SW FL Week 10: Cape Coral, Riverdale Estero, Naples, ECS among winners

A roundup of Southwest Florida high school football games played in Week 10 on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026.

Cape Coral 48, Charlotte 14

Seahawks coach Jaylen Watkins let his team know there’s a problem with the banner that displays the program’s district championships.

“The font is really big because we’ve got a lot of space on there,” he said. “Our goal is to shrink down that font year by year and make (Cape Coral athletic director Tom) Kenna have to get a new one.”

The Seahawks added another entry to that banner with a resounding 48-14 victory at Charlotte to claim the District 5A-11 title, its third in a row, all coming since Watkins returned to his alma mater, first as the defensive coordinator and now as its head coach.

“I’m so proud of these guys,” Watkins said. “We didn’t play a perfect game, but we played a lot better than we’ve played in the first eight weeks and we’re going to need that going into the playoffs.”

Cape Coral (7-2, 5-0) got a stellar game from its defense, which held the Tarpons (6-3, 3-2) to less than 140 yards of offense and forced a pair of turnovers. The defensive line had an especially dominant performance led by senior Omarion Harris (two sacks and a forced fumble), junior Carter Bernthaler (one sack, fumble return touchdown) and sophomore Kymani Nicholas (two sacks). The Seahawks limited Charlotte to just 30 total rushing yards on 31 carries.

“It’s the perfect time, right,” Watkins said of the play of his defense. “The beginning of the season, defense was a big question mark, toughness, we were all out of alignment, everything. Then we get to Week 9 and they’re almost like the heart of the team now.

“When you look at building a team to be playoff ready, all of your units have to hit at the right time. And I think we’re right there.”

Following a scoreless first quarter, Cape Coral got on the scoreboard early in the second when senior quarterback Derek Hooker connected with freshman wide receiver Noel Devine Jr. for a 28-yard score. The drive was set up when sophomore defensive back Magic Benton recovered a fumble by Charlotte running back Martae Taylor at the Tarpons’ 40-yard line.

The Seahawks increased their lead to 14-0 on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Hooker to senior wide receiver TJ Schley. The drive featured a 42-yard connection between the dup that set Cape up with a first-and-goal.

Following a three-and-out by the Charlotte offense, the Seahawks made it 21-0 when Devine Jr. took a handoff down the right sideline for a 65-yard scoring run and the rout was on.

Hooker passed for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Soldier Morse caught five passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns, including a 35-yard score from backup quarterback Tyler Bloom. Senior running back Caleb Cobb added a 10-yard touchdown run.

The Seahawks will close out the regular season on Oct. 29 at neighborhood rival Mariner.

“You want to keep guys healthy but the object is to go in and compete,” Watkins said. “We need to keep working every week to get better.”

— Dan DeLuca

Riverdale 54, Immokalee 33

Naples 51, Barron Collier 10

The Golden Eagles might not have returned many starters from last year’s team, but, after a dominant sweep of Class 4A-District 12, there’s no question who remains the top squad of the Collier County Athletic Conference.

Naples took apart Barron Collier on both sides of the ball on Friday, getting a running clock before halftime against the Cougars.

“We hear all the noise and we hear that, ‘Naples is down,’ or, ‘They’re not the same’ or whatever,” Naples head coach Rick Martin said. “For us to come out here and take care of the district and then take care of CCAC, it means a lot to our coaching staff, it means a lot to our kids and it just lets us know that we’re still doing the right thing around here.”

In the first three minutes, the Golden Eagles scored on each side of the ball – a 38-yard tackle-shedding touchdown run from junior Jevan Raphael followed by a Sebastian Casseus strip sack that led to a fumble recovery and return by senior Dylan Garcia.

Naples would add four more touchdowns before halftime, including three rushing touchdowns from junior quarterback Devin Dunford and an 18-yard touchdown run by sophomore Jimcy Exantus, for a 44-3 lead.

“Our coaching staff, our kids, they just come to work every day and we take it one day at a time, we take it one rep at a time, we take it one week at a time and we try not to look too far forward with anything,” Martin said. “I think when you stay in the moment and you try to do the right thing and you try to execute the right way every single time, every single day, these are the results we’re getting.”

The Naples defense also scored on a safety when junior Barron Collier quarterback Michael Hope was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone.

Hope was under pressure all night from the Golden Eagles front, and Naples also won the turnover battle with three fumble recoveries.

In Class 4A-12 games this season, the Golden Eagles have not allowed more than 10 points from any opponent.

