High school football: Preseason games will count in the standings for two local rivalries

It’s one of the oldest rivalry games in Collier County, dating back 40 years between the second- and third-oldest high schools in Naples.

And yet the tradition-rich programs of Barron Collier and Lely will not play each other this season. At least that’s what it will show on the official 2018 schedule of both teams.

In reality, the Cougars and Trojans will square off on the gridiron, just as they have since 1978. But Friday’s game between the two is an exhibition – it’s a preseason game that won’t count in the record books.

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Another matchup between Collier public schools – all seven of whom play each other every year – also goes down in Friday’s preseason. Though not as steeped in history as Cougars-Trojans, the game between Immokalee and Gulf Coast won’t go down as an official win or loss either.

The county clashes were moved to the preseason because of scheduling difficulties, a large part of them caused by Immokalee and Lely playing in a six-team district. Though coaches would prefer to play the games in the regular season, they say this gives an extra buzz to their exhibition games.

“It’s good that we’re going to be tested right off the bat,” Barron Collier fourth-year coach Mark Jackson said. “We better bring our A-game because (Lely has) some super athletic kids. They pose a threat.”

For Lely and Immokalee, five of their 10 regular-season games are against Class 5A-District 12 opponents. They then have five more games to play against fellow county public schools, which make up the Collier County Athletic Conference.

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That gives the Trojans and Indians 10 games – and no room to schedule another team, say for an extra home game or a special trip, like Barron Collier playing in Orlando the past two seasons. So, this year’s games were moved to the preseason.

Last season was the first since 1994 that Barron Collier and Lely didn’t play in the regular season. It was only the third time since Barron Collier opened in 1978 that the teams didn’t play an official game.

Both sides are treating the preseason contest like Week 1. And the games will count for something – the results will go towards the CCAC standings, which determine a conference champion each year.

“If you look at what Coach (Rodelin) Anthony has done at Immokalee, they’re one of the top teams in the area, top teams in the state,” first-year Gulf Coast coach Tom Scalise said. “If we go in thinking this is just a regular preseason game, we do our team a disservice and the game a disservice.”

Immokalee and Gulf Coast have been playing in the preseason since 2015.

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Coaches from all four schools would like to see these games back on the regular-season schedule, especially under the new FHSAA playoff system. Teams make the postseason based on points earned for wins and losses. They get bonus points for playing a team that made the playoffs the past three years.

Barron Collier, Gulf Coast and Immokalee all qualified for regionals in that time span, so these games would provide valuable playoff points if they were in the regular season.

“At the end of this year we need to sit down and say, ‘Hey, both our teams provide point values without having to leave Southwest Florida,’” Anthony said. “We need to take advantage of it.”

The Indians, coming off an undefeated regular season and a regional title in 2017, are especially excited for their preseason game after they didn’t get to play Gulf Coast last year.

Last year’s preseason game wasn’t played because of heavy rain at Immokalee. Although the Indians say they were willing to play on their flooded field and that Gulf Coast refused.

However, the perceived slight doesn’t provide extra motivation because Immokalee doesn’t need any. Anthony has his alma mater fired up whenever it steps on the field.

“We’re amped up every time to kick somebody’s butt,” Anthony said. “There’s nothing preseason about it. The preseason is the spring. This game is vital to us.”

PRESEASON

Friday, Aug. 17

All games at 7 p.m. unless noted

Lely at Barron Collier

Estero at First Baptist, 7:30 p.m.

LaBelle at Golden Gate

Immokalee at Gulf Coast

Moore Haven at Marco Island Academy

North Fort Myers at Naples, 7:30 p.m.

Ida Baker at Palmetto Ridge

Sarasota-Out-of-Door at St. John Neumann