Monroe County has not seen wins from all three of its football teams on the same night since 2018, but last Friday, Key West, Marathon and Coral Shores each won at home in their regular-season openers. For Marathon and Key West, the wins avenged losses last season; for Coral Shores, it was affirmation that the ’Canes are exactly where they want to be this fall.
Coach Ed Holly was delighted with his defense against South Homestead, a team he warned should not be taken lightly by future opponents despite the Hurricanes’ 29-0 shutout. “They are very athletic with a lot of speed,” he said. “They did not have the benefit of a preseason game and were still working some things out. I’m glad we played them in Week 1 because they’re going to get better and better.” But it was going to take more than speed to get past the Coral Shores secondary, which wreaked havoc all night long.
A large part of the Hurricane wrecking crew was Eddie Holly, who racked up 8 solo tackles, 4 assisted tackles, 1 tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Connor Dixon had 4 solo and 4 assisted tackles plus a forced fumble. Holly, Dixon and the rest of the defense gave South Homestead little to work with, especially after the first drive of the game, which broke the hearts and resolve of the visiting Somerset team.
“We came out on our first drive and AJ Putetti finished it with a 1-yard touchdown run,” Holly said. “Then they (South Homestead) drove it down all the way to the goal line. Our defense was successful in a goal-line stance.” After holding the line, the Coral Shores defense handed the ball back to the offense, which promptly resulted in a Putetti 80-yard touchdown and 2-point conversion which gave Coral Shores a 15-point lead early in the matchup.
Holly has been very careful reinstating his quarterback, Yemcel Moreno, to full duties. Moreno, who is coming off a season-ending knee injury last year exacerbated by a reinjury in the spring game, was given the green light in quarter three. As soon as Holly unleashed Moreno, South Homestead was left scrambling to defend the additional layer of offensive capabilities. Moreno scored twice in the second half, resulting in a 29-0 win for Coral Shores.
“The guys played well in our first home game. It was a great night for football,” said Holly, whose team hosts another familiar foe next week. “We had a lot of support from everyone, the cheerleaders, a big crowd, everything.”
The Hurricanes will face the Falcons of Palmer Trinity on Aug. 30 in Tavernier. The Falcons struggled to beat SmartEn Academy, a team that has yet to win a ballgame since their inception, in their season opener, giving Holly’s Hurricanes a lot of hope to stack some serious stats in Week 2.
Forty miles away, the Dolphins enjoyed a season-opener win of their own. Last year, the Golden Tornadoes of Pompano Beach bested the Fins by one point. Last Friday, the Dolphins channeled assistant coach Carl “Chef” Stanton’s Big Dolphin Energy to come out with an early 24-point lead.
The Dolphins’ offense ran for 515 yards on Aug. 23, scoring 5 touchdowns from four different athletes. Carlos Lezcano had the game high of 153 yards and added 2 TDs to his stats. The senior captain also recovered a fumble on defense. Tanner Ross, Fab Louis Jeune, Shamar Wright and Braulio Garcia had the rest of the yards, with Louis Jeune, Wright and Garcia all crossing the goal line for the Fins.
Garcia, who played guard for the better part of the game, had not taken a single snap at the back position all season prior to Friday night. The Fins were three deep at blocking back in their preseason game, but were left scrambling after a series of injuries. Garcia was trusted with 3 carries and broke one for a 64-yard touchdown run.
Photos by TRACY MCDONALD/Keys Weekly.
Despite giving up 30 points, head coach Sean McDonald said his defense did well. “We made some mistakes,” he said, “but the defense did what they were supposed to do and are really starting to get it.” Much of Marathon’s defense is young but full of talent. Sophomore Sean Westerband stepped up big for the Fins, picking off an interception and amassing 4 solo tackles, 3 assists and a fumble recovery. Fellow sophomore Jesus Gonzalez batted down a pass and was credited with a pair of solo tackles and 3 assists.
Special teams were also crucial in the win. The Fins recovered a pair of onside kicks to keep the ball in the hands of their offense. And while many joke about McDonald never kicking the ball deep, he gives the go-ahead occasionally.
“Fab can boot it into the end zone from a lot further out than we’ve been able to do in a long time, so when it looks like that’s the case, we have that option now,” he said.
Marathon was grateful for the win, but will need a few more this season to make a run past October. “Since moving to the rural division, every win counts. If we want to make the playoffs, we need wins and strength of schedule, and this one was meaningful,” said McDonald. This season the Dolphins joined the 1A Rural division of the FHSAA, and will not face another division opponent unless they make it to the playoffs via a ranking algorithm.
If the Fins hope to add a second win to their playoff equation, they’ll need to beat Florida Christian on the road. Marathon defeated the Patriots last season, but a new head coach and amped-up system could make that win more difficult this year.
Key West was scheduled to host the Tigers of Clewiston in the newly-remodeled Tommy Roberts Memorial Stadium last Friday, but in true cat fashion, the Tigers had no intention of playing in the water. An afternoon downpour had swamped the stadium, and though it was potentially playable, the Conchs acquiesced to the Tigers’ demands and played in The Backyard on the turf. The surface didn’t make one bit of difference for Clewiston, whose Tigers were sent home reeling from a 35-6 Key West thumping, avenging a 1-touchdown loss last season.
The biggest difference between last season’s outcome versus last week’s was in turnovers. In 2023, the Conchs turned the ball over seven times; last Friday, Key West brought that down to just one, resulting in a big home victory over the Tigers. Jaden Fox, described by Hughes as the Conchs’ workhorse, struck first against Clewiston on a short trap for the first 6 points of the game. Walson Morin, Hughes’ “home run guy,” added 3 touchdowns to the score, with one coming off an electrifying 85-yard kick return.
The Conchs had a piece of their offensive puzzle back with Jeff DeJean’s return. DeJean’s speed and athleticism adds another page to Key West’s playbook.
“We need to keep him healthy, because he gives us some explosive potential,” Hughes said. DeJean scored on a 70-yard sweep, breaking free and showing off his velocity to a delighted Key West crowd.
The offense was not the only part of the game Hughes felt played fantastic last week. “The defense had good coverage, good pass rush and showed major improvement in the secondary,” he explained. “Jayden Gist had a nice interception and that gave us a boost.”
Key West will face a daunting opponent this week when Bradenton’s IMG Academy White team rolls into the Southernmost City. The Conchs are 1-1 against the Ascenders, playing them twice in the past seven years. IMG claims a star-studded roster 77 players deep, accepting only the top-rated talent across the country. But the Ascenders are not used to the gritty hard-nosed running style the Conchs can deliver, making for an exciting matchup on Friday, Aug. 30.
