Wavebb

skyway your comments are too kind. I have never laughed so hard while watching a football game at any level.

Actually the Raiders played at FM two times. The first was many years ago when both teams finished the regular season 9-1 but missed the playoffs. Aquinas won a close game and their only complaint was the cold McDonalds hamburgers that we provided them after the game. The next time we played was the "91 state semi game which was scoreless late in the 3rd quarter when STA scorched us for 17 points. Our best effort was in "02 when we were tied at 7 after the first half but got worn down and lost 21-7

Before people start bashing this matchup because this years' Green Wave are very young and have no chance of winning this game, I would like to take a moment to explain how this game came about. Tonight is Sam Sirianni Night in Fort Myers. It is a local celebration of our long- time coach, Sam Sr. He led the Greenies for 33 seasons, including 5 decades, before his passing in '02. His son Sammy Jr. took over and is still the HC at this time. Coach Smith and Sam Sr were very close friends for many years. Coach Smith contacted us numerous times over the summer about coming over to be a part of our night to honor our former coach. With that said, Sam Jr. finally accepted, knowing full well that this year's team would not be able to give the Raiders much of a game. It's a celebration of our '92 team that lost at STA in the state semi's for the second year in a row. In an effort not to make this post too long and boring, I just wanted to point out that even in this day and age, once in a while friendships and respect can still mean more than wins and losses at the high school level. After getting to know Coach Smith and many of the Aquinas fans over the years, I have the utmost respect for the program and those close to it. I have an open invitation to Aquinas games and have seen many of their games from the sideline over the years. I knew of the school when it was Central Catholic High. Had many friends who attended STA who were nationally ranked tennis players as was I. Jeanne and Chris Evert to name a few. So that should explain how this game came about and if I didn't explain this very well, please just reply and I will try to do better.

Laz said it was because of the difficulty in getting correct scores. I'll still enjoy following his college football stats, especially with some of the smaller schools

I'm told it's very good with left-handed qb Dorrian Mallory and some quick receivers. I know of one who transferred from Fort Myers and he's the real deal

In SWF, I am looking forward to seeing how the Lehigh/Naples game turns out. Lehigh has loads of D-1 talent including of course, Richard Young. Naples has their share of top talent as well. The Golden Eagles' triple option is very difficult to defend. I think they win a close one if Young is held to a 100 yards or less. The only thing that would surprise me is if this game is decided by more than 10 points.

Yatil does have a nice home in Miami. I haven't been there but Jammi still sees him on occasion. He has done very well for himself. Good luck to your Tigers this year. My team is probably in for a down year but it's all good.

Slightly off topic... question for ColumbiaHighFan. Are you too young to remember Yatil Green? He was good friends with one of Fort Myers' players, Jammi German when he came to the U. I got to know him very well and he was a great guy. Love high school history and at one time, Fort Myers High had the most wins in the state until Lakeland, Manatee and your Lake City guys caught us. We're now 4th. Take care.

You probably won't have to be concerned about Fort Myers. We have a very young group that might be ready next year or the year after. We have Aquinas at home in week 2 so I'm hoping we can still field a team after that. We need to hook-up this year. Hope to see you soon

Hello old friend. I see that the Golden Eagles have a very nice schedule this year. I was at the playoff game against MNW last year and noticed their defense was young but they can still run up the numbers on offense. Playing a talented Lehigh team along with Venice, Killian and AHP in the regular season should have them ready for the playoffs. I'm real interested in seeing how this season works out for them. As you know, I'm a FM person first but will always be a fan of your program. Hope to see you in week 1. Good luck this year and rep SWFL well.

Willie Green Osceola?

Hey I needed that Old School Lion. lol. My recent batting average would have sent me from the Big Leagues to Little League. Lee County has a monster rb at Lehigh High. Remember the name: Richard Young.

So did I finally get one right Old School Lion?

LaBelle and Verot were finalists in the '90s. Don't see either having that huge of a win unless you consider Berkley Prep or Frostproof. Help me out Patrick lol

I thought Hwy17 got it. This is just a guess so I will say Lely in '87? Beat Glades Central and Cocoa with Merv Ward being the HC.