1-2 PUNCH: KEY WEST BACKS DEJEAN & MORIN RUN ALL OVER LEHIGH

Key West celebrated their homecoming with a win against Lehigh on Oct. 17. The 5-3 Conchs hosted the Lightning, who head coach Johnny Hughes called a formidable opponent.

“I was a little worried going in,” he said. “They are an athletic team with some strong weapons. They threw for more than 200 yards against us.” 

Lehigh may have held an advantage in air strikes, but the Lightning were no match for Key West’s ground game in the 40-22 win. They had no answer for Walson Morin, who tore up the backfield with 265 yards off 15 carries. Morin scored three times last week on the ground in what Hughes called “an incredible game.” He also reeled in a 41-yard touchdown pass tossed by Roman Van Loon to make it four scores for the senior wingback. 

Also garnering the praise of Hughes was Jeff Dejean, whose 13 carries for 152 yards also went for a pair of TDs. The Conchs totaled 446 rushing yards, with Van Loon and Chace Gaertner pitching in for the total.

In addition to Van Loon’s TD pass, he and Gaertner combined for 75 yards in the air to make it 521 all-purpose yards for Key West. Kaine Dickerson and Reef Guyet both contributed to the passing total and proved Key West’s offense to be both dynamic and deadly for Lehigh.

Defensively, the Conchs deployed their bend-but-don’t-break strategy, which carried them through to a win. 

“Noah (Mercer) was just an animal defensively,” said Hughes. The senior lineman’s size and strength has kept Key West opponents honest all season long, especially since the loss of Josh Johnson several weeks ago.

Next up for the Conchs is a home match against Miami Jackson. The Generals, a district opponent for Key West, have struggled this season and remain winless. Hughes described the team as young and undersized, yet full of athletes and talent. 

For Marathon, the rekindled rivalry with LaBelle High School did not hold the outcome the Fins had hoped for, but the Dolphins did not let up and showed some promise and improvement in various aspects of the game. 

In a celebration of Marathon’s senior football players, cheerleaders, cross country and golf athletes, the Fins did their best to overcome the Cowboys. Though LaBelle kept the Dolphins corralled for much of the night in a 36-7 loss, Marathon did manage to garner some highlights. Senior linemen Chris Paul, Aiden Gilday and Matthew Delgado each had carries for positive yardage. Jesus Gonzalez willed the ball into the end zone for a touchdown in quarter three, and Elliott Greenmaki tacked on the extra point. 

“The guys played a strong opponent and never gave up,” said Fins coach Sean McDonald. “We knew LaBelle was a very good team coming into this. There’s a reason they’re undefeated.” 

Marathon will enjoy a bye week this week, then host Pine Crest on Oct. 31 in a 1 p.m. game. 

“The whole school will attend,” said McDonald, “and this gives our eighth graders a chance to dress and maybe play a few downs and see what high school football is all about.” 

Marathon typically calls up their version of the junior varsity, their oldest middle school students, once the middle school season is complete. 

Coral Shores lost a heartbreaker in the final moments of their Oct. 17 game against ABF Academy Hialeah. The Hurricanes started off the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run by David Beltran. William Judson’s kick split the uprights and made it 7-0 in favor of Coral Shores. Judson then added three more points with a 26-yard field goal. 

The Cowboys of ABF struck back with two unanswered touchdowns and were dangerously close to a third when SG Paul took matters into his own hands. The senior linebacker intercepted a pass at the end of the half to keep the score close and give the Hurricanes momentum coming into the second half.

Coral Shores scored again when Sterling Keefe connected with Beltran for a 15-yard passing TD to reclaim the lead, which the ’Canes held until late in the game when the Cowboys capitalized on an interception of their own. ABF scored on that drive to take back a three-point advantage, 20-17. As the moments ticked down, the Hurricanes set up a 38-yard field goal attempt, something well within Judson’s range, but 20 mph winds carried the kick, which had height and distance to spare, just wide of tying up the game. 

“I’m proud of their effort,” said Hurricane coach Ed Holly. “They battled and played hard the entire game. Judson is an unbelievable competitor.” 

The ’Canes’ kicker is a mid-season addition to Coral Shores. He moved to the Keys from the United Kingdom, where he played the “other” football, and made an immediate impact in a sport he had never played before.

Coral Shores did not schedule a mid-season bye and will instead end their regular season a bit early. Their next opponent will be their last, and when weighing both teams’ common opponents and records, it should prove to be a great matchup. The Hurricanes will take on the Celtics of St. John Neumann in Naples before hanging up their helmets for the season.

Photos by Doug Finger, Maicey Malgrat and Tracy McDonald