MaxPreps 2012 Preseason Xcellent 25 Football preview: No. 1 Manatee

This Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.) team is on the cusp of greatness.

In 2009, it stunned national No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 5A playoffs, only to lose to Plant in the state finals.

After a 13-1 season in 2010, Manatee went the distance in 2011, capturing a Class 7A state title. Its only two losses came in hard-fought contests against out-of-state teams.

With many athletes possessing two or three seasons of varsity experience, Manatee is poised for a historical season in 2012.



Back on offense for Manatee is an offensive line that features Thor Miller, Jake Stickler, Kyle Mauk and Michael Galati. They’ll block for versatile running back/receiver Anthony Lauro, who accounted for roughly 600 yards rushing and 600 yards receiving last year.

The team’s biggest playmaker is Class 7A Player of the Year and MaxPreps Top 100 recruit Cord Sandberg, the team’s dual-threat quarterback. He threw for 2,187 yards and rushed for 813, having a hand in 29 total touchdowns.

For as dynamic as the offense is, the defense could be even better.

With a front four of Demarcus Christmas and Derrick Calloway bookended by Marquis Dawsey and Blake Keller, Manatee’s defensive line is simply the class of the country. It was a dominant unit in 2011 and will wreak even more havoc this fall.

That will allow a set of new linebackers to mature. With Willie Smith and Daren Ardis back, the secondary should be just fine.

Local outlook: “It's pretty exciting around here. It's exciting for the students at Manatee because they weren't born during Manatee's golden age of the 1980s and 90s, and it's exciting for the people who remember those years because they've watched this program rise up again. I still say the fortunes for this program all changed when Manatee beat Aquinas in the 2009 Class 5A state semifinal. That was the night Manatee got some of its swagger back, so to speak, and the 'Canes have been rolling ever since.”
- John Lembo, Bradenton Herald
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Size: Class 7A




Enrollment: 2,261


2011 finish: 13-2, Class 7A state champion


Head coach: Joe Kinnan


Career record: 267-69


Years at school: 27 (1980-2000; 2005-present)


Notable players coached:
Tyrone Williams (Nebraska, NFL)
Alvoid Mays (West Virginia, NFL)
Tommie Frazier (Nebraska)
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No. of returning starters: 6 (offense), 5 (defense)

Demarcus Christmas is one of the big pillars onthe stellar Manatee defensive line.

Photo by Marc Estrada

Key losses:
DB Clinton Heaven



LB Leon White

RB Leon Allen

Key returners:
QB Cord Sandberg

DL Demarcus Christmas

DL Derrick Calloway

RB Anthony Lauro



DL Blake Keller

DL Marquis Dawsey
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Toughest game: This is basically a pick ‘em between the team’s season opener at home against Class 8A finalist Miramar and a third-week matchup with Class 6A finalist Miami Central.

Question mark: Will Manatee’s linebackers evolve quickly enough to help the team live up to its billing? Will the team once again be able to endure a brutal playoff bracket?

Local outlook: Manatee should be far ahead of where Venice, Palmetto and other local teams are, at least to start the season. After the Miramar and Central games, we’ll have a much better feel for whether Manatee actually is the No. 1 team in Florida, let alone the nation. Manatee losing to either team would be an upset, but certainly not an unimaginable shock.

Overall outlook: Kinnan is accustomed to high expectations. His 1991 squad earned a preseason No. 1 national billing as well. However, that team lost its season opener and failed to capture a state title. This year’s squad will have to battle great expectations along with some daunting regular season games and a loaded playoff bracket. Winning a state title would be an outstanding accomplishment. Navigating its schedule undefeated and potentially finishing No. 1. would make it a magical season.
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