Cape back in regional football playoffs
In facing District 5A-11 champion Venice in the Class 5A regional quarterfinals Friday night, the Cape Coral Seahawks (7-3) must knock off an undefeated team on its home field.
Venice features two dynamic offensive players in junior Trey Burton, who already is committed to the University of Florida, and senior running back Dri Archer. The Indians have a massive offensive line and have outscored its opponents by an average of 40-13 this season.
Simply put, the Seahawks have their work cut out for them.
“Knowing our kids the way I do, I can see us stepping up and having the concentration needed to go there and show what we can do,” coach Mike Goebbel said.
The Seahawks are in a similar situation as they were a year ago, heading to Venice for a regional quarterfinals game.
Led by quarterback David Pasquale, the Seahawks outplayed the Indians early on, then made the pivotal plays late to secure a 27-10 win.
They continued on their playoff journey the following week with a 31-28 victory over Bradenton Manatee at Dave Warkentin Field. The season ended in a 28-13 loss to Largo in the 5A regional finals.
For the first time in the 30-year history of Cape football, the Seahawks have reached the playoffs in back-to-back years. The Seahawks had high expectations, though, with several players back from last year’s run.
“I think our kids took it for granted a little bit and they expected that we would be in the playoffs,” Goebbel said. “Our seniors have changed the mindset at this school and now we’re expecting to win.”
The Seahawks had their share of ups and downs during the regular season. They went 3-1 in District 5A-12 play, defeating Mariner, Ida Baker and North Fort Myers. Their only loss came in a 10-7 defensive struggle against Fort Myers.
Even with a host of talented skill players, they’ve been held back offensively, at times.
Ironically, the Seahawks’ best performance may have come in defeat. They lost 36-35 at Naples in week three. Defending 3A state champion Naples went ahead in the closing seconds after some controversial calls, but the Seahawks proved their resiliency by coming back from a 14-0 halftime deficit.
It showed the Seahawks could hold their own on the big stage.
“I would love to see us revert back to when we played Naples,” Goebbel said. “We need to get back to playing that kind of game, playing up to the level of competition.”
The Seahawks have featured a two-quarterback system throughout the year, which includes senior Colin Saring and junior Jaylen Watkins.
Junior running back Spencer Boyd, who was slowed by an injury early, remains a key part of the offensive attack. Fellow senior Nate Felder and freshman Mario Pender have given the Seahawks depth in the backfield.
They’ve been led up front by seniors, center Tony Waller and guard Nate Sprosty.
The Seahawks also have had several standout performers on the defensive side. The list includes Watkins, a free safety, senior linebacker Brian Justice, senior defensive end Matt Casola, senior cornerback Cameron Hall, junior linebacker Kadeem Russell and sophomore linebacker Josh Monteagudo.
Goebbel said the defense must contain Venice’s two primary offensive threats and the Seahawks collectively must play fundamentally sound.
“(Venice) waits for other teams to make mistakes and from what we’ve seen on film, their opponents have made a lot of mistakes,” he said.
Friday’s winner advances to take on the winner of the Fort Myers-Charlotte clash Friday at Edison Stadium.
In other regional playoff action Friday, Riverdale travels to Naples, Lely visits Dunbar and Evangelical Christian plays at Fort Meade.