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Eagles score early and often and drown the Sharks 56-27
Billy Crook leads the Eagles over Gulf Coast. Photo courtesy of the Naples Daily News
Homecoming night was a special evening for the Naples fans and alumni - not so much for Gulf Coast. The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 21-0 lead midway through the first quarter and didn't let up until half time. By then the Eagles were up by 6 touchdowns and it was all over. The only suspense left was who would be crowned Homecoming King & Queen. After it was announced that Jake Freedman & Catherine Coons were chosen, well, the second half was quite anticlimactic.
The game starts with a patented on-sides kick from TK Okubo. He has perfected this to the point that for the second week in a row, he recovered his own kick. It would only take the Gold & Navy 3 plays to score as Malacchi Esdale takes a screen pass in from 30 yards out to put up the initial TD. Okubo is perfect on the PAT, as he will be 7 more times tonight.
Gulf Coast starts on their 20 after an Okubo touchback, and this drive ends with an interception by Nathan Jones on the first play from scrimmage. Welcome to Staver Field. This Naples scoring drive is but 2 plays as Isaac Dutes takes advantage of his offensive line opening up a big hole and he runs it in from 9 yards out. Naples is now up 14-0 with 92 seconds gone in the game. Okubo tries another on-sides kick, but this one is actually recovered by the opponent, a real rarity. Gulf Coast drives into the red zone, aided by a couple Naples penalties, but the Dollar Defense forces a fumble, and Naples once again goes on the attack. Manny Morgan runs the ball on 4 of the next 5 plays setting up a scoring strike by Billy Crook. Crook, celebrating his birthday today, fakes a throw left, then finds a wide open Thomas Martin behind the secondary. He hauls in the pass for his third catch of the night, this one for a 45 yard touchdown. Okubo makes it 21-0 with 6:16 left in the FIRST quarter.
Okubo puts the kickoff into the end zone, and the Sharks go on their longest scoring drive of the night, 80 yards. Zimon Brennan, the Sharks QB, is a one man show for Gulf Coast as the sophomore runs the ball three times and completes passes of 34 & 27 yards, the last one for the score. Now, back in the game, the Gulf Coast fans and players are pumped up and you can feel the momentum swinging back to the Sharks. Well, feelings don't win football games, as Ike Dutes gladly demonstrates. He takes the kickoff back 99 yards for the score, and in just 16 seconds, the hope and enthusiasm evaporates out of the Sharks and their fans. Players look up in disbelief and the visiting stands get eerily quiet.
The Eagle defense keeps the pressure on with Cody Christner forcing an errant throw. The next pass from Brennan finds Naples DB Deac Conti, who tip toes the sideline after he intercepts the pass. Crook mixes up runs by Morgan with passes to Jeffrey Zieminski and Thomas Martin, setting up another Eagle big play. Crook tosses one up near the goal line which is hauled in by a leaping Devin Scott. Morgan runs it in from there and the lead grows to 35-7, after another PAT from Okubo. Okubo's touchback once again makes for a long field for Gulf Coast, and what appears to be a defensive stop by Naples leads to a fake punt attempt by the Sharks. The key word here is "attempt" as they are forced to try to pick up a first down deep in their own end of the field, but the Eagles make it a "4" and out. The Eagles take over and for the first time tonight are unable to score, as an Okubo 40 field goal attempt is wide left.
This sequence repeats itself as the Sharks are unable to convert another 4th down fake punt and Okubo is unable to connect on another long field goal, this time from 44 yards. The monotony ends as on Gulf Coast's next offensive play; a fumble in the backfield pops right into the hands of another Shark player, who races down the sideline for the score. Now with just 5:09 to go in the first half, Gulf Coast closes to within 21, as they now trail 35-14.
A penalty forces Naples to start this drive from their own 5, but all that does is pad the offensive stats. Zieminski takes a pass from Crook and drags tacklers en route to a 40 yard gain. After a 10 yard run by Dutes, Morgan races down the field for a 44 yard score. The weary leg of Okubo makes it 42-14. On their next series, Gulf Coast is forced to punt, and Martin brings it back to the 48. 2 plays later, Crook is able to scramble through the Shark defenders, and aided by a downfield block by Morgan, completes the 52 yard scoring run. Still over 3 minutes before the half time break, and Naples widens the lead to 49-14. The Dollar defense forces the last of the "4" and outs, as the fake punt is a pass, which is knocked down by Conti. As Naples starts on the Shark 21, it takes 1 play for Eagles to strike. Scott makes another leaping catch, this time in the end zone, and the Eagles score for the last time, now leading 56-14.
The mercy rule enables the running clock for the second half and lopsided score allows for some fresh faces on the field. Gulf Coast puts up 2 more scores but the outcome of this game was never in doubt. The Sharks have never beaten Naples and that will not change tonight. The final score is 56-27, and it was not really that close. Naples improves to 3-1 on the young season, and prepares for a trip down Golden Gate Parkway to meet the Titans. Game time is 7:00 this week, so don't be late!
