Naples football set for first state semifinal appearance in six years

The Naples Golden Eagles are the lone Southwest Florida team still standing in the drive to 305.

Naples won its first regional title in six years to advance to the state semifinals this week.

After falling just short in the regional finals in back-to-back seasons, the Golden Eagles’ beat Port Charlotte 17-10 to end the drought.

“The only reason I do this is to watch that, to watch the enjoyment on their face,” Head Coach Rick Martin said. “We worked so hard and the last couple years we let it get away from us. Last year we were 10 seconds away with mostly the same group.”

As Naples offense struggled to sustain drives, the Golden Eagles’ defense stepped up to send them to the semis.

The team’s only touchdowns came in the hands of defensive lineman Brady Clark who had not one, but two pick sixes.

“It’s great to see all the hard work pay off,” Clark said. “It’s a team effort. I’d love to take credit for it, but we don’t win that game if we don’t play as a team as well. It means everything. Overwhelming, you know, happiness. I’m proud of the team.”

It’s the Eagles’ first regional title since 2018 and the first of the Rick Martin era.

Naples’ fifth-year head coach and former player was emotional talking about his team Friday night.

“They’re some of the best people I know,” Martin said. “Because I’m around them on a daily basis, I know I’m a better person. What they’ve had to endure and being able to come out here just and get it done, it just says volumes about who they are as people and as football players.”

The celebrations were brief, as the team’s focus quickly shifted to the state semis: on the road at Jones High in Orlando.

“This is not the state championship,” senior running back Shawn Simeon said. “We know we’ve got to be level headed. We know we’ve got to put it all in a bottle and off to next week.”

The Golden Eagles now work to hand undefeated Jones its first loss of the season and punch their ticket to the state championship.

With a trip to Pitbull Stadium on the line, Naples and Jones kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night in Orlando.