Saturday, November 14, 2026
Beth Colman consoles standout sophomore running back Nino Joseph after he sustained a shoulder injury.
Naples players celebrate another Coconut Bowl win. It’s 15 in a row for the Eagles.
Freshman Elijah Gerrard celebrates a big play with teammates sophomore Keegan Dixon and sophomore Max Noel.
Nino Joseph after scoring an 80-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.
Isaac Boykin has his sights on Naples running back Shawn Simeon.
Defensive stalwart Frank Hygene watches his offensive counterparts.
Lely Head Coach Ben Hammer, flanked by offensive coordinator Tim Thornton. Hammer started his coaching career on Thornton’s staff in Illinois.
Junior Ty Collins offers a hand to a teammate.
A game of inches. Brandon Baptiste barely misses this pass from quarterback Carter Quinn.
Junior quarterback Carter Quinn passes to sophomore Nino Joseph.
Zephaniah Diamond runs away from Naples defensive back Vladimir Raphael.
Frank Hygene and Malakai Green close in on Naples running back Shawn Simeon.
Lely quarterback Carter Quinn executes a pitch.
Lely running back Nino Joseph turns the corner.
Hardnosed freshman Aydin Herrera receives encouragement from his coach.
Ty Collins takes on a Naples defender.
Senior Gage Rice is about to catch the ball. Rice not only made the catch but shook the defender and scored.
Lely coach Ben Hammer contemplates his next move.
Winning the Coconut Bowl never gets old. Athletic director Cassie Barone takes a selfie with principal Kristina Lee and assistant principal Cari Quintero.
The young Lely Trojans defense put forth perhaps their best defensive effort against Naples in Coconut Bowl 51, but unfortunately for the Trojans, Naples plays a pretty good brand of defense, too.
It looked like things may be different this year when Lely’s sensational sophomore running back took a handoff and scored an 80-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to give Lely its first and only lead of the game. But Naples managed to bottle up Joseph after that and rode their own star running back, senior Shawn Simeon’s 303 yards to a 36-12 win. Naples has won 15 Coconut Bowls in a row and holds a 36-15 lead in the series.
But Hammer’s young Trojans appear to be closing the gap against the Eagles. Last year, the Eagles won 44-7.
“Our kids played hard,” Hammer said. "Never quit. Did a nice job. We've just got to do some things better execution-wise. We've got to continue to work to get better. We’re super young. Our kids played hard and stuck with them till the very end. I'm proud of our kids."
Hammer was pleased with the performance of his young defense, which is comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores.
"The defense played hard,” Hammer said. “We've just got to put it all together the rest of the way out and continue to keep working.”
The Trojans’ playoff hopes are still alive and well. Upcoming games against district foes Aubrey Rogers (3-4) and Bonita Springs (1-6) will decide their fate.
"Our goal of the district championship is still ahead of us,” Hammer said. "We're going to continue to take it one game at a time, like it's the Super Bowl, and keep working to get better.”
A bit of concerning news for Hammer is the health of sophomore running back Nino Joseph, the area’s leading rusher with over 1,600 yards this season. Joseph was taken to the hospital during the game after suffering a shoulder injury. Hammer is not sure of the extent of Joseph’s injury.
“He did leave to go to the hospital,” Hammer said. "I'm going to go see him after this, but I'm not sure. I'm not sure at all.”
Lely (3-4) is 1-0 in district play. The Trojans host Bonita Springs on Friday, October 25 at 7:30.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here