Let it Rain!

There was standing water at Trojan Stadium at kickoff and the rain continued to fall throughout the game. But the Lely players, fans and band members could not have been happier. Wide receiver-turned-quarterback, Jakeem Tanelus, made the most of his first opportunity at quarterback, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another as the Trojans swamped Bradenton Southeast, 38-3, at Trojan Stadium.

Southeast, a state power for decades, has fallen on hard times lately, losing their fourth game in as many tries this season. Friday night’s win is Lely’s first this season, improving their record to 1-3.

“I’m proud of these kids,” said JJ Everage, Lely head coach. “They deserve this. Last week I took the blame and said I wouldn’t make that mistake again. This week I told ‘em, ‘Buckle up. We’re going to challenge your manhood.’

The biggest change this week was the play of quarterback Jakeem Tanelus. The fast and shifty wide receiver looks like a star in the making.

"We changed up quarterbacks,” Everage said. "I can’t say enough about Jakeem Tanelus, who adds another dimension. He’s just a football player. He does everything you ask. He’s our best receiver. As you saw tonight, he can jump in at quarterback and become a dual threat. That takes the pressure off of Guerschom Guerrier a little bit. I’m really proud of that young man. And that was with just a little work. So hopefully he’ll keep getting better and we’ll be able to add some stuff to the package.”

Up until Friday night, Lely was a one trick pony on offense, relying almost completely on running Guerrier, who did his job Friday night. But what a surprise Tanelus was. The diminutive senior, just 5’4”, 113, showed blazing speed and quickness as he zig zagged through the Southeast defense all night. His passing game was a welcome addition to the Trojans’ offense.

“We had him as a backup in the spring,” Everage said. "Jakeem’s such an athlete, we play him at receiver. We started with three quarterbacks. Three games, three losses. The two freshmen aren’t quite ready for varsity. I think Jakeem is a dual threat, he can throw, he can run.”

Everage said Lely is often their own worst enemy with mistakes. Despite the wet conditions, the Trojans played a clean game Friday.

“Lely’s got to stop beating Lely,” Everage said. "That’s what we’ve done the last couple of weeks. Just making silly mistakes. Mistakes that a varsity football team shouldn’t be making.”

Lely relies on several freshmen.

“We’ve got a lot of new faces,” Everage said, "especially on the offensive side of the ball. We’ve got four to five varsity freshmen who play or see significant time. Our new faces are starting to catch on and play faster now.”

Lely travels to Palmetto Ridge (1-2) Friday, September 23rd, to play a Bears team that is struggling with a new coach and the defection of key players, including star running back Jaden Booker, who transferred to First Baptist Academy.

"We’ve got Palmetto Ridge at their place,” Everage said. “They’ve got a new coach and they’ve lost players from last year’s team. Again, you never know which Lely team you’re going to get. I hope that we continue to improve going into next week with practice and the way we played tonight. It’s an in-county rivalry. Collier County football is the real deal."