker in a preseason jamboree and carried that aggressive, ballhawking play into the regular season.

They used a powerful rushing attack last week in a 54-0 win over Estero. Mike Becker found the end zone three times and Marcus Lewis and Tommy Bohanon each scored twice.

Despite back-to-back wins, the Red Knights will find out more about themselves after Friday’s collision with Dunbar.

The Tigers opened with a 20-19 win over DeSoto County and defeated Immokalee 22-14 last week. They have a talented nucleus of players, which includes quarterback Melvin German, running back Antavian Edison and defensive end Desmond Kearse.



Estero (0-2) at Ida Baker (1-1): A 21-0 deficit was too much for Baker to overcome in a 28-20 loss at Riverdale last week, but the resiliency shown in the second half was a positive for the Bulldogs moving forward.

It figured to be a competitive nondistrict game, but the Bulldogs were intercepted and had a punt blocked in the first quarter, with Riverdale capitalizing on the mistakes. The Bulldogs rallied, though, to within one point in the second half.

The Bulldogs host Estero Friday. The Wildcats have taken their lumps in losses to South Fort Myers (56-7) and North Fort Myers (54-0).



Bishop Verot (1-0) at LaBelle (0-2): The Vikings managed less than 100 yards of offense, but still edged Lemon Bay 20-17 in their season opener. Jeff Farrell, making his first start at quarterback, scored on a 35-yard run and threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Forrest Campbell.

The Vikings make another road trip Friday to winless LaBelle.


Lee Area Coaches
Football Poll

Varsity football coaches in Lee County are asked to rank area teams each week. The rankings are determined by an inverted point system, with rank, team, record through Sept. 13 & total points:
Rec. Pts.
1. South Fort Myers (2-0) 48
2. Cape Coral (2-0) 37
3. Dunbar (2-0) 23
4. Fort Myers (1-1) 18
5. North Fort Myers (2-0) 13
6. Riverdale (2-0) 5
7. Cypress Lake (1-1) 3
8. Mariner (1-1) 1
8. Bishop Verot (1-0) 1
8. Evangelical Christian (2-0) 1
11. Ida Baker (1-1) 0
12. Lehigh (0-2) 0
13. Gateway Charter (1-1) 0
14. East Lee County (1-1) 0
15. Island Coast (1-1) 0
16. Estero (0-2) 0



Boys Golf



At Palmetto Pine Country Club: Ida Baker wasted no time in erasing the memory of its first loss of the season by going out Wednesday and sweeping a quad-match victory over North Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Island Coast.

Todd Mallorey set the standard with a medalist-winning round of 37 to lead the Bulldogs to a low team total of 165. Greg Crowell of North Fort Myers and H. Halverson of Cape Coral were next in line with equally solid 39s.

North finished second on the day at 182, Cape High was third at 191 and newcomer Island Coast carded a 225 total with Jordan Carr leading the Gators with 52.

Baker (12-1) hosts South Fort Myers Thursday at Palmetto Pine. Cape faces Dunbar and North (4-4) hosts Island Coast in a rematch.



Ida Baker 165 — Todd Mallorey 37, Cody Byers 41, Daniel Cason 44, Ryan Gallick 43.

North Ft. Myers 182 — Greg Crowell 39, Joe Caizza 45, Boon Parent 47, Stephen Bishop 51.

Cape Coral 191 — H. Halverson 39, Caleb Erdner 49, Tyler Doyle 51, Tyler Trent 52.

Island Coast 225 — Jordan Carr 52, Nathan Carbonall 54, Ben Abdill 56, Pat Barnes 63.