For just about any athlete or coach who participates in sports long enough, specifically those sports that keep score, it’s likely they’ll find themselves on the winning or losing end of a blowout.

Mismatches are inevitable at every level of competition.

Even with that understanding, a 91-0 score in high school football is enough to raise some eyebrows.

Cape Coral High’s opponent this week is the Estero Wildcats, who have been anything but Wildcats so far this season at 0-6. The Wildcats are coming off that disastrous 91-0 loss to Naples last Friday. An article by The Associated Press appeared on ESPN.com this week, detailing the game and analyzing how each side handled the situation.

Cape High coach Mike Goebbel said the Seahawks were in a similar situation last season against Estero. The Seahawks won 67-7, but added the score could have been worse.

“I think we were on our way to 80,” Goebbel said. “I went across the field to coach (Brian) Jones and said ‘I can’t take a knee.’ We thought it was better to stay in some of our base stuff.”

Goebbel, who has more than 30 years of coaching experience, said he thinks it’s more insulting to deliberately stop running legitimate plays.

“If I was on the losing end and a team started taking a knee, that would insult me more,” he said.

Goebbel was speaking hypothetically regarding the scenario. It’s a mere coincidence that the Seahawks (4-2) face Estero Friday night at Dave Warkentin Field.

Other games on the Week 7 slate include South Fort Myers at Ida Baker; Mariner at Port Charlotte; Charlotte at North Fort Myers and St. John Neumann at Bishop Verot.

Estero is in an obvious rebuilding phase under first-year coach Rich Dombrowski. The Wildcats are coming off an 0-10 campaign in 2007 and appear headed for another in 2008. The Wildcats have been outscored 335-28 in their first six games.



South Fort Myers (4-1) at Ida Baker (3-3): The Bulldogs have lost back-to-back games to Plantation American Heritage, 28-13, and Cape Coral, 26-7.

Turnovers and mental mistakes proved too much to overcome against quality opponents.

In the loss to American Heritage, the Bulldogs led 7-6 with five minutes left in the first half, but an interception and a botched fake punt allowed American Heritage to take a 21-7 halftime lead

The Bulldogs had six turnovers in their first District 5A-12 loss to Cape.

A positive for the Bulldogs is the emerging depth, particularly at the offensive skill positions. Ron Ward, who rushed for 41 yards on nine carries last week, is an athletic player who should see more touches.

Sophomore Darryl Gary has seen increased playing time at receiver.



Mariner (2-3) at Port Charlotte (2-3): The Tritons are still searching for more offensive production. That was a problem last season in big games, too, and despite a new-look spread attack, they haven’t been able to eliminate costly turnovers or generate enough big plays.

The Tritons found the end zone just once last week in a 38-7 loss at Fort Myers.

Junior quarterback Gabby Rojas and junior running back Eric Mitchell have carried much of the load, combining for nine TDs.



Charlotte (5-0) at North Fort Myers (3-3): The unbeaten Tarpons have had their way this season against District 5A-12 opponents. They’ve already defeated Mariner, 41-12, and Fort Myers, 31-0, with North Fort Myers up next.

The Red Knights bounced back from back-to-back losses to earn an 18-7 win at Golden Gate last week, but coach Barry Goettemoeller wasn’t pleased with the team’s play in all areas.

The Red Knights would like to get some momentum going with their final three games all in district play.



St. John Neumann (2-3) at Bishop Verot (4-1): A 55-0 loss at Mulberry to open District 2A-5 play wasn’t enough to break Verot’s confidence or spirit.

The Vikings made amends in the two weeks since, using a strong defensive effort to defeat Evangelical Christian, 10-3, and then went on the road to defeat district rival Ruskin Lennard 44-31.

Running backs Schon Thomas and Matt Timpanelli controlled the game, operating behind a strong offensive line.

The Vikings knew they had to come together this season after losing several key starters from last year’s playoff team.

They’ve done exactly that, so far.

“I feel good with our progress,” Vikings coach Phil Dorn said. “To have a lot of new starters like we have and to be 4-1, we’re feeling pretty good.”

The Vikings currently are third in the district standings one game behind Mulberry and Tampa Catholic.

After Friday’s game with nondistrict St. John Neumann, the Vikings face three key district games in a row, including an expected showdown with Tampa Catholic on Nov. 7 with a playoff berth at stake.



Volleyball



Charlotte 3, Mariner 0: Very early in Wednesday night’s match, one thing became clear. The Tarpons did not resemble a team that was in search of just their second victory of the season.

The Tarpons (2-12) hustled, served well, passed well and controlled the offensive attack. It added up to an impressive 25-11, 25-16, 25-18 win over the Tritons.

“We’re a young team,” said Tarpons coach Nanci Daniel, referring to the large number of freshmen and sophomores.

Mariner (8-11) looked out of sync, particularly on defense. Senior Brooke Albert, one of their most experienced back row players, missed the game due to injury.

Tritons coach Tom Faasse said they scrambled trying to replace Albert, but weren’t able to overcome that loss.

“We threw some different lineups together and nothing clicked,” he said.

The Tritons scored the first point in each of the three games. In game one, senior Bailey Keller served the first two points, including an ace. The Tarpons went on a 10-4 run to control the outcome.

Ashley Bacon powered the attack with 12 kills and Alyssa Fleming added nine kills. Their strongest server was freshman Abi Condi, who had five aces to go with eight kills.

In game two, senior Courtney Pruden had a block and converted another shot to put the Tritons ahead 3-2.

Despite the Tritons’ effort, the Tarpons answered each point. The second game featured 10 ties.

With the score 13-13, the Tarpons went on a 12-3 closing spurt.

The Tritons put some offense together, led by senior Courtney Anderson (six kills), sophomore Abby Willis (six kills) and senior Tara Christie (seven digs, three aces).

Still, it wasn’t enough to offset the more efficient Tarpons.

In game three, they grabbed a 9-2 lead behind five consecutive serves from Condi.

After falling behind 19-11, the Tritons fought back. Jamie Falvey converted one shot, Emily Wincel had a block and Rachel Ward served an ace.

The five-point deficit, was as close as the Tritons came.

The Tritons hope to rebound Wednesday when they host an LCAC crossover match. They will also hold their senior night ceremony, recognizing the 10 seniors.