GCG Week 1: Port Charlotte erupts for 63 points in win over Cape Coral
Logan Flaherty powered an explosive start for the Pirates before Bruce Blanden helped finish the job in a 63-26 road victory over the Seahawks.
CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
Two of Southwest Florida’s most explosive teams promised plenty of playmaking entering Week 1.
Port Charlotte wasted little time delivering.
The Pirates defeated Cape Coral 63-26 Friday night behind an offensive attack that established control early and continued finding answers even as the Seahawks tried to battle their way back into the game.
For much of the first half, it was the Logan Flaherty show.
The Port Charlotte quarterback helped the Pirates lean heavily on their passing attack and build a commanding 42-14 halftime advantage. Port Charlotte produced the offensive outburst despite playing without top receiver Elias Pearl, who watched from the sideline in street clothes.
With one of their primary weapons unavailable, other Pirates stepped forward.
Running back Bruce Blanden provided one of the night’s biggest examples. On a second-half drive, Flaherty used his legs to fight through the Cape Coral defense before two Seahawks finally brought him down in the red zone.
With Flaherty out for the ensuing play, Blanden finished what his quarterback started. The running back took the ball, powered through a defender and into the end zone as Port Charlotte continued adding to its lead.
Cape Coral, however, showed flashes of the explosive potential that helped make the matchup so intriguing.
One of the biggest came from Noel Devine Jr.
With the Seahawks trying to fight their way back into the game, Devine delivered an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown, one of his two scores on the night. The explosive return gave Cape Coral another spark and provided one of the game’s most memorable plays.
Devine is the son of former North Fort Myers High School and West Virginia University standout running back Noel Devine, and the younger Devine showed some of that same big-play ability Friday night.
But Port Charlotte had built too large an advantage to surrender.
Head coach Jordan Ingman’s Pirates continued finding ways to answer and ultimately left Cape Coral with a 63-26 victory to begin the 2026 season.
For Cape Coral head coach Jaylen Watkins and the Seahawks, the final score did not erase the playmaking ability the team displayed throughout the night. For Port Charlotte, the victory offered an emphatic opening statement from a team with ambitions of making another deep run this season.
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