Lauren Halpern
•8/22/2026
NAPLES, Fla. (WINK)—Barron Collier hosted Palmetto Ridge for week one after a major change in leadership this offseason.
The Cougars lost their head coach earlier this month and welcomed a lot of new faces to the roster. But the goal to win football games remains the same.
"Losing our head coach, some of our teammates, but it's brought us together," said Bryce Luster, linebacker for Barron Collier. "We're a really close team, and it's really made our chemistry great."
Interim head coach Andrew Clawson now heads the program, but upperclassmen like Luster say they've had to take on leadership roles too.
"We needed players to really step up and show them that he's doing this for us, and he came in and is doing all the right things," Luster said.
The linebacker said the team is ready to prove doubters wrong.
"We're willing to prove everyone wrong here, starting week one," Luster said.
On the other side, a Palmetto Ridge senior made a full-circle return. Nico Dibenedetto started his high school career on Cougar turf, and he returned to the same field as a Bear playing his last first game of the season.
"Just excitement," Dibenedetto said. "You know, seeing everybody I know, all my past friends and stuff, getting to compete in this home field I first started on. It's a lot of fun."
When it was time to play, Barron Collier wasted no time making its statement. Senior running back Vincent Askridge took the handoff and ran 79 yards of open field as he flew down the sideline with his teammates chasing him all the way to the endzone.
The kick was good, and the Cougars struck first, 7-0. Barron Collier ended up taking the game 41-7.
