Prior to Aug. 24, it had been six years since the Keys had three teams win on the gridiron in the same week. Now, Key West, Marathon and Coral Shores have done it for the second time this season.
Key West started things off on Sept. 12 at Belen Jesuit, a team they had not faced in a decade. Coach Johnny Hughes knew that Belen had installed a new offense but little else about the Wolverines prior to kickoff. Hughes and the Conchs quickly learned that the Wolverines were no match for the Conchs, beating them 36-7 to even out their record to 2-2.
Conchs QB Teak Guyet left the game with an injured hand on the first drive of the game, forcing Key West to change up their plan with little notice. Hughes put in the Fox package, moving running back Jaden Fox to assume QB duties for a drive while backup Roman Van Loon prepped for the job. Fox, fresh off the injured reserve list, found the endzone quickly and made two more visits for three touchdown runs on the night. Fox ran for 218 yards and quickly reestablished his role as workhorse. Walson Morin ran for a 60-yard touchdown run and Jeff DeJean ran the ball four times for 87 yards to help carry the load.
Defensively, Leo Batista stepped up in a big way for the Conchs, playing linebacker in what Hughes explained as an abundance of caution for the freshly-recovered Fox. Batista’s athleticism helped keep the Wolverines at bay while Cole Jackson, Jayden Gist, Morin and DeJean played spectacularly as Key West’s secondary unit. “The front applied pressure all night,” said Hughes. “That and our secondary really made a difference.”
Hughes’ defense has played well all season, and could mean a playoff bid if the Conchs can stay healthy. “Conditioning is a plus for us,” he said. “We don’t have the numbers our opponents have, so we need to be in shape and we can’t get injured.”
Next up for Key West is North Port High School, a team just outside of Sarasota. The Bobcats will be traveling over six hours for a crack at the Conchs on Sept. 20. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Tommy Roberts Memorial Stadium in Key West.
Marathon survived a shootout against the Cougars of Canterbury on Sept. 13, improving their record to 2-2 in the 56-52 win. The game started late to accommodate officials traveling from Key West straight after the Conch Cup volleyball tournament, lasted nearly four hours, and resulted in a dark stadium when the lights went out at their scheduled time of 11 p.m. during Marathon’s final drive.
The Fins survived that, too, managing to score 8 touchdowns over the course of the game. And though eight touchdowns should easily win a game, that was not the case for Marathon, as Canterbury also scored eight. The difference between the W and the L last week came in the aftermath of each score. Marathon’s Fabbianho Louis Jeune was perfect in his point-after kicks while the Marathon special teams managed to block several Canterbury kicks and stuff a pair of two-point conversion attempts.
In addition to his kicks, Louis Jeune amassed 3 TDs and 260 offensive yards, 48 in the air and 212 on the ground. Shamar Wright had 16 carries for 219 yards with 2 touchdowns and Braulio Garcia had a pair of TDs as well. The final score for Marathon was a run from Carlos Lezcano, who had 107 yards in the win.
Defensively, coach Sean McDonald was pleased with Jesus Gonzalez. “His run fits and pass defense has really gotten good,” he said. Gonzalez had 4 solo tackles, 1 assist and 2 tackles for a loss. Tanner Ross had 2 tackles for a loss, as well. Louis Jeune and Sean Westerband each recovered a fumble and Shamar Wright batted down a pair of passes. Gonzalez’s twin brother, Israel, batted a pass and had 4 solo tackles on the night.
Marathon will have a short turnaround, playing on Thursday, Sept. 19 against visiting Palm Glades Prep. Palm Glades suffered a one-point loss against Coral Shores earlier this season, making the matchup interesting for anyone who uses matching opponents to gauge the prospects in this year’s Battle of the Keys.
Coral Shores not only protected their perfect season on Sept. 13; they did so with conviction, shutting out ABF Hialeah 33-0. The ‘Canes played in front of an excited home crowd, one that grows with each win. In quarter one, Yemcel Moreno connected with A.J. Putetti for a 33-yard touchdown pass, and an extra point quickly put Coral Shores ahead 7-0. Quarter two saw a 55-yard drive culminating in a Moreno 1-yard run along with a 9-yard passing TD from Moreno to Jarmoris Davis to expand the lead to 19-0 at the half. In the third quarter, Putetti ran 34 yards for another touchdown, and in quarter four he struck again from 32 yards out for the Hurricanes’ final score of the game.
Defensively, Coral Shores has been stingy all season, and against the Cowboys, the ‘Canes earned their second shutout this year. Head coach Ed Holly credited last Friday’s success to a team effort, praising the play of Jarmoris Davis at defensive end. Davis pressured the Cowboys’ offensive unit all night, along with Jhonathan Mesa and Eddie Holly, a pair of fearsome linebackers. That, paired with the ‘Canes secondary, effectively shut down ABF Academy.
“Our secondary came to play,” Holly said. He was very satisfied with the play of Andres Alvarado-Garcia, William Roberts, Austin Vogt and Marco Gudino, whose coverage was key in a bend-but-don’t-break defense that kept the Cowboys from any big gains.
The next victim for the Hurricanes should be the Goats of SmartEn Sports Academy, but as of press time, it would appear that the Goats did not want to become lambs to the slaughter and scheduled another opponent. This puts Coral Shores’ week five play into jeopardy, but this is not the first time coach Holly has been forced to deal with last-minute scheduling, and his extensive connections across Florida should help unearth a new match in time.
