More Naples High School Football

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NAPLES — Naples knows it won’t see the same Miami Monsignor Pace football team tonight that it drubbed 33-6 in last year’s season opener. This year’s Spartans should come to town improved, experienced and, more importantly, bent on revenge.

Pace came to Naples’ Staver Field last season unsure of what to expect. It was the first time the teams had met, and no one outside of the Golden Eagles locker room knew if Naples had what it takes to become state champion.

After being dominated by the Eagles, Pace lost again the following week, but won its final eight regular-season games by an average of three touchdowns. The Spartans went to the Class 3A regional semifinals where they lost a gritty 8-6 battle to Glades Central.

Pace has 17 starters back from a year ago and is ranked No. 5 in 3A. Naples, the defending state champion, is ranked No. 1, making tonight’s contest the only matchup of top-five teams in the state.

Kramer expects the Spartans, who have won 17 games the past two years, to be as athletic as ever. With Pace’s speedy offense and Naples’ inexperienced defense, the Eagles coach knows his team is in for a fight.

“They’ll be fired up,” Kramer said of the Spartans. “There’s not going to be any ‘wow’ factor with them. They’re going to come here with hostile intentions.”

Following a one-touchdown performance against Naples last fall, Pace scored an average of 33.4 points in its final nine regular-season games. With top receiver Sterling Griffin and speedy kick returner Derrick Hopkins back, the Spartans look to pick up the scoring where they left off last season.

That could pose a problem for the Golden Eagles’ young defense. Naples has no starters back on defense and will start just two seniors against Pace. The other nine starters are juniors.

The one constant from last year’s defense that allowed only six touchdowns in 10 regular-season games is defensive coordinator Sam Dollar, who returns for his 11th season.

“Everyone focuses on how many people we lost, but we still have the best coach in Florida in Coach Dollar,” said linebacker Matt Delgado, one of the two senior starters. “As long as he puts us in the right spots, it’s kind of hard not to make plays.”

Naples’ young defense made Dollar proud in a preseason pasting of Hialeah. The Eagles held the Class 6A Thoroughbreds to one touchdown in a 47-10 victory.

The Eagles picked off three passes in last week’s win, one by Delgado and two by junior cornerback Cameron Schlagel, who returned both for touchdowns.

Dollar attributed Schlagel’s picks to good pregame preparation. The cornerback knew what the play would be, Dollar said, before it happened. Schlagel will hope for similar results when he covers Griffin tonight.

Watching film is just part of what makes a Dollar defense, players say. In practice, the Eagles walk through what they will do against their opponents, then practice full speed. The Naples first-team offense then simulates the plays Dollar thinks his defense will see that Friday night.

“We do a lot of studying,” said defensive lineman Richard McCoy, the Eagles’ other starting senior. “It’s all about knowing your assignments, knowing where to be.”

That knowledge will be tested tonight. Dollar said this could be the game of the year, and it’s definitely the game of the week in Florida.

That’s just the way Kramer wants it.

“I like to find out where we are early,” Kramer said. “That’s why we try to schedule someone we know is going to compete year-in and year-out for championships.”