Heading into Friday’s District 5A-12 clash with North Fort Myers, Cape Coral Seahawks coach Mike Goebbel feared his team would have a letdown. After all, the Seahawks were coming off a wild, emotional contest at Naples, which they lost 36-35 in the closing seconds.

With a powerful, ball-control rushing attack, visiting North Fort Myers presented another problem for the Seahawks Friday at Dave Warkentin Field.

The Red Knights held a 6-3 halftime lead, before the Seahawks rallied for a hard-fought 13-6 victory.

“We were lucky to get out of here with a win,” Goebbel said. “(North) had a good gameplan and they were well prepared. We came out with more intensity in the second half, which we normally do, and were able to squeak it out.”

Trailing by three entering the third quarter, the Seahawks (3-1, 1-0) leaned on its offensive line and junior running back Spencer Boyd.

After missing the first three games with a torn muscle in his hip, Boyd was back in the lineup and he ran hard, picking up 101 yards on 19 carries. His three-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter proved to be the go-ahead score.

“It felt good after four weeks of all this tension built up, sitting on the sideline,” Boyd said. “It felt good to get back out there with my team, and get in the end zone.”

The Seahawks fell behind 6-3 in the second quarter after North put together a 13-play, 69-yard drive. They used several different running backs out of their shotgun-spread offense, including Tommy Bohanon, Robenson Merci and Mike Becker. The drive, which lasted about six minutes, was capped off by Bohanon’s five-yard run.

The Seahawks also were being contained by the North defense in the first half.

“We weren’t moving the ball (in the first half). We were getting dominated on the line,” senior center Tony Waller said. “We just had to start executing all of our blocks.”

The Seahawks’ second-half rally started with the defense. They came out intense and forced the Red Knights to go three and out. Josh Monteagudo, who earlier had an interception, made a key tackle to force the punt.

The Seahawks then marched 66 yards on seven plays. Along with Boyd’s running, a key play on the drive was a fumble recovery by Waller, the center. He not only scooped up the ball at the North 17, but gained 11 yards, setting up the Boyd touchdown.

The Seahawks added to the lead when senior Kenton Beal connected on a 35-yard field goal with 3:27 left in the third quarter.

A few minutes earlier, Monteagudo blocked a North punt setting the Seahawks up inside the Red Knights’ 30. Beal missed on a 46-yard field goal, but a fumble recovery by Cameron Hall gave the Seahawks a short field once again and Beal was able to push the lead to seven.

In the fourth quarter the Seahawks protected the lead on the ground, mostly handing the ball to Boyd. North punter Trey Yeatter pinned the Seahawks at their own 7 with five minutes remaining, but the Seahawks grinded out two first downs that allowed them to run out the clock.

“A big game, a district game against a good football team, it’s always field position and who makes the least amount of mistakes” North coach Barry Goettemoeller said. “They had the better of it. Cape Coral is a good football team.”

It is the second tough loss for the Red Knights (2-2, 0-1), who fell 21-13 to Dunbar last week. They travel to Riverdale next Friday.

The Seahawks host undefeated Dunbar next Friday at Dave Warkentin Field.



North Fort Myers 0 6 0 0 — 6

Cape Coral 3 0 10 0 — 13

First Quarter

C — Kenton Beal 36 FG

Second Quarter

N — Tommy Bohanon 5 run (kick failed)

Third Quarter

C — Spencer Boyd 3 run (Beal kick)

C — Beal 35 FG