Coral Shores traveled to Harris Park in Homestead Aug. 21 to take on the “other” Hurricanes of Somerset South Homestead in a game originally scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Coach Ed Holly and the Keys ’Canes were forced to endure delay after delay, with the first coming during pregame warmups.
South Florida weather is often unreasonable in August, and a cross country meet scheduled to start just a few miles away from Harris Field never happened, nor did Key West’s swim meet the following day. However, the battle of the Hurricanes did finally get underway, and after a total of four interruptions due to lightning and foul weather, the teams were able to complete four quarters of football.
JACKSON GARCIA/Keys Weekly
The delays put a damper on Coral Shores’ typical scoring onslaught, and the team found itself behind 12-7 at halftime. But the second half was all Hurricane season.
“I’m really pleased with the way the guys overcame the adversity,” said Holly, referencing the interruptions. Indeed, the team held on and kept the pressure on South Homestead, beating them 20-12. David Beltran scored on a 2-yard run while Andres Alvarado ran another in from 26 yards out. John Oughton was responsible for the third Coral Shores score with a 10-yard run.
Up next for the yet-undefeated Hurricanes is Palmer Trinity School. “Palmer’s always a good team,” Holly said. “They have a heck of a program and this game should be a lot of fun.” Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. Aug. 29 at Palmer, weather permitting.
Marathon traveled to Pompano Beach to take on the Golden Tornadoes. The teams have enjoyed close-scoring matchups with the result coming down to the wire for the past five years, and last week was no different. In a back-and-forth battle during which both teams held the upper hand at times, it would be the Tornadoes who came out with an unblemished record.
Marathon, now 0-1, found quite a bit of offensive success against Pompano, despite the loss. Mathew Machado ran for four TDs, finding the end zone from as far as 66 yards away. Machado amassed 227 yards of Marathon’s 332 total. Jesus Gonzalez added a 5-yard touchdown run and 65 total yards to his stats in the loss.
Marathon fullback Steven Stotts (21) heads into heavy traffic. 
Jesus Gonzalez (2) scrambles for a Pompano fumble. 
Dolphin lineman Matthew Delgado (77) reaches up to bat down a Pompano pass. 
Marathon’s Jesus Gonzalez drops back for a rare Dolphin pass. 
Jesus Gonzalez (2) brings down a Pompano Beach ball carrier early in the first quarter.
Marathon’s next matchup will be Aug. 28 against IMG Academy State. The Ascenders will travel from Bradenton to the Keys with two teams and nearly 100 athletes. One will face Marathon Thursday evening and the other takes on Key West the following night. Unlike the geographically-isolated Keys, IMG scouts the most talented athletes from the state, and athletes without scholarships pay upwards of $90,000 in yearly tuition for the privilege of the team’s professional-level facilities, coaching and training. IMG considers itself the world’s leading sports education brand and saw 215 D1 commitments in 2024 across all of its athletic offerings.
“They’re definitely well-coached and they have every advantage money can buy,” said Marathon coach Sean McDonald, “but what they don’t have is hometown pride. They come from all over. We come from here, every last one of us. That’s what we play for and that’s what Key West is playing for. Never take Dolphin or Conch pride lightly.”
MAICEY MALGRAT/Keys Weekly
Key West also suffered a loss in week one. The Conchs fell to the Gators of Goleman High, who boasted a roster with multiple D1 prospects. But Key West is not without high-level talent.
“We made them look better than they were,” said Key West coach Johnny Hughes. “That was not who we were.”
A pair of fumbles and several miscues put the Conchs in jeopardy, then a pair of injuries exacerbated things, putting a win out of reach. Starting QB Roman Van Loon went down on the first play of the game, and his return this week is questionable. Then the Conchs’ top scoring threat, Walson Morin, had to leave the game with a shoulder injury in the first quarter. Morin is almost certain to return to action this week, but the series of unfortunate events left Key West without a win to start the season.
Prior to becoming sidelined, Morin made an appearance in the end zone for the Conchs after Chase Gaertner connected with him for a touchdown pass. Gaertner, filling in for Van Loon at quarterback, connected with Reef Guyet for a second passing touchdown and Jeff DeJean scored the final one on the ground.
In order to prevail in week two, Key West will need to play the way Hughes knows they can. Their next opponent, IMG Academy’s junior national team, is packed with talent, but the Conchs have proven they can match them talent-wise. What Key West cannot match is IMG’s depth chart. Nor can they afford to lose the ball, which was their downfall last season against the Ascenders.
