The Friday night lights are almost back in Lee County. With Week 0, the 2025 high school football season set to kick off Aug. 15, teams across the county are deep into fall camp — and for many, it’s a season of transition.At South Fort Myers, head coach Matt Holderfield is keeping things simple.“Every year, everybody creates these words or these acronyms for your team,” Holderfield said. “And ours is just a simple thing called WIN.”The Wolfpack finished 4-7 last season and are aiming to clean up the details that kept them from turning close games into wins.In Cape Coral, Ida Baker is looking for a fresh start. The Bulldogs are coming off consecutive winless seasons, but with a new head coach and renewed energy, they’re focused on changing the narrative.“They haven’t won a game in three years. They’re hungry to end the streak,” head coach Cullen O’Brien said. “Success for us right now is winning a game. And then once we do that, we move forward.”Meanwhile, Cape Coral High School returns with momentum and confidence. The Seahawks are coming off an 8-2 campaign and a district title, anchored by a defense that gave up just 10 points per game.“I feel like our confidence is a lot better knowing we have a lot of targets on our back,” said senior Jayden Reyes. “It just gets us more fired up.”“It’s my senior year,” added offensive lineman Simon Prifti. “I want to go out with a bang.”At Riverdale, 2024 was a historic season — a third-round playoff appearance and the most postseason wins in program history. But head coach Kendoll Gibson said the team isn’t dwelling on it.”That was an awesome year, but it’s over,” Gibson said. “Now it’s 2025, and we want to take this thing to new heights. They know what the expectations are. Now they just need to do it faster, and on their own.”As kickoff approaches, teams across Lee County are focused on the same thing: progress.This story will be updated with more teams and interviews from across the county as kickoff approaches.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.

The Friday night lights are almost back in Lee County. With Week 0, the 2025 high school football season set to kick off Aug. 15, teams across the county are deep into fall camp — and for many, it’s a season of transition.

At South Fort Myers, head coach Matt Holderfield is keeping things simple.

“Every year, everybody creates these words or these acronyms for your team,” Holderfield said. “And ours is just a simple thing called WIN.”

The Wolfpack finished 4-7 last season and are aiming to clean up the details that kept them from turning close games into wins.

In Cape Coral, Ida Baker is looking for a fresh start. The Bulldogs are coming off consecutive winless seasons, but with a new head coach and renewed energy, they’re focused on changing the narrative.

“They haven’t won a game in three years. They’re hungry to end the streak,” head coach Cullen O’Brien said. “Success for us right now is winning a game. And then once we do that, we move forward.”

Meanwhile, Cape Coral High School returns with momentum and confidence. The Seahawks are coming off an 8-2 campaign and a district title, anchored by a defense that gave up just 10 points per game.

“I feel like our confidence is a lot better knowing we have a lot of targets on our back,” said senior Jayden Reyes. “It just gets us more fired up.”

“It’s my senior year,” added offensive lineman Simon Prifti. “I want to go out with a bang.”

At Riverdale, 2024 was a historic season — a third-round playoff appearance and the most postseason wins in program history. But head coach Kendoll Gibson said the team isn’t dwelling on it.

“That was an awesome year, but it’s over,” Gibson said. “Now it’s 2025, and we want to take this thing to new heights. They know what the expectations are. Now they just need to do it faster, and on their own.”

As kickoff approaches, teams across Lee County are focused on the same thing: progress.

This story will be updated with more teams and interviews from across the county as kickoff approaches.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.