Prep football: Naples avenges last year's loss to South Fort Myers in big way
Immediately following Naples High’s 39-12 football victory over South Fort Myers on Friday that earned the Golden Eagles a little bit of satisfaction after having lost at home to the Wolfpack last season, senior quarterback Jordan Persad-Tirone texted his former teammates who couldn’t be there.
This one was for Marcelino Charles, Chris Hanlon and the rest of the Class of 2017, who suffered as South ruined their perfect regular season. Persad-Tirone’s texts to them were filled with 100, devil and fire emojis.
Naples enacted a bit of revenge in a matchup of Collier County’s top program and Lee County’s most successful squad over the last decade. Chez Melussi returned to the lineup to rush for 151 yards and a touchdown, and Persad-Tirone scored three times in a rout of South on the road at Wolfpack Stadium.
“They beat us at home and I took that to heart,” Persad-Tirone said of the 42-35 loss last year. “They ruined our undefeated regular season. So I had that grudge.”
The regular showdown was more important than ever with the Florida High School Athletic Association’s move to a playoff point system to determine seedings and at-large playoff berths.
Naples (5-1) can lock up a District 6A-12 title and an automatic berth with a win over rival Barron Collier next week while South (4-3) will also play for a District 7A-12 title next week against Gulf Coast.
Eagles coach Bill Kramer admitted he still had to look at the film from a game where his squad neutralized South’s speed on defense with its running game, which finished with 240 yards. But he liked what he saw.
“We really felt like we had to go at them and not run side to side much,” Kramer said. “I’ll tell you what, we were creating some pretty good space out there.”
“I wasn’t sure coming in. I really challenged our guys Wednesday and Thursday about their preparation and where we were mentally and the kind of maturity we were going to have coming over here. I couldn’t be more proud of how they responded.”
Prep Football 2016: South Fort Myers beats Naples with big plays late
Persad-Tirone had to throw just one pass.
Naples rushed for 197 yards in the first half, including a 55-yard Melussi touchdown on the Eagles’ first drive.
Persad-Tirone scored on back-to-back drives in the second quarter to put the Eagles up 22-0 with 4:09 left in the half.
“Throughout the season we made a lot of little mistakes and little errors that would kill us,” Persad-Tirone said. “This week we’re just playing fast, playing at game speed. The little mistakes just weren’t there.”
Naples’ Andre Eaton picked off Tyler Lackey at midfield and returned it to the South 25 to set up a 22-yard Hugh Wilkinson field goal as time expired in the first half.
Naples blocked a punt in the third quarter that Chase Bertucci fell on to close the door on South.
South went 8-0 to start last season, including the win over Naples, but fell went 1-2 to finish the season conceding the district title to Gulf Coast.
Friday’s loss should give the Wolfpack fuel going into next week.
Senior Jeshaun Jones rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown and offensive lineman Evenne Laurent recovered a fumble in the end zone for South’s points.
NAPLES 39, SOUTH FORT MYERS 12
N 7 18 6 8 -- 39
SFM 0 0 6 6 -- 12
First quarter
N -- Chez Melussi 55 run (Hugh Wilkinson kick), 8:35
Second quarter
N -- Jordan Persad-Tirone 3 run (Persad-Tirone run), 11:11
N -- Persad-Tirone 1 run (Wilkinson kick), 4:09
N -- Wilkinson 22 FG, 0:00
Third quarter
N -- Chase Bertucci recovers fumble in end zone (run failed), 3:37
SFM -- Evenne Laurent 1 run (run failed), 1:12
Fourth quarter
N -- Persad-Tirone 1 run (Joseph Gresbrink pass from Persad-Tirone), 10:29
SFM -- Jeshaun Jones 12 run (pass failed), :38