Prep football: Lely's comeback bid falls short

FORT MYERS — Stacey Stewart’s head coaching debut was memorable, but not in the way he was hoping. After failing to convert a first down in the entire first half, Lely dropped its season opener 23-13 to Riverdale on Friday night.

“It was definitely a learning experience for me,” Stewart said. “I’m going to go back and look at the film.”

Riverdale’s offense wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t need to be. The Raiders’ defense made mincemeat of the Trojans, holding them to 20 yards of total offense and forcing two fumbles in the first half. The Raiders led 20-0 at halftime.

“They had good reads on us,” Stewart said.

It was the defense that finally ended the shutout. On the first Riverdale drive of the third quarter, Jose Olalde picked off a pass with a head of steam and ran it 26 yards for a touchdown.

The Trojans climbed within a touchdown on their one big offensive play of the night. Quarterback Zach Grober lofted a bomb towards a wide open Anderson Joseph, who had beaten his coverage far enough that he was able to adjust his route. Joseph caught the ball and ran it into the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown. Sergio Alfaro’s kick made it a 20-13 game.

But the offensive woes returned in the fourth quarter. Lely did not make it 10 yards in either drive, allowing Riverdale to put the game away.

Grober’s touchdown pass was his only completion, in just three attempts. DeWarren Mobley led the rushers with 19 yards.

Stewart, a longtime assistant coach, put on the head coach’s headset for the first time. He was a quarterback for Lely in the 1980s.