The high school football season in Southwest Florida is officially in the books. From outstanding teams to highlight plays to record-breaking players, the past four months produced some historic football on our local gridirons.
Individually, there were plenty of records broken. Bishop Verot's Carter Smith set three new Lee County records for career total yards, passing yards and total touchdowns.
“It’s definitely special," Smith said. "To have my name be there, hopefully be there for a long time, it means a lot.”
Cypress Lake's Joey Dube-Garrett broke Smith's single-season record with 31 passing touchdowns. Plus, Nino Joseph set a new Lely school record with seven touchdowns in a single game.
"I’m really proud of myself," Joseph said. "I’m really proud of my team."
At Naples, Shawn Simeon led the entire state with over 2,000 rushing yards. The Toledo commit is the first running back in Southwest Florida history to ever eclipse the 2,000 mark in back-to-back seasons.
Southwest Florida also saw plenty of college signees this year. Numerous guys put pen to paper and committed to their future colleges. Port Charlotte's Myron Charles was the area's highest-rated recruit. The defensive lineman is headed to Austin next year to play for Texas.
As for our local teams, Riverdale was one of the biggest surprises. After just two wins last season, the Raiders went 10-3 and made it to the regional finals for the first time in school history.
FBA, Bishop Verot, Cypress Lake, Port Charlotte and Naples also played in their respective regional championships.
Naples won the Class 4A, Region 3 title with a win over Port Charlotte. It was the Golden Eagles' first regional championship since 2018. They went on to play in the state semifinals for the 12th time in school history but ultimately lost to Jones in Orlando.
"They reset the standard here," Naples head coach Rick Martin said. "This is what Naples High School Football is all about."
It was another historic season of high school football in Southwest Florida.