Manatee had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They claimed a resounding 55-26 win over the Pinellas Park Patriots. The result was nothing new for the Hurricanes, who have now won seven contests by 24 points or more so far this season.
Manatee's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was KeiShawn Smith, who rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns. Those 179 rushing yards gave Smith a new career-high. Jalen Bryant also helped out as he racked up 191 receiving yards.
Another reason for the win was Manatee's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Alvoid Kennon Jr. and Ean Johnson-Kelley, who racked up four sacks between them. Johnson-Kelley also set a new season high mark in total tackles with seven. Ronin Dangler was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 13 total tackles (6.0 for loss).
Manatee was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 219 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pinellas Park only rushed for 118.
Pinellas Park's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jaden Casanova, who threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.3 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 36 yards. Casanova has become a key player for Pinellas Park: the team is 6-2 when he posts at least three passing touchdowns, but 1-2 otherwise. 162 of Casanova's passing yards were hauled in by Amari Caro, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
The win (which was Manatee's sixth in a row) raised their record to 8-1. Those good results were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 12.8 points per game. As for Pinellas Park, their loss dropped their record down to 7-4.
Manatee has already played their next match, a 54-8 victory against Immokalee on the 22nd. Pinellas Park does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
