Naples has gone 10-0 against Lely recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. After both having extra time off, the two teams will dust off their jerseys to square off against one another at 7:30 p.m. Naples will be strutting in after a win while Lely will be coming in after a defeat.
Back in September, Naples won a game that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by Dunbar 21-20. Given the Golden Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 24th, while the Tigers are ranked 85th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Shawn Simeon, who rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.0 yards per carry. His longest rush was for an incredible 75 yards.
Naples wouldn't let Dunbar keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Naples can thank Khari Bendolph and Lacarlos Mcgee Iii for forcing both of them. Bendolph is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last ten games he's played dating back to last season. Naples got some further help from Sean Kabengele: he picked up three sacks and made six total tackles.
Meanwhile, Lely didn't have quite enough to beat Immokalee last Friday and fell 47-44. While the Trojans had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Indians 12-7.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Nino Joseph and Jontay Hais. Hais had a great game and gained 236 total yards. Meanwhile, Joseph was balling out in the loss, rushing for 220 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.1 yards per carry.
Even though they lost, Lely was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 235 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 235 rushing yards in five consecutive matches.
The victory made it two in a row for Naples and bumps their season record up to 6-1. As for Lely, their loss dropped their record down to 3-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Naples has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 354.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Lely struggles in that department as they've been averaging 312.8. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Naples against Lely in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 44-7 win. Does Naples have another victory up their sleeve, or will Lely turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
