Key West used a lopsided first half against the Generals of Miami Jackson to get their bench some valuable experience last week. “The clock was running in the second quarter,” said Key West coach Johnny Hughes. His Conchs pulled ahead by more than 35 points, the differential which determines whether the clock will run normally or stop far less frequently to move along a game with an obvious outcome.
Stepping up prior to the changing of the guard were Key West’s deadliest weapons: Jeff Dejean, Walson Morin and Leo Batista. Dejean rushed for 93 yards on five carries, crossing the goal line three times. Morin picked up 91 yards on seven carries, scoring once on the ground before reeling in a 16-yard pass from Roman Van Loon for another TD in the air. Batista, who typically lays the groundwork for the rest of the backfield by delivering devastating blocks, had three carries for 55 yards and one TD.
At the half, Hughes was able to change out his backfield, which produced similar results. Tristan Rodriguez, who impressed Hughes defensively, also earned a pair of carries, one of which was good for a score, and freshman Nick Talpaz accounted for another TD.
Defensively, Hughes said, “Reef Guyet has really come on.” At corner, Guyet has come up with some big pass breakups despite being outsized in many cases. Hughes also pointed out exceptional defensive play from Batista, Kaine Dickerson and Noah Mercer. Mercer broke a 22-year Conch record in the win by racking up an incredible 11th sack this season.
Mercer is not the only Conch doing big things. Morin led Florida’s 3A division in rushing yards last week and is currently second after a second-half rest against Jackson. Morin has 1,249 yards for the Conchs this season, which puts him at No. 12 in the entire state for all divisions. Dejean is 12th in 3A rushing, and ranked 10th last week. Dejean has 847 yards and with a breakout game this week could break into quadruple digits. The pair are first and second in the team’s district.
Coral Shores made a trip to Naples to take on the Celtics of St. John Neumann on Oct. 24. What they faced when they arrived was what head coach Ed Holly described as “the best team I’ve played since 2011.”
Despite seeing athletes across the line of scrimmage who outweighed the Hurricanes by 100 pounds in some cases, Holly was proud of how his team handled the adversity in the 58-0 loss.
“They didn’t quit. They didn’t back down,” he said. “They were chomping at the bit to get in and play.”
Holly had a lot of praise for Casey Konrad, who was pitted against a UM commit. “I was so proud of him. He gave us a tremendous effort all night,” said Holly, adding that Konrad, the ’Canes center, also stepped up to long snap in his final game wearing a Coral Shores jersey. Holly also noted that Kristers Vutnans made big plays on special teams, describing the senior’s four-year transformation for the team as exceptional.
Also earning praise were Will Roberts and Nick Calderon, who played offense, defense and special teams the entire game. Roberts “covered D1 guys on offense, then turned around and covered D1 guys on special teams,” said Holly. Calderon, meanwhile, “did not leave the field. He played every single snap of that game.”
Holly went on to describe his seniors as “absolute warriors” for the effort they gave, despite the score differential.
The Hurricanes’ season ended in Naples, as the team’s bye week comes in Week 11 and the Florida Independent Football Conference determines its winner by schedule and not with a playoff bracket.
The Dolphins were off last week, but return to action in what will be their final game on Oct. 31. The Fins will play Pine Crest School in a game scheduled for 1 p.m. to accommodate Pine Crest’s travel. The early kickoff allows Marathon’s student body to attend and cheer on the team. Key West faces University Christian, who will travel from Jacksonville to play four quarters of football in the Southernmost City. The contest is crucial for the Conchs, who are hoping to sway the razor-thin rankings in their favor to garner a home playoff game.
