Talented Trojans Prepare for Season

Lely football coach Ben Hammer likes the way his team is dealing with obstacles blocking their path as they work through fall camp. He said the team is handling adversity well despite limited outdoor practice time and facility issues. In a creative twist, the third-year Lely coach turned on the lights at Trojan Stadium for a 6:00 AM practice on Friday morning, August 8.

“We did it to avoid the rain and the heat,” Hammer said. “The kids are working hard. They're doing a great job of battling adversity. When things don't necessarily go our way, if they're out of our control, they're doing a great job of controlling the way they respond to things. We've had a lot of days where we haven't been able to practice outside the whole time. A couple of days we haven't been able to go outside at all. And they haven't missed a beat, whether we had to practice in the auditorium or the hallways. For a long time, the school gym wasn't available because they were resurfacing it. It looks great, but it provided some challenges this summer. But our kids did a great job of handling that stuff.”

Even with a talented roster, Hammer knows his team will face plenty of adversity this fall. The Trojans return many of their outstanding players from last year’s 7-5 team that lost to eventual state champion Miami Northwestern in the regional semifinals. They’ve also added several key transfers, making them arguably one of the top teams in Southwest Florida.

Chief among the newcomers is sophomore quarterback Brady Quinn, who threw for 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions at First Baptist Academy as a freshman last season. He holds a handful of major college offers, including one from the University of Florida.

“In terms of the tools at the quarterback position,” Hammer said, "he's got a lot of them.”

Quinn will have a deep and talented group of receivers at his disposal.

“Jude Mathurin, Brandon Baptiste, and Jayden Pino are all returners,” Hammer said, “they’re all tall, skinny kids. They’ll be playing on the outside. Zephaniah Diamond is back (41 receptions, 653 yards, seven touchdowns). He’ll be playing receiver and tight end. We have a new player, Romeo Sararo (62 receptions, 1,041 yards, 13 touchdowns) from Aubrey Rogers. His hands are really good. Really good route running ability. And he does a nice job blocking as well. He's a pretty good player. ”

With two 1,000-yard backs returning, Hammer appears to have an embarrassment of riches in the offensive backfield.

“We're going to hand them the ball and hopefully block for them,” Hammer said. "Nino Joseph will be our main running back. He's got natural talent for the position. He's fast. He's strong. He has great balance. But he's also such a hard worker. A humble athlete. Really just a great human being.”

Senior Ty Collins (1,189 yards, 9.5 yards per carry, 17 touchdowns) also caught 16 passes for 211 yards. Collins became the Trojans’ main running threat after Joseph broke his collarbone in the Coconut Bowl in week seven against Naples. Joseph, a junior this season, was on pace to become the all-time leading rusher in SW Florida history before the injury, gaining 1,623 yards (9.9 yards per carry) and scoring 23 touchdowns. Joseph averaged 231 yards rushing a game in 2024.

Collins led the Trojans with three interceptions last season but may not be counted on as heavily on the defensive side of the ball in 2025.

“Ty will be playing both running back and receiver,” Hammer said. "We've added a little bit more depth from last year. We have a transfer student, Rob Gamboa, who is a defensive back, and he'll help us over there. So, it might not be as big of a load for Ty, but in certain situations he will still play both ways.”

By the way, Collins, an elite soccer player, is also adept at punting and kicking.

Hammer seems confident in his offensive line.

“We return three that started every game last year,” he said. Kerwins Servius was a freshman last year. He started three or four games because of injury. We consider him a returning starter, too. The guards, Albertony Chery and Jeremiah Dieudonne are both returners. The center, Gilbens Exavier, played a lot last year as well. At right tackle, we have a couple kids competing.”

Hammer said what the offensive line lacks in size, they make up for in toughness.

"They're working hard,” he said, "and they're scrappy, physical kids. We're a little undersized compared to most teams.”

Hammer says the Lely defense is determined to show they’ve improved.

“They've worked really hard in the weight room in the off-season,” he said. “And all those guys kind of have a chip on their shoulder. They heard all year about how they weren’t good. They're anxious to improve that. And a ton of those guys are returning starters.”

The defense will be led by defensive lineman Noah Brown, who seems poised for a breakout season.

“He really stepped into a leadership role and started working really hard,” Hammer said. “He's been talented since the day I was hired. He played a ton on varsity as a sophomore. He was a full-time starter last year. He is really doing a nice job leading the team and the defense. When I met with him when he was selected to be a captain, I challenged him to be the best lineman in Southwest Florida. That's including all the big recruits and all that stuff. I think he's poised to have a really big year."

Another lynchpin for the Lely defense is senior linebacker Aydin Herrera.

“Aydin's super physical,” Hammer said. “He’s reworked his body composition in the offseason and is really committed to improving his hips and his feet and becoming more athletic. He's always been a super physical player, but we're hoping that he's a little bit more athletic this year."

Junior Ricky Garcia is another tough linebacker.

"He is super physical,” Hammer said, “a very smart team player. He has worked in the offseason towards becoming a better athlete."

Hammer said his young defensive backfield is maturing. He points to a pair of leaders as being the key to the unit's improvement.

“Trevon Charelus and Maksim Noel were both voted captains,” Hammer said. “That tells you how much the team respects them and how hard they work to kind of get rid of that 'they're not very good or not very physical' kind of mentality that people were talking about. They're anxious to prove people wrong.”

For the most part, the Trojans don’t kick field goals or extra points. The numbers seem to back up their choice.

“The best I can say to that,” Hammer said, “is why would you go for three or one when they'll give you six or two? They're not ever going to give you more than eight points (for a touchdown and two point conversion), but if they're going to give you eight, you might as well take them. We were 68 percent on two point conversions last year.”

Lely hosts South Plantation at 7:00 PM on Friday, August 15 in their preseason Kickoff Classic. They start their regular season on the road against crosstown rival Golden Gate.