“I say it all the time, my defensive staff is one of the best staffs in the entire country and they come to work every single day and they get these right and they develop them,” Martin said. “And by the time we hit Week 9, 10, 11, we’re usually where we want to be.”

With a running clock in the second half, the Cougars got in the end zone on a 6-yard run from Hope.

Junior Michael Thomas relieved Dunford in the second half and connected with senior Nicksen Volvic on a screen pass, and Nicksen outran the Barron defense for a 53-yard score.

The Cougars fall to 3-5 with a loss while the Golden Eagles improve to 6-3.

Naples took their lumps early, scheduling tough teams like Sarasota Riverview and Manatee that led to an 0-2 start. Going up the best appears to have paid dividends for the district champion Golden Eagles, who will keep that same mentality when they finish out the regular season hosting Miami Palmetto, a top 20 ranked team in the state.

“I think, when you play quality opponents, it brings out the best in your staff, it brings out the best in your kids and it hardens you for a playoff run and it puts your kids in situations that, down the road, they’ll be used to when it really matters,” Martin said.

— Dustin Levy

Estero 50, Aubrey Rogers 45

The Wildcats and Patriots combined for 13 touchdowns in a back-and-forth affair on Friday night.

Estero led 35-10 but Aubrey Rogers surged back in to tie the game at the end of the third quarter.

A Braden Houser touchdown run gave the Patriots a 45-38 lead with eight minutes to go in the fourth.

However, the Wildcats stepped up with senior quarterback Maddox Stewart tossing a pair of touchdown passes to Hudson King and Lincoln Zadach to secure the win.

Stewart went 31-of-40 for 402 yards and 5 touchdowns, along with 8 carries for 28 yards and two scores. Junior receivers Aiden Soerens and Hudson King each posted 100-yard receiving games for the Wildcats with King catching three touchdown passes against his former team.

Aubrey Rogers sophomore running back Liam Neary totaled 229 yards from scrimmage with a touchdown run and touchdown reception. Houser carried the ball 11 times for 46 yards and three touchdowns and threw a pair of touchdown passes in the loss.

Bishop Verot 55, Cypress Lake 0

Bishop Verot head coach Richie Rode has made plenty of memories at Cypress Lake.From winning the program's first district title as a player in 1995, to returning as a coach and winning another district title in 2019, to the program's first home playoff game in 24 years in 2019 and first-ever playoff win in 2021, Rode's fingerprints are all over the history of Panther football.Friday night, Rode returned to his alma mater and made a new memory with the program he's built into the county's top-ranked team.The Vikings secured their fourth district title in Rode's six seasons at the helm, romping past the Panthers at Thomas Broomhead Memorial Stadium.It was Rode's first time in the visiting locker room on Panther Lane in over a decade - his last trip was similarly successful, a 35-0 win as Fort Myers' offensive coordinator in 2015."As an alum and a former head coach, it is always special to go back over to the field in which I played high school football," Rode remarked following the win. "To win a district title is always special and I am so happy for our group of boys; they work so hard and sacrifice their time year round for achievements like this."Verot scored just 83 seconds into the game, when freshman quarterback Josh Olsen found Ayden Gonzalez for an 8-yard touchdown. From there, the Vikings were on cruise control, scoring 21 points in the first quarter, 27 in the second, and seven to finish off the scoring in the third. Six of Verot's eight touchdowns came on the ground, with Robi Duclona and Barron Rhone both scoring twice and Hudson Peak and Lemuel Jean Baptiste scoring once.Defensively, the Viking defense was characteristically dominant, allowing just 37 Cypress Lake yards on 36 plays. Verot intercepted more passes (3) than Cypress Lake completed passes (2), with Champ Travis, Oliver McGee, and Bo Hill getting in on the action. Travis' interception was returned 20 yards for a score, the third pick-six of the season for the junior. In nine games this season, the Vikings have surrendered just 53 points, with the last touchdown coming three weeks ago against Port Charlotte.Bishop Verot ends the regular season next Friday at home against Palmetto, with a win over the No. 9 team in Class 5A in the USA Today Super 10 giving the Vikings a chance to vault up to the top seed in Class 3A-Region 4."This team we have this year is very special and the leadership has been incredible," Rode added. "Now we have a playoff spot locked up and look to continue to improve over the next few weeks."Cypress Lake will look to play spoiler on their senior night, as a win over Oasis next Friday could dent the Sharks' Florida Invitational Tournament hopes coming out of the independent division.

Gulf Coast 46, Golden Gate 17

Port Charlotte 61, Fort Myers 0

Community School of Naples 40, FBA 28