Football Preview: Manatee Hurricanes vs. Pinellas Park Patriots
Two dominant backs in KeiShawn Smith and Zahmir Mcneil are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Manatee Hurricanes will host the Pinellas Park Patriots at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, Manatee humbled IMG Academy White with a 44-7 victory. Given the Hurricanes' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 27th, while the Ascenders are ranked 102nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Smith, who picked up 87 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns. Andrew Heidel was another key player, throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 passes.
Meanwhile, Pinellas Park waltzed into their matchup on Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Gladiators 41-10 on the road.
Mcneil was his usual excellent self, rushing for 148 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 146 rushing yards dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Kaiden Nobles, who gained 32 total yards and two touchdowns.
Manatee's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-1. As for Pinellas Park, their win bumped their record up to an identical 4-1.
Everything came up roses for Manatee against Pinellas Park when the teams last played back in November of 2019, as the team secured a 35-7 victory. Does Manatee have another victory up their sleeve, or will Pinellas Park turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
