Anything Would Help

Tucked away behind Naples Manor, known by its residents as The Manor, Trojan Stadium is a cacophony of sights and sounds on Tuesday night, November 25. Shoulder pads are popping, coaches are shouting instructions, and two groups of pint-sized cheerleaders are giving their all. Their teamwork and enthusiasm are a microcosm of the ties that bind the close-knit Lely community. 

Hard work has paid off for the South Naples Trojans as they advance to the 14-and-under age group Nationals in North Carolina for the first time in 25 years. The organization serves as a crucial feeder system for the Lely High School. There’s just one commodity they’re short on: money. It’s going to take roughly $30,000 to get the kids to North Carolina and back. Nationals are held December 6-12. 

"It's really a big deal to them,” said CJ Noel, a former star running back at Lely in the early 1990s who is president of the South Naples Trojans. “The only thing is it's expensive. It's going to cost them about $1,200 per player. But we're trying to find a way to get them there.” 

A national championship would cement the legacy of the 2025 South Naples Trojans in the Manor. 

Jun Tanelus, an alumnus of the glory days of Immokalee High School’s football program, is the team’s head coach. His coaching staff is filled with high-character Trojan standouts from the near and not-so-near past. Culmer St. Jean and Fritz Jacques starred collegiately in the first decade of the 2000s. Sergio Morancy is fresh off a stellar career as a wideout at the University of Northern Iowa. Jun’s son Jakeem, the team’s offensive coordinator, quarterbacked the Trojans to the most unlikely of turnarounds in the program’s history in 2022. Mikey Lastra, Andrew Martinez, and Julio Cervantes round out a staff that many high schools would be proud to have. 

“I feel good about my coaching staff,” said Jun Tanelus, "because I put them together and everybody's a Lely alumni except me. We had a great spring season, and then we turned it around in the fall and we had a great run. We went 5-1. After that loss, we turned it around and punched our way through every adversity and ended up winning the Peace River championship. Then we went off to the playoffs and won two games. This past Saturday, we went to Orlando and won the Southeast Region championship." 

Tanelus believes in the Lely community. It reminds him of where he grew up. 

“This is a big community,” he said. "This community right here reminds me of my hometown. Everything that made me fall in love with this community reminds me of Immokalee. It's the same energy. Everybody's here to help each other out, no matter what the situation is. Everybody is there for one another. I love everything about Lely. Immokalee is a place I love, and that's where I first was raised and did all my playing. I played for coach John Weber, one of the best coaches in Immokalee history. The mentality, the physicality I bring to these kids is from coach Weber showing me the ropes.” 

Tanelus believes the Lely community will come through for their kids.   

"We’re looking to raise money because unfortunately it's very expensive to go to Nationals,” Tanelus said. “It's a big hump that we're facing right now, trying to get these kids there. These kids worked hard for it all season. They put in the work and they got rewarded with two trophies. So,we're trying to find a way to get them to Nationals. You know you're talking about the cost of the hotel, the cost of renting cars to get them up there.” 

The South Naples Trojans have some of the most important names in Lely history on their side in St. Jean, Jacques, and Noel. Any of these three men could claim the title of Mr. Lely—although all three would defer credit to their colleagues. 

"Coach Fritz Jacques is Mr. Lely,” Tanelus said. "He's a Lely alumnus. Went to Kent State University. He has a Division One background, has the knowledge. Great coach, great personality, and great energy with the kids. We feed off each other. We like the physicality. We don't teach the kids to go hurt anybody, though. But this is a physical sport."   

Jacques was known for his hard-hitting style as a four-year starter at Kent State, where he totaled 215 career tackles and served as a team captain. He was honored by ESPN with a spot on the All-Mayday team, recognizing players who show a tremendous amount of toughness and determination throughout the season in overcoming adversity on the field.  

Noel, in addition to his role as the South Naples Trojans’ team president, supports the Trojans through his insurance company, CJ Noel Insurance. He dismisses himself as a Mr. Lely candidate, though he is certainly worthy, given his on and off the field contributions.  

"No, no, I'm not it,” Noel said with his trademark smile. "I wouldn't be in it. I would say Culmer and Fritz, they're tight. It's a tight race. Fritz is our defensive back coach. Probably the best in the state. I always tell him, ever since he started coaching, he should be in college.” 

There'sprobably a good reason Jacques isn’t coaching at the collegiate level.  

"Because he's giving back to us,” Noel said. "To the young kids.” 

St. Jean was an impactful student athlete from 2007-2010 at the University of Wisconsin. Besides being named second team All-Big10, St. Jean had 165 career tackles in 50 games, was Academic All-Big 10, and won the Ivan B. Williamson Scholastic Award. 

Both St. Jean and Jacques were head coaches at Lely. Jacques currently coaches the defensive backs for the varsity Trojans. 

Noel insists on throwing another name into the Lely leadership mix. 

"I would say Megan Kelley,” Noel said. “That's a die-hard Lely Trojan fan right there. No matter where the game's played, I don't think she misses a game. No matter what, she's there, rain or shine. I'll stay back, watch it on TV. But she's at the game. I know she's going to be there. She's great. Even on Saturdays, from the time the first kids play at 8:00 AM, she's there until the last game. She's Miss Lely High School.” 

Kelley works not one, but two jobs on Marco Island. She’s part of the team at Riverchase Dermatology. She also works at the Bald Eagle 7-Eleven. 

"Megan and my wife, they do the bookkeeping,” Noel said. “It's going to cost a lot of money, but it's an experience the kids will never get again. I didn't get it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”  

“It could be the only chance they have to go out of state,” Kelley said. "When we took some of the girls to Orlando for Nationals years ago, there were girls that have never even ridden on an escalator before. So, it's an experience. It's a memory." 

And time is of the essence. 

“We have to leave next week,” Noel said. "We have a game on December 6." 

How can you help? 

“They can call me directly at 239-404-9649,” Noel said. "South Naples Trojans is a 501(c)(3). Or you can reach out to Megan at 239-245-4018;she’s our vice president.” 

“We also have southnaplestrojans@gmail.com,” Kelley said. "We also have a Venmo and Zelle. And we have QR codes." 

"Anything would help,” Noel said hopefully.