Highlights from Day 2 of Lee County Football Media Day

Day 2 of the High School Football Media Day at the Lee County School District gives us a look at teams that call Cape Coral home.

Starting with the Cape Coral High School Seahawks, it’s a team built around the community as former Seahawks, who finished the regular season undefeated in 2009, are back coaching. That includes Jaylen Watkins, who’s back as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator.

“As Jaylen’s coming back to Cape, I just see that it really hits me head on that even like Super Bowl champions and stuff they’re going to come back and have open arms at Cape and leave a legacy where you have people you can rely on,” Cape Coral defensive end Richard West III. “And people who are always going to accept you. I just see that I really want that and seeing it first hand it really put an inspiration on me to do that.”

The Mariner High School Tritons won their first district championship since 1997 last season. New head coach Brian Staats wants the program to build on that success.

“Those hiccups need to be when we don’t instead of oh you won one,” Staats said. “That needs to be the standard and the expectation as to keep winning.”

He went on to say, “as we get going and as we build this thing I think you know not only winning in the area. But now becoming a Southwest Florida power and then a south Florida and a Florida power.

The Ida Baker High School Bulldogs went winless a season ago. For second year head coach Steve Howard, he’s relying on his team as a whole rather than individual talent.

Howard said, “a lot of people in the area have those guys. They say I have this I have that I have this guy that guy. I have a team. And I’m looking forward to my team. I’m looking forward to the guys going out to compete for 48 minutes. And watching them work and do it the right way and do it for the right reasons.”

Also on the second and final day of media day, WINK News spoke with two teams looking to get back to the playoffs and another ushering a new era of football.

The Fort Myers High School Green Wave come into the season with high expectations thanks to their returning talent on both sides of the ball. During media days, teams expressed their desire to play the Greenies. This team welcomes that attention.

“I like that we have a big target on our back,” defensive lineman Kendall Guervil said. “As long we execute right I feel like that won’t be a huge problem that we have a big target on our backs.”

In 2023, the Estero High School Wildcats won nine games and made it to the second round. In 2024, this team is set on continuing the program’s sustained success.

“You don’t want to be that class where you have you know the program starts to sink a bit,” wide receiver Owen Maurizi said. “You don’t want to have to worry about those kinds of things.”

Maurizi added, “there’s a lot of pressure on us with only 9 seniors. I think that’s super cool. Now it’s all up to us and this is the next episode.”

Matt Holderfield takes over the program at South Fort Myers High School. He shares one change he wants to see from a year ago when he was Holderfield was an assistant coach for the Wolfpack.

“South has always been conservative on the offensive side and you know play really good defense,” Holderfield explained. “Then the offense kind of explodes late. And what I’d really like to see is kind of let go and just play. And we’ll kind of keep the defense still where it is. We’d like to see that offense open up more.”