Tuesday Spring Football Previews: Barron Collier and Naples in action

As spring football continues, the News-Press and Naples Daily News will provide in-depth lookaheads for each SWFL program.

Here's a look at the games being played on Tuesday, May 21.

Naples at Venice

Time: 7:30 p.m.

What to watch for — Naples: Shawn Simeon, who holds offers from Florida State, Iowa, and Illinois among others, tallied 2,040 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns on 188 touches last season and is poised to dominate again in his senior campaign. The situation at quarterback is reminiscent of the Stanley Brant III era at Naples in 2021. After Carter Quinn departed for Lely, head coach Rick Martin had to find someone on the roster who could make plays under center and landed on rising junior Alijiah Molina. Molina, who played defensive back on JV last year, has had the reigns of the offense for all of two weeks but has the athletic tools to be a solid compliment next to Simeon as the season progresses. This offseason will be key in getting him comfortable and familiar with Martin's offense. On the other side of the ball, Naples returns a combined 161 total tackles and 22 sacks in rising seniors Sean Kabengele, Khari Bendolph, and Brady Clark on the defensive line. Expect that trio to cause problems for opposing offenses. With Kensley Faustin's departure to Auburn, the Golden Eagle secondary will look to rising senior Jordan Bergeron and rising junior Andre Ferdinand. Bergeron reeled in two interceptions and broke up seven passes last year, while Ferdinand had two interceptions of his own with five passes deflected.

Barron Collier vs. Charlotte

Where: Golden Gate High

Time: 6 p.m.

What to watch for — Barron Collier: Niko Boyce is back for his senior campaign at quarterback and is primed for another season that will stuff the stat sheet. Boyce went 133-for-244 last year for 1,908 yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in the air last season, and also tallied 629 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. With another year of experience under his belt playing in the Cougar offense, he'll be a problem for opposing defenses. It never hurts to return most of the offense around him as well. Brody Graham (803 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 48 catches) will get healthy in the offseason, and Caden Hudson (482 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 40 catches) will be lined up on the other side. The offensive line is also all returners, led by rising senior center Preston Colo. Expect the Barron Collier offense to be as dangerous as ever. With Jackson Polly's graduation, the one young position group on offense will be the running backs, which head coach Mark Jackson says will be run by committee this year. On defense, rising senior linebacker Reese Van Gemert will return after posting a team-high 4.0 sacks last season, and rising junior Karson Ruble is expected to have solid contributions alongside him. Expect Schimaihan Tanelus and Jace Jackson to see time on both the offensive and defensive line as well.

South Fort Myers at Palmetto Ridge

Time: 7 p.m.

What to watch for — South Fort Myers: Head coach Willis May Jr. had to find a replacement for quarterback Chase Enguita and his 1,434 passing yards and 13 touchdowns, and has landed on former JV quarterback Will Bichler. Bichler, a rising junior, earned the role after showing off his arm strength and emerging as a leader in the huddle. He appeared in five varsity games last season, and went 16-of-42 for 243 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. Victor Jenkins, who posted 975 rushing yards and five touchdowns last year, returns at running back. After putting on some more weight this spring, he is poised to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in his senior campaign. One key graduation is wideout Justin White, who reeled in 50 catches for 838 yards and eight touchdowns last year. A pair of transfers in Tadarien Green (18 catches, 408 yards, and two touchdowns at Cape Coral) and Nathan Ogrodzinski (22 catches for 312 yards at Ida Baker) will help bridge the gap outside. Rising senior Rashad Taylor, who tallied 101 total tackles last year, is providing valuable veteran experience at linebacker, along with rising junior and defensive end Quinn Enguita (6.0 sacks, 60 total tackles). Rising sophomore Jeremiah Singleton, who measures at around 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds, also has the coaching staff excited for his first year playing varsity football. Palmetto Ridge: With last year's starting quarterback Demetri Zertopoulis graduated, the Bears are giving the keys to Anthony Sinatra for the 2024-25 season. Sinatra is a rising sophomore who arrives from St. John Neumann. While Palmetto Ridge isn't loaded with seniors, there is still a lot of experience returning that will help ease Sinatra's transition as a first-year quarterback. Devon Messenger, a rising junior and mainstay in last year's offense, will return. Messenger led the team in receptions (38), receiving yards (434), and caught touchdowns (5). Also returning is Steven Rousseau, a rising senior running back who had 315 rushing yards and two touchdowns while provided key minutes at linebacker. Alongside Messenger and Rousseau will be rising junior Isaac Garcia, who had 474 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Head coach Zach Yates is still piecing together the defense, which will be key for a program that was outscored by an average of 31.5 points in last year's losses. One name to keep an eye on is rising junior cornerback Kai Grimes, who Yates expects will be big on both sides of the ball. Gabriel Dule, a rising sophomore in his first year of varsity football, will also make contributions in the secondary.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Tuesday Spring Football Previews: Barron Collier and Naples in action