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Prep football: Wildcats will have their hands full with Naples
ESTERO (0-5, 0-0) at NAPLES (4-1, 1-0), 7:30 p.m.
Video: Check back after the game for video highlights.
Key players: Estero — LB Adam Harris, WR/DB Nick Piga, QB/DB Will Davis, WR Travis Rhodes, RB Josiah Arizmendi; Naples — RB Carlos Hyde, LB Matt Delgado, LB Jose Davila, DL Josh Elizondo, PK Puma Nuredini.
What to watch for: A busy night for one side of the scoreboard. Naples has racked up 125 points in the teams’ previous two meetings, including a 63-14 romp last year. Backfield studs Greg Pratt and Carlos Hyde give most opponents fits, but Estero, which doesn’t possess much speed, could be especially vulnerable to big plays. If Naples pulls away early, there should be ample time for second and third stringers to strut their stuff. The Wildcats, who bring a 17-game losing streak to town, enter the game with what could be classified as momentum, at least for a rebuilding program. The 21 points they scored last week against Cypress Lake were the most for an Estero squad since 2006.
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NAPLES — It’s been three years since Estero last won on the road.
Don’t expect that drought to end tonight when the Wildcats visit powerful Naples.
The teams occupy opposite ends of the high school football spectrum — one is seeking an end to a 17-game losing streak, while the other, ranked No. 4 in Class 3A, is defending a state championship.
Even Estero knows that there’s a good chance the Wildcats get rolled under Naples’ Homecoming mat. First-year Estero coach Rich Dombroski, whose varsity squad dwindled to 24 players last week due to a rash of injuries, said he will bring about 14 junior varsity players along for the ride.
“If it’s anything like last year’s game,” Dombroski said in reference to the Golden Eagles’ 63-14 blowout win, “the JV will get some playing time in the second half.”
The call-ups aren’t coming just for reinforcement, either. Dombroski, who was a lineman at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, believes it will be a good experience for his rebuilding program to play amid the frenzied atmosphere of a Naples home game. With the potential that districts and classes could be rearranged after this season, who knows when Estero will play at Staver Field again?
“It’s great to play in front of 4,000 or 5,000. I’m excited. That’s what it was like when I played,” said Dombroski, whose alma mater was ranked No. 4 in the nation this week by USA Today.
Estero hopes to have a few players — including linebacker Grady Hartt — back in the line-up tonight after missing last week with injuries. Running back Mark Celotto and linebacker Alex Mendiola are out with long-term injuries.
After three straight shutouts, Estero’s offense got on track in last week’s 48-21 loss to Cypress Lake.
“We got a little bit of
confidence,” Wildcats quarterback Will Davis said. “We’ve got a
big hill against Naples. We’ll play our hearts out and see what we can do.”
What Naples coach Bill Kramer would like from his side is a cleaner performance. The Golden Eagles were slapped with 17 flags in last week’s 23-20 double-overtime win over Gulf Coast.
“We’ve got to do a better job of being focused and disciplined,” Kramer said.
Unlike a year ago, the Golden Eagles encountered a few tight games in the first half of the regular season. Kramer is not about to take anything for granted, even against a struggling program.
“It’s a district game. You can’t assume anything,” he said.
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