Lely Falls to Talented Miami Monsignor Pace | Sports
When you go to a Lely football game, you’re always sure to see a gritty performance from the home team. Friday, September 9, was no exception as the Trojans battled Miami Monsignor Pace toe to toe in a 35-7 loss that seemed a lot closer.
It was turnovers that led to the lopsided result, and a running clock in the second half. A running clock is invoked in the second half when the scoring margin reaches 35 points. Pace stretched their lead to 35-0 late in the second half. The Trojans outscored Pace in the second half when their star running back, Guerschom Guerrier, bulled across the goal line late in the fourth quarter. Freshman kicker Hudson Switken scored the first point of his high school when he nailed the extra point attempt.
Miami Pace running back, Roger Adam, had shaken loose from Jaime Cisneros as Isaac Callier tried to get a tackling angle.
This one’s coming back. The official is ready to throw his flag and call holding as Pace running back breaks away from Lely’s CJ Bembry for a big gain. A heavy rain started after halftime and lasted through much of the second half.
Monsignor Pace (2-1) is a squad with no less than four Division I recruits. Their athleticism was evident all evening, pressuring Lely’s quarterbacks, shutting down the Trojans’ running game, while ripping off a number of long runs offense. Though Lely made a number of outstanding defensive plays – and a smattering of good plays on offense – it was not enough to overcome their propensity to make mistakes.
“Unfortunately, we’re a much better ball club than we came out and showed,” said Lely head coach J.J. Everage. “I’ll take the blame. I didn’t prepare them well this week. I let ‘em kind of slack off a little. It’s all my fault. We’ll try to get better come Monday.”
The Trojans (0-3) have little room for error, according to Everage, who has freshmen in the lineup.
Linebacker Jaime Cisneros celebrates a big play in the second half.
Rain flies from the helmet of Pace quarterback Aiden Karsh.
Andrew Martinez talks things over with a teammate.
“We’re young, and thin in numbers,” Everage said. “We’re already at a disadvantage going into every game. So if we have one little injury, we’re in trouble. We’ve got to be more mentally tough than we were tonight.”
Going into Week Four, Everage is still trying to figure out his quarterback situation. Both junior Colin Raymond and freshman Luca Rama saw action against Pace.
“Luca Rama came in did the best he could with the little time he had,” Everage said. “We were trying to change the momentum up. We’re still looking for a quarterback who can lead this team.”
Everage said opponents are keying on Guerrier, one of the top running backs in the area.
“Everybody knows what we have,” Everage said. “We only have one player who can really hurt you. The other guys need to step up and make people play us honest.”
Everage believes in his team. He thinks he can get more out of them.
“The kids have it ‘em,” Everage said. “I let them kind of go through the motions this week in practice. I promised them next week we won’t let that happen anymore.”
The Trojans continued to fight throughout the second half. They were buoyed by their long score.
Lely cheerleader Diadria Richard is not letting the rain dampen her spirit.
“It was refreshing to see that they continued to fight,” Everage said. “I thought this was a team we had a chance to beat.”
Things don’t get any easier for the Trojans with traditional state power Bradenton Southeast visiting Trojan Stadium on Friday, September 16, at 7:00 PM, though the Seminoles have an uncharacteristic 0-3 to start the season. Everage believes in playing a strong schedule, regardless of the results in the win-loss column. He wants his players to believe they can compete with anyone.
“Southeast has athletes all over the field,” Everage said. “I want them to get exposure by playing outside of Collier County. Our kids have got to learn that just because you don’t know these kids like you do all the kids in Collier County because you grew up playing with them, there’s no use in being intimidated by them. You just play football, do what you’ve been coached to do, and good things will happen. Right now we’re just looking to be competitive. I’ll take a beating as long as we’re competitive.”
