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Hialeah Comes to Staver for the 6th straight year
Golden Eagles soar over Thoroughbreds 46-6 in tune up for season opener
Even with several key players having the night off, Naples had too much offense, defense and special teams for Hialeah to handle. The Eagles jumped out to a 26-0 lead after 11 minutes of play and from there the only question left was "When does the running clock start?". The answer would come almost 3 hours later.
The game lasted until almost 10:30, even though it started as scheduled and did not go into overtime or suffer any delays due to lightning, which is often the case in August and September. 26 penalties and Hialeah team that threw the ball 30 times certainly kept the clock stopped more than the local faithful would have liked.
With last season’s kicker, TK Okubo not dressed; the kicking chores fell to Sophomore Jorge Friedrich, who pooched his first Varsity kick down to the Hialeah 26. In what would be a sign of things to come, Hialeah QB Christian Rosseau droped back to pass to find the much maligned Eagle defense bearing down on him. He gets rid of the ball, but the yellow flag comes out indicating intentional grounding. The 16 yard sack and ensuing 5 yard penalty puts Hialeah on their own 5 yard line. A run and an incomplete pass brings up a 4th down punt attempt. Senior Deac Conti gets a piece of it, and it goes out of bounds on the 1. Two plays later, Senior Steven Williams takes it in for a 6-0 lead. The extra point try is no good, as the Eagles go for two and are stopped short.
Friedrich again pooches the ball, and this fair catch allows the Thoroughbreds to start on their own 26. On this series, Sammy Lubin sacks Rosseau, forcing another punt. This time it is Sophomore Sammy Lubin with the quick feet as he blocks the punt, setting up the Offense on the Hialeah 3. After a penalty, Senior Isaac Dutes takes the handoff and breaks several tackles on his way to an 8 yard TD run. Another 2 point conversion attempt misfires, but the Eagles go up 12-0 after just 3:08 gone in first quarter.
Friedrich kicks off for the third time and this one sets up Hialeah on their own 29 after another fair catch. On a penalty filled drive, the Hialeah QB is able to move his team down to the Naples 26. Senior Linebacker Will Thomas stays home on the screen pass and picks it off. The Golden Eagles start this drive on their own 26, and Junior QB Cody Thoman is anxious to show what he can do. After a 4 yard keeper, and some more Naples penalties, Dutes carries for 6 yards setting up third and 10. Thoman lofts a perfect spiral into the hands of a sprinting Senior Thomas Martin who outruns the defender on his way to a 73 yard touchdown. Another 2 point conversion attempt goes awry, so the score remains 18-0 with 4:21 left in the first quarter.
Friedrich has figured out that a pooch kick with no return is a good thing; so once again, the Thoroughbreds start well on their side of the field, on their 21. The result for Hialeah is a familiar and, and after a few runs, penalties, and incomplete passes, it is time to punt again. This 32 yard kick gives Naples the ball back on the Thoroughbreds side of the field and Naples will start one of their longer drives of the night. During the next 8 plays, Junior Manny Morgan carries the ball 4 times, including the 5 yard TD to push the score to 24-0. This time, Thoman is able to make good on the 2 point PAT as Senior Tight End Dominic Salemme hauls in the pass and crosses the goal line. The score grows to 26-0, with just under a minute left in the first quarter.
There would be no more scoring in the first half, but the Thoroughbreds tried to make it close. In their biggest play of the night so far, an interception of a Thoman pass is returned to the Naples 25 with just 24 seconds left before intermission. Hialeah is turned back agains as converted Running Back to Linebacker Chance Hobbs joins Senior Tyler Costa in dumping the Hialeah QB for a 14 yard sack, and the first half ends with the score 26-0 in favor of the Golden Eagles.
DB Sammy Lubin asks QB Christian Rosseau to take a seat - one of many times Rosseau looked up to find blue jersies in his backfield. Photo courtesy of the Naples Daily news
Williams takes the 2nd half kickoff and aided by a facemask penalty sets Naples up on their 24. The next play, which can be seen HERE, shows while individuals like Manny Morgan make great plays, the entire team is responsible for giving him the opportunity. As they have all game, the offensive line opens up huge holes and they stay with their blocks. The wide outs too are blocking downfield giving Morgan room to make his cuts; the end result is a picture perfect76 yard TD burst that puts the Golden Eagles up 32-0.
As more punts and turnovers are exchanged, Hialeah starts their last drive of the third quarter on their 20. Workhorse Running Back Hansley Fleurejus finally breaks free and is streaking towards the end zone. Naples Junior DB Jules Dornevil shows he is pretty quick too and runs down Fleurejus on the Eagle 17. This touchdown saving tackle preserves the shutout as 6 plays later, the Eagles intercept the pass and bring it back to the 40. The momentum switches back quickly as the Eagles cough up the ball, and Hialeah starts their only scoring drive from their 47. On this series they take advantage of 6’5” Wide Receiver Kendrick Edwards’ size and speed as he makes three big catches including the 12 yard scoring pass. Their PAT is blocked, leaving the score at 32-6, at least for the next 14 seconds
And 14 seconds is just how long it takes the Golden Eagles to answer back. Kick return specialist Steven Williams scoops up the ensuing kickoff and weaves his way through the Hialeah special teams unit on his way to an 80 yard return for the touchdown. This time Friedrich kicks the PAT, and the lead grows to 39-6, taking all the remaining wind out of the sails of the Thoroughbreds. They do receive the kickoff from Friedrich, but this drive ends in fitting fashion for Hialeah. They are able to complete a 26 yard pass, but later in the drive, the QB is in the shotgun looking over the Golden Eagle defense that has harassed him all night long. While he is watching the D, the ball is snapped and it sails behind him. 24 yards later, Naples recovers on the Hialeah 41. With Kilton Anderson now behind center, The Eagles use 3:28 to finish off the scoring, punctuated by a 9 yard TD run by Dutes. The Friedrich PAT is again perfect, and the clock is ready to start running, with Naples up by 40, 46-6
Hialeah goes quietly, as the first snap of this drive is put on the ground. Two plays later the game finally ends, 3 hours after it started. As expected, Naples puts up a lot of points, in no small part due to special teams. They block 2 punts, and return 1 kickoff for a touchdown. The offense racks up 392 yards while the defense limits Hialeah to under 200. The Golden Eagle Defense was indeed Golden, as they come up with 4 QB sacks and 2 interceptions. Add to that 3 forced fumbles and the Golden Eagles dominated on both sides of the ball
Up next is North Miami. The Pioneers are in 8A, the largest classification in Florida. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 at Staver Field
