Football Game Preview: Manatee Hurricanes vs. Lakewood Ranch Mustangs

Manatee is on a five-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Lakewood Ranch is on a seven-game streak of away wins (also dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. Manatee will host Lakewood Ranch at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few points on average (Manatee 7.2, Lakewood Ranch 3.3) so any points scored will be well earned.

Manatee will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating Parrish Community, who they had gone 1-7 against in their eight prior meetings. Manatee managed a 6-2 victory over Parrish Community two weeks ago.

Lakewood Ranch played against Palmetto on Tuesday and won via forfeit.

Manatee's win bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Lakewood Ranch, their victory bumped their record up to 10-1.

Manatee didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Lakewood Ranch when the teams last played back in February, but they still walked away with a 24-18 win. Will Manatee repeat their success, or does Lakewood Ranch has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.