Link
Indians blank Golden Eagles
By
Jason A. Dixon (
Contact)
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Immokalee didn?t care if Friday night?s game against Naples meant nothing in terms of the district standings, or that the Golden Eagles decided to rest the area?s leading rusher, Jevon Pugh. The Indians had a lot at stake, and Staver Field became the place where they would reveal the toughness and tenacity that has carried them all season.
Quarterback Ramces Rouzard threw for two touchdowns and running back Brian Rolle ran for 125 yards on 13 carries, including two fourth-quarter touchdowns of 33 and 48, respectively, to send the Indians to 28-0 victory over the Golden Eagles.
Immokalee moves to 4-0 on the season and dropped Naples to 3-1 with a bye week coming up. Rouzard said the win helped solidify where the Indians stand among the best teams in the district, despite not being able to make the playoffs this year.
?This win means a lot for us,? he said. ?I give all my props to the lineman and my running backs were blocking. I took the leadership this game to step up and challenge myself as the quarterback to lead my team to a victory.?
Rouzard received a lot of help from a defense that dominated and, at times, intimidated. The Indians had two sacks and forced two turnovers during the game, but it all started in the first half, where Immokalee set the tone.
After holding Naples on their first possession, Immokalee?s offense went to work moving the ball downfield with a steady dose of running back Carl Elie, who finished the game with 54 yards on the ground. Rouzard hit David Lamour on a 25-yard touchdown pass with seven seconds left in the first quarter to cap an 11-play, 73-yard drive and give the Indians a 7-0 lead.
Rouzard and Aaron Henry hooked up late in the second quarter on a 35-yard touchdown pass to help Immokalee take a 14-0 lead into the locker room. But the story of the first half was Immokalee?s defense, which allowed 99 yards of total offense and stifled Naples from gaining any real momentum.
Naples quarterback Craig Wingate came in during the second quarter following an injury to Tim Moscato, who suffered a stinger and would not return, and provided a lift for the Golden Eagles. But every time Naples would try to get something going, Immokalee?s aggressive defense stepped up.
Naples coach Bill Kramer said after the game that he did not know the status of Moscato. As for the loss, Kramer said he is going to use the next two weeks to prepare for the upcoming games.
?We got to step up,? he said. ?Stuff happens in games and you got to play the cards you?re dealt and we didn?t do a very good job of that. I know I didn?t do a good enough job of getting our guys ready emotionally to play.?
Immokalee coach John Weber said Kramer was in a tough situation having to sit some of his key players. Still, Weber was pleased with the way the Indians came out and performed from start to finish.
?He?s got to look down the road at what?s at stake,? Weber added. ?I thought our kids played exceptionally well ... on both sides of the football. I thought defensively, we just did an outstanding job of shutting their run down. We threw the ball and had a great catch in the end zone, which probably changed the whole ballgame when we went up 14-0.?
The Indians also suffered an injury to fullback/linebacker Jonel Volcy when he went down on the opening kickoff with a broken leg.
- - -
Immokalee: 7 - 7 - 0 - 14 ? 28
Naples: 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 ? 0
Scoring:
I ? Rouzard 25 yars pass to Lamour (Williams kick)
I ? Rouzard 35 yard pass to Henry (Williams kick)
I ? Rolle 33 yard run (Williams kick)
I ? Rolle 48 yard run (Williams kick)
