Football Game Preview: Manatee Hurricanes vs. Riverdale Raiders + Official Tickets

The Manatee Hurricanes will head out to square off against the Riverdale Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Manatee is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 55-29 margin over Cape Coral. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 42-15.

Keith Smith

Rushing Touchdowns (Career)

11/21/25 @ Cape Coral	3
11/14/25 vs Charlotte	2
10/31/25 vs Riverview Sarasota	1
10/24/25 vs Braden River	1
09/26/25 @ Pinellas Park	1

Keith Smith produced another solid effort rushing for 252 yards and three TDs while picking up 8.4 yards per carry, and also catching one touchdown. Those three rushing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Caedon White was another key back, rushing for 113 yards and a pair of scores on only nine carries.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Manatee was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 392 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Riverdale came tearing into Friday's matchup with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23 points), and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Indians by a score of 21-14.

The win got Manatee back to even at 6-6. As for Riverdale, their record is now 11-1.

Everything came up roses for Manatee against Riverdale in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 38-0 victory. Do the Hurricanes have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.