Trojans Toil and Trouble for Wolfpack on Halloween

William Shakespeare wasn’t describing the Lely-South Ft. Myers showdown on Halloween night in Ft. Myers when he said double, double toil and trouble in Macbeth. But he may as well have been because the Wolfpack found themselves in a bubbling cauldron as the Trojans forced a running clock on them on their way to a roiling 56-20 win over a team considered by some as the top team in Ft. Myers.

The question is whether the Trojans can play any better than they did in Friday’s playoff preview.

"Absolutely, we can,” said Ben Hammer, Lely coach. "We can play a lot better than that. We still left a lot out on the field. Kids work hard. Kids played a great game. Probably our first complete game of the season. South Fort Myers (7-3) is an athletic, physical team. Our kids did a really nice job finishing and playing a complete game. Finally.”

And the Trojans couldn’t have picked a better time to play a complete game. Friday’s game was essentially a pick ‘em kind of game.

“We don't really give a darn what a lot of people think,” Hammer said. "We care about what those 60 kids and our 12 coaches think, and nobody else matters."

The Trojans are two weeks post a very disappointing loss to backyard rival Naples High. Their first step back was a running clock win over Bonita Springs last week, which was expected.

“Our kids are working hard,” Hammer said. "They did what they were supposed to do against Bonita. And I think we had a little bit of a sour taste from Naples. So, they were itching to get back against a good team. A good week of preparation and we sold all week and talked all week about how this was really the first round of the playoffs to make sure we earned a home game. Proud of the kids. Proud of the coaches. Excited for the opportunity to see what happens in the playoffs.”

Junior Nino Joseph led the Trojans with 261 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Brady Quinn connected on 13 of 19 passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns. Ty Collins caught two touchdown passes and recovered his own onside kick for the Trojans. Collins had 72 yards receiving, 50 yards rushing, and a rushing touchdown.

The Trojans (7-3) are off this week before hosting Cypress Lake (7-3) on Friday, November 21, in the first round of the Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs.