Pads Were Popping

There was energy in the air at Lely High School Saturday morning, August 3, as the Trojans embarked on their first session in full pads ahead of the fall football season. It's hard to say who was more excited, the players or the coaches, when the first hit was made about 20 minutes into the two-hour session. The energy level was off the charts the rest of the way.

“The kids competed,” said Ben Hammer, Lely’s second-year head coach. “The kids did a great job. We've got guys flying around, getting after it. We're healthy right now, so that's great. We have our returning players and our quote unquote 'key players' doing a really nice job of making plays.”

Hammer's players aren’t shy about contact. In fact, there were a few dust-ups throughout the practice session.

“Different than teams I've been with in the past,” Hammer said, "this group, physicality-wise, we have to pull back the reins on. But that is a more optimal situation than having to tell them, like, ‘Hey guys, it's okay to run into each other and tackle each other.' I like having to kind of pull them back a little bit. So that's good. We're going to work to get better and learn to practice better. The kids are excited to be out here. Excited to be in full pads for the first time."

Hammer worked on situational football throughout the session.

“We hadn't done that yet,” he said. “That's kind of what I like to do on the first day in full pads. It gets the kids to put their minds in a game-like situation. Sometimes during the week in practice, you don't really get a chance to do that.”

Hammer says his team’s desire is its strength.

“Our energy, at practice, they want to get after it,” he said. “They want to be good, they want to fly around. They want to compete. When we go against each other, they want to win. That desire, I think, is the strength of our team.”

He’s pleased with his defensive front.

“We return a bunch of those guys,” he said. "Aydan Herrera did a tremendous job today being physical.”

Overall, Hammer’s happy with the way things are trending for the Trojans.

“This year compared to last year,” Hammer said, "I think we're quite a bit ahead. We didn't have a full off-season last year with the kids in the weight room. They've really done a nice job working hard. As far as building the program, I think we're on pace. We've got really talented underclasses. The older kids are starting to buy in. We've got kids going to college, and our culture has started to take hold. We do have a long way to go, but we're excited to go there."

Hammer has a core of leaders returning and a few newcomers he expects to play leading roles for this year’s team. 

"Offensively, you've got Nino Joseph,” Hammer said of his sophomore running back, who gained 825 yards last season. "He's going to do a nice job. He's a playmaker. He can play either side of the ball. We always joke that he plays running back like a defensive player. He doesn't shy away from contact. He's really physical. He's tough to bring down. He's a little bit shorter, so he's got a low center of gravity. But he's so natural with the ball in his hands."

Hammer said Joseph, 5’7”, 170, uses his size to his advantage.

“I think it's harder to find him in the backfield,” he said. “It's tougher to get hands on him. It gives him leverage in the blocking game. So, there's definitely advantages to it.”

Naples High junior transfer Carter Quinn is ready to make a name for himself at Lely. Quinn is a dual-threat quarterback.

“He can run it,” Hammer said, “he can throw it. But above both of those things, what sets him apart is his football IQ. He's always on the same page with offensive coordinator Tim Thornton and myself. Carter does a really, really nice job controlling our offense. He ran the ball in the spring pretty handily. He's definitely a quarterback, but he's capable of making great plays in the run game.”

Marco Island Academy transfer Gage Rice is returning for his senior season at Lely. Rice was a pleasant surprise for Lely last season.

“I believe Gage Rice was the leading touchdown receiver in the conference last year,” Hammer said. “I'm excited about him. Gage is kind of a Swiss army knife do-it-all type. Last year, he played the fullback slot for us. He'll do the same this year. As it stands, he's also our backup quarterback, punt returner, kick returner. Gage can kind of do everything. He's got a high football IQ, he's very quick and agile, and he's tough as well. He hurt his Achilles pretty well in the spring game and actually played through it the whole game until the game was no longer in doubt. He didn't really say anything to anybody, but after about the first quarter and a half, he probably shouldn't have been out there. He did a nice job and still produced for us. He is hard-nosed, 1,000 percent.”

Hammer is excited about the Trojans' defense.

“On defense, most of our front seven returns,” he said. “Noah Brown will kind of anchor the defensive line. At linebacker, we return all four of them. Ivan Cisneros is the linchpin, for sure. The defensive backs will be young, but there's a whole lot of them that are looking to contribute, and they're scrappy. So that should be great as well.”

“I think our O-line will be sneaky strong. We've got to stay healthy, but I think it'll be a strength of our offense. I think that they'll be pretty strong as well. But on varsity, we're only seven or eight deep there, so it is important to stay healthy on the offensive line.”

Deuce Thornton, a 6’4”, 290-pound tackle, whose father, Tim Thornton, is Lely’s new offensive coordinator, is coming off major knee surgery but is expected to play a key role for the Trojans this season.

“His rehab is ahead of schedule,” Hammer said, “but we don’t have a return date for him. It’s up to his doctor.”

The Trojans lost two key starters,  Division 1 recruits junior running back Jayvian Tanelus and senior Jayce Cora, who transferred to Community School in the past couple of weeks. Tanelus’s departure creates opportunities for senior running back Leo Jean Baptiste, who transferred from Marco Island Academy last season and had an outstanding season on the Trojans’ JV team. Baptiste brings sprinter speed to the position.

“That moves him up to number two from number three,” Hammer said. “So, he’ll get some carries. Nino will be our feature back, and we'll also have Leo. Leo's just very, very consistent. Does what he's supposed to do. He's in the right spot, does the right thing, all the time.”

Hammer still has work to do leading up to Lely's Kickoff Classic exhibition game at Palmetto Ridge on August 16.

“We've got an install plan,” Hammer said. “We’ll keep practicing to perfect our craft. We still have a couple of position battles to answer. We've got to continue to develop the guys and get one percent better every single day. We’ve just got to keep it going.

Get everybody on the bus when game week comes with Palmetto Ridge. Stay healthy, but also compete. Iron sharpens iron.”