Area youth football teams chase playoff glory Saturday at Fleischmann Park

NAPLES — The chance at gridiron glory for local high school football teams might have ended with the losses by Naples and Immokalee last week, but for a number of youth players who hope to fill the rosters of those teams and others in the coming years, championship fever is alive and well.

The SWFL 7th- and 8th-grade all star-teams have the opportunity to advance in the Football University National Youth Championships today at Fleischmann Park.

Actually, it is only the SWFL 8th-grade team, led by running back Carlin Fils-Aime, that will have the chance to play for a national title when they take on Central Florida.

The 7th graders, whose game starts at 5 p.m., will play for the Sunshine State Championship against the winner of an earlier contest between Central Florida and South Florida, which will play at 2 p.m., also at Fleischman Park.

Both SWFL teams, comprised of players from Naples, Marco Island, Fort Myers, Port Charlotte and Cape Coral, overcame underdog status to defeat Miami-based South Florida all star squads in Weston last Saturday.

The 7th graders defeated its east coast opponents 38-20 on the strength of running back E’Quan Dorris’ three rushing scores of 35, 45 and 10 yards.

The 8th graders, paced by Naples’ Kevin Moreland’s heroics, pulled out a last-minute 12-7 victory.

If the SWFL 8th graders, whose game starts at 7 p.m., win today, the team will move on to the national bracket, which will start on Jan. 2 in San Antonio.

Eighth grade coach Jeff Zablo, who has 17 years of youth football coaching under his belt, feels confident both SWFL teams have a shot at victory.

“We’re more loaded at the skill positions,” Zablo said. “We have great hopes of winning. We’ve got the best of the best local players.”

Opening up the holes on offense for the 8th grade team will be a SWFL offensive line that averages nearly 245 pounds. That should benefit Fisl-Aime, a student at Gulfview Middle School, who began playing the sport just a few years ago.

Fils-Aime first took to the football field when he attended Mike Davis Elementary School when he was recommended by principal Mike Spano to longtime youth coach Brad Simmons as a fifth grader.

It turned out that Fils-Aime and Simmons’ son, Cooper, were best friends who had lost contact when both were students at Lely Elementary.

“When he realized who I was it was like somebody gave the kid a million dollars he was so happy,” Brad Simmons said about the reunion.

Soon after, Fils-Aime’s father, Carlos, gave Simmons and his wife, Tammy, permission to take Carlin into their home to live. The rest has been a success story on the football field and in the classroom.

“The (Simmons) are great people,” said Fils-Aime, who also plays linebacker for SWFL and gets A’s and B’s in school. “I’m hoping to go to Naples High School next year and play for the Golden Eagles.”

Zablo is happy to have Fils-Aime help lead the way for his team.

“Carlin is a great player and a very positive kid,” he said. “Carlin loves the game and gives 110 percent on every play.”

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SWFL FBU All-Stars - 8th grade team

2. CARLIN FILS-AIME

3. TYLER BYRD

4. KEVIN MORELAND

5. WILLIE JOHNSON

6. LIK ESTILIEN

9. JAVARIS MILLER

10. PATRICK VOLCY

11. O’DARIUS JILES

14. CHRIS RILEY

15. ALLEN VARBLE

17. CESAR VELASQUEZ

18. JEREMY ANDERSON

20. KYLE BRADY

25. ANTONIO CARBONARO

26. ROBERT GREEN

32. JACQUEZ PAYTEE

41. TYLER KOPP

44. BRANDON HOUSTON

50. SCOTT WHEELER

52. TYLAN REYNOLDS

53. PATRICK MICHELE

54. JORDAN FALLS

55. JASON SICKLES JR.

56. ZACHARY LECIUS

58. AIDAN MARIBONA

59. ZACH WILSON

62. KRISTOPHER MANSFIELD

64. EVENS JEAN

70. JERRY BEAUCHAMP

71. DAVID AVILA

75. AL NELSON

80. JACOB BOWLIN

82. JOSEPH WICHILINSKI

83. WILLIAM SHERIFFS

SWFL FBU All-Stars 7th grade team

4. MARLON GAYMON

5. RILEY WARE IV

6. ZHANTAVIOUS JACKSON

7. CHRIS CEASAR

9. BRYCE BROWN

10. GARLENS ROGER

12. ISIAH CRAWFORD

14. TRISTAN PERRY

15. ANTHONY CRUZ

17. FANAJAE GOTAY

18. JUDAH FINLEY

20. TAVARIS LYMON

25. LUCAS ENDSLEY

41. ANDY DUPRAT

52. WATSON MARCELLIN

53. RUDY MENDEZ

56. ANDREW RAMOS

58 DINEL CHERY

59 JAMES ESLICK

60 MATTHEW MCGILL

80 SHARIFF BENNETT