Lely Storms Golden Gate

They blew in Friday night with the speed, fury, and intensity of a SW Florida thunderstorm. And after 24 minutes, the Lely Trojans’ lightning-strike offense had raged through the Golden Gate defense for 62 points. Meanwhile, their thunderous defense kept the Titans from mounting a scoring drive. Then Mother Nature delivered the final blow with torrential rain and lightning, emptying Titan Stadium and sending the large week one crowd scurrying to the safety of their vehicles, just two minutes into the second half.

Lely’s offense - arguably the best ever seen in these parts - gained 525 yards in a first-half performance that was awesome. The Trojans' defense did their part, too, throttling the Titans’ running game, pressuring their quarterback, and blanketing their receivers. The first half was a long string of big plays by the Trojans' offense and defense.

Sophomore quarterback Brady Quinn was nearly flawless in his first regular-season game as a Trojan after transferring from First Baptist Academy. Quinn connected on 13 of his 14 pass attempts for 315 yards and five touchdowns. He also impressed with his feet, sprinting 35 yards to within inches of the goal line after executing a spectacular fake handoff to star running back Nino Joseph. Joseph, a junior who was on pace to become SW Florida’s all-time leading rusher before a week seven injury at Naples ended his 2024 season, looks better than ever. His efficiency is born out in his stat line: 145 yards on just five carries. Yes, that’s 29 yards per carry.

Hammer was philosophical about what most would term an easy win as he stood in the pouring rain following the game, played with a running clock because of the mercy rule. The running clock goes into effect in the second half when a team falls behind by at least 35 points.

“It's not about the scoreboard,” Hammer insists. "It's not about the opponent. It's always us versus us.”

Hammer doesn’t doubt that film study will be telling.

“It won't be as good as it seems,” he said. "It's not as bad as it seems when it's bad. We're still going to go to work and still continue to work towards our goals.”

Hammer has lofty goals for this year’s team. He challenges his players to improve one percent every day. He wasn’t ready to talk about his home opener, Friday, August 29, at 7:30 p.m. against Calvary Christian (Clearwater).

"I haven't even looked at it,” he said of the matchup. “We'll meet on Sunday. We'll make a game plan, and kids and coaches will go to work."

Cavalry Christian beat Palm Harbor University 37-3 in week one. Last season, they finished 6-3-1, losing to Berkley Prep (Tampa) in the first round of the playoffs. Lely finished 7-5 in 2024, advancing to the regional semifinal where they lost to eventual state champion Miami Northwestern.