Great Time to be a Trojan

They say hope springs eternal. And if the Lely Trojans’ performance Thursday night at Riverdale High School in Ft. Myers is any indication, everything may be coming up roses come the regular season this fall.

While team supporters were greeting each other by confidently stating, “Great time to be a Trojan,” the team, after a tentative start, was pulling away from Riverdale, 34-13 in the spring game for both teams.

"We didn't do a whole lot of tackling to the ground in the spring,” Coach Ben Hammer said, "and wearing (football) pants - the heat kept us out of pants. All that good stuff. So, the first drive, you're kind of getting some jitters out. But then they came to play."

Riverdale came out looking like the playoff team they were last fall, stopping Lely’s opening drive, then scoring one of their own with an impressive opening drive. But then the Trojans flipped the switch, led by temporary quarterback Zephaniah Diamond, a rising senior. Diamond was a standout wide receiver last fall. Rising sophomore Luke Trebilcock shared snaps with Diamond.

"Zeph did a great job filling in,” Hammer said. "He executed everything we asked him to do. Blocked, controlled the offense. Did a fantastic job stepping up."

But the star of the show was undeniably Nino Joseph, the rising junior who was on pace to become the all-time leading rusher in Southwest Florida until a broken collarbone in the Coconut Bowl against Naples in week seven ended his season. Building on an outstanding freshman season that saw him pick up 835 yards, Joseph picked up 1,623 yards and scored 25 touchdowns in just over six games last fall. Joseph says his shoulder is stronger than before the injury. He ripped off several huge runs against Riverdale. He even lowered his shoulder and picked up some tough yards in short-yardage situations.

"Nino's Nino,” Hammer said matter-of-factly. "He's a superstar. Until someone can prove me otherwise, he's the best running back in Florida.”

Hammer, a former offensive lineman, was pleased with what he saw from his big guys up front.

"They seem to do really well,” Hammer said. "Specifically with protection. Run game. There's some stuff we've got to work on, but those guys are tough. They wear people down, and they really did a nice job of being physical tonight.”

The Trojans seem to have improved defensively since the fall.

"Two safeties,” Hammer said, "two turnovers. I think three more three-and-outs. The defense did a great job. Noah Brown stood out. I know he got trapped one time; he was the first person to admit it to me. Then Aydin Herrera was unbelievably physical. Anthony Thompson played freshman in the fall. He started tonight, and he had the first fumble recovery.”

Hammer embraces that “great time to be a Trojan” enthusiasm.

“Every single year, the expectations are going to be high,” said Hammer. “If you want to be at a place where expectations aren't high, Lely's the wrong place. Southwest Florida is the wrong place. High school football in Florida is the wrong place. We embrace high expectations and what a blessing they are."

Lely opens its regular season on August 29 when they host Sarasota Calvary Christian.