The Manatee Hurricanes will head out to take on the Palmetto Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Manatee's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against Columbia last Friday. They were outmatched by the Tigers and fell 35-0. Having soared to a lofty 42 points in the game before, the Hurricanes' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Derek Morgan
| 10/03/25 @ Columbia | 2 |
| 09/26/25 @ Pinellas Park | 1 |
| 09/19/25 vs IMG Academy Junior National | 1 |
Even if they lost, Manatee's defensive line still kept up the pressure with four sacks. Derek Morgan was especially locked on to Columbia's QB and sacked him twice. Morgan is becoming a predictor of Manatee's success: when he posts at least one sack the team is 2-1 (and 1-3 when he doesn't). Ronin Dangler was another major factor on D, making 11 total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Palmetto came tearing into Friday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 36.3 points), and they left with even more momentum. They took their game with ease, bagging a 42-7 win over the Mustangs. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 84th, while the Mustangs are ranked 348th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Palmetto's win came from a few key players Manatee will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Matthew Hennesey, who threw for 214 yards and four TDs while completing 76.9% of his passes. Jok Harris was in the mix as well, providing Palmetto with two touchdowns.
Palmetto's victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Manatee, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
Everything came up roses for Manatee against Palmetto in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 35-7 win. In that matchup, the Hurricanes amassed a halftime lead of 35-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
