Prep Football 2016: Community School starts fast, rolls at Moore Haven

MOORE HAVEN --  A nearly three-hour weather delay didn't faze the Community School of Naples football team. The visiting Seahawks showed no rust as they used a fast start to cruise past Moore Haven, 48-13, in a Class 2A-District 7 clash on Friday night.

"We've been looking for a fast start. We needed the quick start and we did it tonight," said Community School coach Paul Selvidio, whose team will visit St. John Neumann next Friday.

Community School (3-1, 1-0) built a 42-6 halftime lead as Moore Haven (3-2, 1-1) struggled to contain the ground and air assault from running back Joe Lang (6 rushes for 137 yards; 3 receptions for 76 yards) and quarterback Cooper Weiss (8-of-16 for 159 yards; 7 rushes for 105 yards).

"Joe is one of the best players in the area. He proves it, night in, night out; Cooper Weiss the same thing. Those two kids are as good as it gets in high school football," Selvidio said.

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The game didn't start until 9:45 p.m. due to lightning, but it took no time for Lang to bolt past defenders. The Seahawks offensive line provided a gaping hole for Lang on his way to a 65-yard score on the second play of the game.

"That was a great energy booster," Weiss said. "From there, he set the tone."

Lang was just warming up. All of his offensive production, including three touchdowns, came in the first half.

Aided by a 59-yard dash up the middle from Weiss, Lang scored from 1-yard to cap the Seahawks' second series. He then beat single-man coverage and caught a 57-yard bomb from Weiss that gave the Seahawks a 21-6 cushion.

Community School pulled away in the second quarter thanks to two touchdowns from Alex Murphey, who scored on a 14-yard grab across the middle and a 1-yard plunge.

Despite sloppy field conditions, Weiss was crisp. He fired his third touchdown pass when he hit tight end Daniel Zuloaga across the middle. Zuloaga bounced off two defenders and rambled 42 yards for the team's sixth touchdown in the opening 24 minutes.

"That's a great football team," Moore Haven coach Richard Roudybush said. "We had a lot of missed tackles in the first half. We're young. We have a bunch of freshmen and sophomores. It's a great experience for them. We're in a tough district."

The Seahawks also excelled in the turnover department. As a defensive back, Weiss picked off a pass and recovered a fumble. Lineman Israel Anis and defensive back Matthew Walther also pounced on fumbles that halted Moore Haven scoring threats deep in Community School territory.

Community School's Robert Devito and Moore Haven's Dwight Washington accounted for the only scoring in the second half, which was played with a running clock.

A year ago, Community School's victory against Moore Haven proved to be pivotal as the Seahawks went on to secure a playoff spot.

"Every game in the district is a de facto playoff game. We treat it like that; we prepare for that," Selvidio said.

COMMUNITY SCHOOL 48, MOORE HAVEN 13

CSN  21 21 6 0 -- 48

MH   6 0 0 7 -- 13

First quarter 

CSN -- Joe Lang 65 run (Aaron Harris kick) 11:02

CSN -- Lang 1 run (Harris kick)  6:25

MH -- John Cox 3 run (kick fail) 4:40

CSN -- Lang 57 pass from Cooper Weiss (Harris kick) 4:25

Second quarter

CSN -- Alex Murphey 14 pass from Weiss (Harris kick) 10:31

CSN -- Murphey 1 run (Harris kick) 4:01

CSN -- Daniel Zuloaga 42 pass from Weiss (Harris kick) :03

Third quarter

CSN -- Robert Devito 3 run (kick fail) 5:13

Fourth quarter

MH -- Dwight Washington 1 run (Delfino Mayorga kick)  1:17