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NAPLES — Both coaches expect a physical football game when Lely travels to Barron Collier for their season opener at 7:30 tonight.

“Lely is humongous across the board,” Barron coach Mike Ivey said. “Even in the secondary they have good size and their offensive line is massive. Their quarterback (Dennis Marcelin) is big enough to be a college linebacker. No doubt about it, this will be a physical game.”

While the game is not a district game, the traditional rivalry has meant a battle to the end in recent years.

“We all know the importance of this game, this is a big rivalry,” Lely coach Steve Pricer said. “As a team we are also trying to find our identity. This game is meaningful for down the road.”

But tonight the road ends at Barron Collier, which won last year’s game on a fourth quarter field goal by Marvin Kloss. He kicked three field goals in a 24-21 victory.

Kloss and punter Evan Goldzak give the Cougars a solid kicking game. They also are keys to the game in other ways.

“The good news for us is that they also are great position players,” Ivey said. “Marvin caught a touchdown pass and Evan was our defensive player of the week (in the preseason loss to South Fort Myers).”

The game also solidified two offensive line positions.

“Seniors Brett Williams and Isaiah Brutus did a great job at tackle positions in the game and helps give me confidence in our offensive line,” Ivey said.

Garland, a junior, will start at quarterback.

“He was our JV quarterback and did a great job,” Ivey said. “He has all the tools, throws great and has excellent speed. Nate just needs to relax and play football.”

The Cougars also have an outstanding running back in Quin Thornton.

Pricer knows that stopping Thornton and Garland are Lely’s keys for a win. Pricer said the Trojans need to put pressure on the quarterback and try to limit Thornton’s yards.

“Their running back is outstanding and we need to slow him down.” Pricer said. “We know he’ll get his yards, but we don’t want any breakaway plays. Our kids need to be disciplined on defense.”

Both teams played strong on defense in their preseason openers, but mental errors and key penalties cost them.

“You can’t have five turnovers and expect to win,” Ivey said of his team’s performance against South Fort Myers. However, he was quick to note that the six South Fort Myers turnovers “were no gimmees, we pulled the ball out.”

Pricer is very pleased with his defense, which held Tampa Catholic to under 175 total yards.

“They played sound, disciplined football,” he said. “We need to do that against Barron.”

Pricer’s strategy for the Barron game is simple: get first downs and control the ball.

“We may have size, but it may be negated by their speed,” he said.