Football: Indians grab district title

CLEWISTON -- Momentum -- and the fate of a struggling high school

football team -- made a sweeping U-turn Friday night.

And when the Immokalee Indians finally got headed in the right

direction, they laid on the horn all the way to an emotional 46-21

victory that earned them the Class 2A District 6 championship.

Rallying from a 14-0 deficit with an 18-point second quarter

against the Clewiston Tigers, Immokalee scored seven unanswered

touchdowns and dominated the game not only with a ground attack

that reeled off 356 yards, but a defense that permitted the host

Tigers only 19 rushing yards the second half and 122 in the

game.

Sophomore Javarris James stepped off 124 yards on 17 carries and

scored four times. His backfield mate, senior Wilbert Jean, totaled

113 yards on 10 carries and three touchdowns.

The second-quarter turnaround and the final offensive totals at

storied Cane Field were sweet, indeed, for IHS interim head coach

Phil Vogt.

"If you would have told me we'd come over here and score 46

points, I would have bet my house we wouldn't and right now, I'd be

living under a bridge," laughed Vogt, who for the second straight

Friday night, was in charge in place of John Weber. The Indians'

head mentor was still on administrative leave with pay after a

practice incident in which quarterback Louis Gachette said Weber

struck him on the helmet and then kicked him in the behind as the

player bent over to pick up his mouthpiece.

An ongoing investigation by the Collier County Public Schools

has yet to render a decision on Weber's status.

Gachette admitted that with the district championship hardware

headed for the school trophy case, he and his teammates could enjoy

football again.

"We proved a lot tonight," Gachette said. "We won the hardest

district in the state."

James also said that the Indians' second-quarter reawakening was

a positive sign after the team had lost three straight games and

took the field without its head coach the last two weeks.

"It took the heart out of us," James said. "You could see it

around the locker room. It was like people didn't want to play

football anymore, that they just wanted to get the season over

with. But then we realized we wanted to play in the postseason and

that if we won this game tonight, we'd be the district champs."

An eight-play, 48-yard drive got the Indians rolling in the

second quarter with James taking it to paydirt from four yards

out.

In interception by Rock Magis at the Indians' 11 was returned to

the IHS 35 on Clewiston's next possesion. Twelve plays later,

Wilbert Jean scored from the one with 59 seconds left in the half.

The key play of the drive was a fourth-and-seven pass from Gachette

to McIntosh Nicolas that was good for 16 yards. It was a hard,

low-liner that Nicholas caught just above the grass for a first

down at the Clewiston 8-yard line.

No. 9-ranked Immokalee (6-3, 3-1 2A-6), scored again just 30

seconds later. The Red and White got the ball back

immediately when Lionel Loya recovered the ensuing kickoff that

went high in the air about 25 yards and bounced, with Loya

smothering it at the Tigers' 24-yard line.

Four plays later, Immokalee took the lead when James scored from

six yards out with 29 ticks left in the half.

"Usually, when we're down, we don't come back too well," said

James. "But we had a district championship to win."

Wilbert Jean celebrated his 18th birthday with a memorable

performance.

"When we were behind, it didn't bother us," he said. "Since

Wednesday's practice, we'd had the intensity. Tonight we came out

to play and we did it. We weren't worried. We just kept our heads

in the game."

Both Immokalee and fifth-ranked Clewiston (4-4, 3-1 2A-6) finish

the district schedule with identical district records. But the

Indians win the district championship outright as the result of the

head-to-head victory.

Immokalee is on the road to close out the regular season this

coming Friday night at Plantation-American Heritage. Clewiston

visits Barron Collier.

"We knew the district championship always goes through this

program right here in Clewiston," said Vogt. "But this win speaks

volume about our district. Everybody and anybody has a whack at it.

But this Clewiston team is one you have to beat year after

year."

Immokalee: 0 - 18 - 22 - 6 -- 46

Clewiston: 7 - 7 - 0 - 7 -- 21

Scoring

C -- Wood 40 pass from Pope (Rubio kick)

C -- Wright 2 run (Rubio kick)

I -- James 4 run (pass failed)

I -- W. Jean 1 run (pass failed)

I -- James 6 run (pass failed)

I -- W. Jean 6 run (pass failed)

I -- W. Jean 1 run (Hicks run)

I -- James 4 run (W. Jean pass from Gachette)

I -- James 32 run (kick failed)

C -- Rubio 44 pass from Pope (Rubio kick)

Individual Leaders

Rushing -- Immokalee: James 17-124, 4TDs; W. Jean 10-113, 3 TDs;

Hicks 8-33; Gachette 7-33; Clewiston: Adderly 13-67; Wright

9-36.

Passing -- Immokalee: Gachette 6-9-0, 90 yards; Clewiston: Pope

5-12-2, 130 yards.

Receiving -- Immokalee: W. Jean 1-24 (five others with one catch

also); Clewiston: Rubio 2-57, 1 TD.