ARCADIA — Fresh off its first win in 679 days, the DeSoto County football team will face a team that is familiar with the grind of rebuilding a program.
North Port (2-3) is currently in Year 2 of a break from competing in the Florida High School Athletic Association — creating an independent (and more manageable) schedule as it build back toward playing competitive football.
Though the Bulldogs still compete in the FHSAA, they’re walking the same road — albeit a few miles back.
The two teams will meet on Monday night at North Port High School.
DeSoto County is currently on its third head coach in the past three seasons, doesn’t have a junior varsity program, and has gone 1-13 since last season began.
But that doesn’t mean they doubt their ability to beat the Bobcats, or any other team on their schedule.
“The reality is that you’re evaluated on whether you win or lose,” Bulldogs coach Cliff Lohrey said. “I welcome that, and I think our guys welcome that. I can’t speak for them, I would never do that. But for me as a coach, I always think we’re going to be successful. I think we’re going to find a way.
“You could put the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in front of us. On paper, we wouldn’t have a shot, but in my mind, we’re going to prepare and find a way to do it.”
The Bulldogs (1-3) have started to find their way again this fall after enduring a winless 2023 campaign in which players pointed fingers or flat gave up.
After scoring just 35 points all of last season, DeSoto County has averaged 17.25 points per game this year — a number that looks even better considering it was shut out in a Week 1 loss to Okeechobee.
The offense has been powered by dual-threat quarterback Rylan Unruh (232 passing yards, 208 rushing yards, six total touchdowns) and a stable of ball-carriers that is led by Jamil Brown (225 rushing yards, one touchdown) and Aaron Langley (103 rushing yards).
“The biggest thing, I think, has been the trust with the leadership that we have above us, and with our teammates,” Unruh said. “Last year, I think we lacked trust and responsibility. We often blamed each other a lot last year, because once you start losing, you look for something to blame. We’re seeing progress this year, and last year, we didn’t see anything happen.”
The team DeSoto County is playing Monday, however, has a two-year head start on its rebuilding efforts.
The Bobcats recorded their first winning season in program history last year, and have a chance at repeating this year.
North Port is as deep and as talented as it has been in several seasons, and it beefed up its schedule in 2024 with foes such as Charlotte, Mulberry and Hardee to put itself to the test.
Its offense has averaged 40.3 points per game after a brutal opening two games in which it scored just three total points in losses to Parrish Community and Charlotte.
There are several ball-carriers who pose a threat to the Bulldogs.
Peter Kalphat, Kadyn Palmer and Isaac Smith each have 100+ yard games this season, and any of them could break off a big gain at any point.
And the passing game has received a boost, too, with 6-foot-4, 185-pound sophomore Lee Camel becoming a featured playmaker.
“Last year was their first winning season in history, so obviously they’re rolling in the right direction,” Lohrey said of North Port. “They’re physical. They have backs who run hard. They do a lot of things you talk about as a coach, as far as running the ball, stopping the run and playing solid on special teams. That doesn’t guarantee a win, but it’s a winning formula. You’re gonna see two teams, I think, with similar goals and similar ways of going about it.”
Here are the other area prep football games on tap for this week:
Venice (5-0)
Who: at Lehigh (0-4)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
After playing some of the very best prep football teams in the state for five straight weeks, Venice (No. 2 in FL) will finally get a chance to take a break with a trip down to Lehigh (No. 354 in FL).
The Lightning have struggled mightily this season, allowing no less than 33 points in any game while scoring no more than 14 points in any game — losing to East Lee County, Fort Myers, Port Charlotte and North Fort Myers.
The Indians, on the other hand, have averaged 57 points per game with an offense that has two running backs — Jamarice Wilder and Dorien Irving-Jones — who both have over 700 yards and double-digit touchdowns.
Lemon Bay (1-3)
Who: Island Coast (2-3)
When: 8 p.m. Friday
A banged-up Lemon Bay team (No. 316 in FL) will open district play this week against an Island Coast squad (No. 245 in FL) that’s also had an up-and-down season so far.
The Gators own a pair of wins — over Evangelical Christian and Mariner — but all three of their losses have been blowouts, losing to Port Charlotte (50-6), Dunbar (36-6) and Cape Coral (41-14).
Gervaris Leaphart will be the player the Mantas need to keep in check. He’s paced the Gators with 664 rushing yards and eight touchdowns through five games.
Charlotte (3-1)
Who: at Cape Coral (3-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
A previously undefeated Charlotte team (No. 77 in FL) was dealt a tough blow last week in a 42-21 loss to Fort Myers in which it committed five turnovers.
The Tarpons will need to learn from that game film and bounce back quickly with district play opening this week at Cape Coral (No. 136 in FL).
And this game could prove to be crucial down the line for Charlotte. Aside from Cape Coral, the only other teams in the district are Mariner (1-4) and Ida Baker (0-5), two teams the Seahawks should have a good chance to defeat.
After opening this season with a 7-0 loss to North Fort Myers, Cape Coral has won three straight games against Bonita Springs, Island Coast and Estero.
However, that hot stretch might not mean much as each of the teams the Seahawks beat are ranked No. 245 in FL or worse.
Port Charlotte (3-2)
Who: South Fort Myers
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
The Wolfpack (No. 191 in FL) have the unenviable task of taking on a Port Charlotte team (No. 61 in FL) coming off back-to-back losses to two top-50 teams in the state.
However, the Pirates may be a little worse for wear from it, especially last week’s loss to First Baptist Academy in which running back Ike Perry and quarterback Logan Flaherty both exited and didn’t return.
If Perry and Flaherty are back, the Pirates will be a fearsome opponent for South Fort Myers. Though the Wolfpack have beaten Gateway and Barron Collier, they’ve also lost to Riverdale and Fort Myers.
South Fort Myers takes to the air often, with junior quarterback William Bichler completing 32-of-54 passes for 592 yards, six total touchdowns and one interception.
Senior running back Victor Jenkins has been explosive as well, churning out 679 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, with 100-plus rushing yards in every game this season.
That offense is paired with a defense that has already come up with 20 tackles for loss and eight interceptions, making this an under-the-radar dangerous team.
Babcock (1-4)
Who: at Donahue Catholic (3-1)
When: 11 a.m. Saturday
The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for Babcock.
Not only did the Trail Blazers have an extra week to soak in their program’s first-ever win, but it allowed for extra time to prepare for a dangerous Donahue Catholic team.
The Shamrocks haven’t needed any luck in their wins this season, posting an eye-popping 53 points per game, with all of their wins coming by 41 or more points.
That high-powered offense has mostly come from an overwhelming rushing attack in which 10 different ball-carriers have combined for 1,687 yards (12.8 yards per rush) and 23 touchdowns.
The top threats so far have been senior Leo Cantwell (758 total yards, 12 touchdowns), junior Paul Berg (360 yards, four touchdowns) and sophomore Luke Misek (320 yards, four touchdowns).
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