The regular season was a success, but the real challenge begins now, in the postseason. On Friday Manatee will take on Osceola at 7:30 PM. Manatee are favored to win according to their MaxPreps state ranking but know they can't sleep on a powerful opponent.
Manatee have relied on a stalwart defense averaging points allowed per game, but that average took a hit last Friday. They ended up on the wrong side of a painful 13-44 walloping at Venice's hands. A silver lining for Manatee was the play of senior Keyon Fordham, who caught 3 passes for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fordham has now scored at least one touchdown in the past eight games.
Meanwhile, Osceola brought a three-game winning streak into their matchup against Lake Brantley last week; they left with a four-game streak. Osceola took their matchup against Lake Brantley 21-13. The Osceola offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the matchup anyway.
Manatee suffered a grim 16-44 defeat to Osceola the last time the two teams met. The loss knocked Manatee out of the playoffs, so expect them to come at Osceola with a vengeful fire.
Playoff bracket for these teams
See how Osceola vs. Manatee plays out in the box score
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