BRADENTON – The only question Friday night at Hawkins Stadium was whether the Manatee Hurricanes could possibly be as dominant on the field as they look on paper. Such would seem to be the case, at least judging early returns. The 'Canes routed the Warriors 49-14 in a game that could have bee 100-0. On the opening kickoff, Kelvin McKnight returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, setting the tempo for what was to come.
 |
|
Manatee Defensive tackle Derrick Calloway photo: Dennis Maley |
Osceola was never going to challenge the 'Canes, that much was clear while the teams were on the field during warm-ups. The Manatee sidelines were twice as deep and with bigger bodies. The game only became semi-competitive near the end when Coach Kinnan took turned the reigns over to second and third stringers almost exclusively. Someone also should have told Osceola that coming to Hawkins Field in uniforms identical to Southeast's was bad juju.
Manatee's ferocious defensive line, considered to be the best in the nation, gave no quarter to Osceola's backfield. Coach Doug Nichols came as prepared as he could be, sticking to 3-step drops and short routes, but Manatee still managed several sacks among constant hurries. All four returning lineman looked to be in top form. 6'2 312-pound tackle Derrick Calloway looked like a man playing among boys, though the most noticeable change was the physical maturity and aggressive play of Demarcus Christian, the 6'4 285 lb. junior who may be the best bet in terms of playing in the NFL someday. When Osceola tried to double team Calloway, Christmas and speedy ends Marquis Dawsey and UCF-bound Blake Keller converged so quickly on a sack that they nearly gave each other concussions on impact. We won't know much about the rest of the Manatee defense until someone can get past their front four.
On offense, Trevon Walters showed promise in replacing Hurricane RB Leon Allen, now vying for a starting job at Western Kentucky. QB Cord Sandberg, a Mississippi State commit, barreled down the field for a 24-yard TD run on a keeper, that showed mid-season form and the 'Canes debuted a new offensive set featuring defensive tackle Demarcus Christmas at TE and DE Marquis Dawsey in the backfield, who plowed into the endzone on his only carry.
Kinnan stuck to his bread and butter in the spread, pulling the defense to the middle with the running game and then taking advantage of the flats with short passes and good yardage after the catch, such as the 71-yard scamper by Anthony Lauro, which the senior speedster broke down the sideline early in the game. The 'Canes open the regular season next Sunday at Miramar, in a game that will be broadcast by ESPN 2.
 |
| Kelvin McKnight took the opening kickoff 90-yards for the score. photo: Dennis Maley |
Palmetto and Southeast did not share Manatee's success on Friday night. The Tigers were expected to easily handle a Venice squad that they beat in last year's Kickoff Classic, as the Indians rebuild after losing a lot of key players. But Venice put up over 200 yards on the ground and converted two Tiger turnovers into TD's to hold on 24-23.
Palmetto did show a few good signs, including a 44-yard TD run by Josh Hicks, last year's county rushing champion, as well as a few promising connections between new QB Spencer Atkins and Palmetto's corps of game-breaking receivers. However, the Tigers will have to tighten up otherwise sloppy play if they're going to put together another championship season. They open at Riverview next Friday night.
Southeast broke out of the gates early and mounted a 22-0 lead over Ft. Myers, but went into autopilot in the second half and wound up losing 23-22. Senior QB Myles Braxton-Johnson was 16 of 29 passing, including three touchdowns, but star running back Courtney Allen was limited to 63 yards on 22 carries. The 'Noles open at largo next week.
Manatee 49
Osceola 14
Venice 24
Palmetto 23
Braden River 20
Booker 12
Ft Myers 23
Southeast 22
St. Stevens 45
Marco Island 6
Cardinbal Mooney 44
Bradenton Christian 0
Sarasota 42
Lakewood Ranch 7
Largo 47
Bayshore 16
Comments
No comments on this item
Only paid subscribers can comment
Please log in to comment by clicking here.