No. 1 Manatee fends off Central in shootout

BRADENTON, Fla. – It’s no secret Manatee’s football team has talent.

Friday night, the Hurricanes showed their resolve.

The top-ranked team in MaxPreps Xcellent 25, Manatee (Bradenton) held off Central (Miami), 44-34, in front of a packed and passionate crowd at Hawkins Stadium.

Manatee (3-0) nearly let two big leads slip away before defusing the Rockets (1-2) and running their winning streak to 15.

Another string of note: The Hurricanes haven’t lost a regular-season game to a Florida school since 2009.

“I don’t have any control over that,” Manatee coach Joe Kinnan said when asked if his Canes would maintain their No.1 status following the tight victory. “We think we’re as good as anybody. We would have liked to not let them score 34, but we were able to put 44 up, so that’s impressive.

“We’re focused. Our coaches did a great job of preparing the kids, and we went out there and played hard.”

Manatee took a 9-0 lead midway through the first quarter on a safety and a 4-yard touchdown run by Marquis Dawsey, better known as the dean of the Canes’ renowned defensive line who occasionally lines up at fullback.

The lead stretched to 16-0 in the second quarter after quarterback Cord Sandberg hit Marquel Hines with a 20-yard strike with 10:22 left in the first half.

The Rockets wasted little time storming back, however. Down 23-7 at the half, they scored on the opening drive of the second half on a 6-yard run by Joseph Yearby (102 rushing yards). After Manatee was forced to punt, Miami Central struck again when quarterback Keith Reed hit an open Anthony Jones on a slant, resulting in a 54-yard touchdown run, trimming the score 23-21 with 6:44 to go in the third.

But just when Manatee began reeling, an ill-timed penalty jarred the Canes back into the game. After forcing a punt from Manatee’s 19, the Rockets were flagged for roughing the kicker, moving the ball to the 34 and arming the Hurricanes with a fresh set of downs.

Less than a minute later, Trevon Walters took a shovel pass 54 yards for a touchdown. On Manatee’s next possession, Sandberg hit Hines, wide open in the middle of the field, for a 49-yard score and a 37-21 lead that proved too steep for the Rockets.

“We had some opportunities, and the roughing the kicker penalty hurt us bad,” said Central coach Telly Lockette. “Proud of my kids because they never stopped fighting. We just have to be smarter.”

Walters, who totaled 227 yards of offense, salted the game away with an 85-yard touchdown run with 4:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“It felt like I was running slow, and I thought I was going to get caught,” said Walters, a junior running back who moved to Bradenton late in his freshman year. “Obviously, I didn’t.”

Sandberg threw for 227 yards and three scores, and Reed threw for 321 yards while sophomore Da'vante Phillips had nine catches for 113 yards for the Rockets.

Manatee defensive end Blake Keller, who is headed to UCF, was taken to a nearby hospital after suffering a hit while playing on special teams during the third quarter. But Manatee’s coaches said it appears he has bruised ribs and should be fine when the Hurricanes head to rival Southeast on Sept. 28.

Both teams are off next week.

MaxPreps correspondent John Lembo is a staff writer at the Bradenton Herald.