Naples football beats Barron Collier for 25th straight time

The Cougars lost their starting QB and suffered their first loss

NAPLES, Florida -- The Naples High School football team knocked Barron Collier on its heels early Friday to end any upset hopes the host Cougars had.

Naples scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives in the first quarter and never relinquished control in a 24-0 victory. The Golden Eagles improved to 5-1 and beat its crosstown rival for the 25th straight year. Barron Collier (4-1) suffered its first loss.

The drama ended early

The storylines for this Class 3S-District 16 matchup were thick. Barron Collier came in undefeated with a high-scoring offense (41 points per game) that had a shot to beat Naples, the king of Collier County football, for the first time since 1998. The Cougars were led by quarterback Niko Boyce, who was a Freshman All-American at Barron Collier before playing his sophomore season at Naples then rejoining the Cougars this year.

However, the energy was sucked out of Cougars Stadium on just the fourth play of the game when Boyce was knocked out of the game by a hard hit. Boyce laid on the turf motionless after his helmet collided with a Naples defender. Boyce eventually walked off the field, but he did not return.

Naples' ground game prevails

Barron Collier forced Naples into a three-and-out punt on the Eagles' first possession. But Naples followed with two quick scores to put the game out of reach.

Martavion Young, who had just 82 rushing yards in the first five games, ripped off a 57-yard touchdown run on the first play of Naples' second possession. After Barron Collier lost a fumble, Eagles quarterback Jack Melton had a 45-yard scoring run to put Naples ahead 14-0 with 1:19 left in the first quarter.

Naples quarterback Jack Melton rushed for a pair of touchdowns in the Eagles' 24-0 win over previously unbeaten Barron Collier / Photo by Adam Fisher

Naples rushed for 396 yards. Young finished with 129 yards, while Melton had two rushing TDs.

The Cougars showed promise

Despite losing their best player two minutes into the game, Barron Collier had plenty of life. Backup quarterback Brian Williams made some plays, completing 10-of-21 passes for 111 yards.

The Cougars' downfall was turnovers. They lost three fumbles and Williams threw an interception. All four turnovers came after Barron Collier had driven into Naples territory. The Cougars also missed a 35-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Eagles return to dominance

Two weeks ago Naples lost to fellow Collier County school Golden Gate for the first time ever. Before then the Golden Eagles were 116-12 against county foes since 1999, and none of those losses have been to Barron Collier.

Most importantly for the Eagles, they keep their district title hopes alive. Naples is now 1-1 in Class 3S-District 16 with two games left. Golden Gate is 1-0 with three district games left, while Barron Collier is 1-1.

Naples has won 13 consecutive district championships dating back to 2010.

-- Adam Fisher | acfish12@gmail.com | @sblivefl