5 Takeaways from Southwest Florida's Kickoff Classic football games

The first live look at SWFL high school football teams was the Kickoff Classic preseason games on Friday, August 16. 
 
This is what was notable, and this is what to expect as the stretch moves closer to Weeks 1: 
 
1. Naples running game is as promised. 
 
The last time we saw Shawn Simeon he was running for 811 yards and 11 touchdowns in three playoff games last fall. The Naples running back is returning for his final year, and he wasted no time getting back into action. Simeon had a game Friday and rushed the ball a mere nine times but gained 193 yards in a 45-0 win over Gulf Coast. Combined, Naples rushed for 313 yards. 
 
All eyes were on transfer Trayvon Jean, who rushed for 1,600 yards last season in Golden Gate. In the case of Jean, the Golden Eagles handled him with a lot of care as he got only one carry in the game. That carry, however, was a 5-yard touchdown run. Jean also scored the game’s final running a punt back for 50 yards return. 
 
2. Little can be said about Bishop Verot from the St. Thomas Aquinas match-up 
 
Standing as the most prescient team in Southwest Florida in the given year, it is almost impossible to make sense of the Vikings’ Kickoff Classic game. That is because Bishop Verot made the gargantuan scheduling move and agreed to play five-time defending state champion St. Thomas Aquinas. The Raiders have Division I talent at every position and a record the past five seasons of 65-3. 
 
Suddenly, Bishop Verot was at a severe disadvantage, and they looked like it. The Vikings were behind 30-0 at the half and lost the game 37-14. Southwest Florida pride, Carter Smith, a perhaps the finest quarterback to ever come out of the area, completed passes for only 67 yards and a half of that came at the buzzer. 
 
But there is no disgrace in losing to nationally ranked Aquinas. The Vikings even got 179 yards in the running game which is something nice that the team can build on for a another hard game next week against the Tampa Jesuit. 
 
3. With Fort Myers the area is put on notice 
 
Certainly, Fort Myers was one of the most outstanding teams of the tournament. This year the Green Wave played in a three-team jamboree and triumphed over two teams that made the playoffs. The team from Fort Myers trounced Barron Collier 27-7 in two quarters and trounced the Estero team 21-0 in the two quarters they were present. Combined last year, those opponents were 17-6. 
 
Fort Myers – 8-3 last year – got dynamic play from Division I recruit Madrid Tucker. However, Fred Jackson did not go unnoticed as up-and-comer expected many local fans. As a sophomore, Jackson rushed for two scores of 40 plus yards. 
 
New quarterback Dom Ardezzone, who came from Aubrey Rogers in Naples, did seven of nine. 

4. East Lee showed promise 
 
East Lee County entered this season coming in hot, so to speak, based on how they ended up in 2023. The Jaguars ended the previous season with a record of 5-5 after being winless in the entire 2022 season. 
 
Fans are eager to see how much progress coach Herbans Paul can bring to East Lee in the third year, especially given the presence of the 1,500-yard running back and NIU signee Lazaro Rogers. 
 
The Jaguars had a great start to the year… The team played Ida Baker where the Jaguars won the match 45-7. A Rogers also had a TD run, while Jarvin Singleton had a 91-yard kickoff return. Of course the competition was not very good – Baker’s team’s performance last season was 0-10. Yet, it was a good beginning for East Lee. 
 
5. Is Riverdale for real? Or is Dunbar down? 
 
In a defensive showdown with many special mistakes, Dunbar beaten Riverdale 21-14. Predicted as another blowout, it was a much tighter affair than most people anticipated. Dunbar is coming off back to back regional titles while Riverdale struggled to a 2-8 record last year. 
 
Dunbar was again crippled by graduation as graduation saw two of its top weapons go in Division I receivers T. J. Abrams and Eric Fletcher. Yes, the Tigers bring back 2,000-yard passer Austin Price, but he had 12 pass attempts Friday. One of them was a touchdown pass to Kalonji Hamilton, a Cape Coral transfer who now has seven Division I offers. 
 
On the flip side, this was a moral victory for Riverdale’s defense, which let in an average of 35 points per game the previous year. The Raiders created two turnovers on Friday.