Bradenton Manatee coasts to Florida Class 7A title

ORLANDO, Fla. - Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.) showed why it holds the top ranking in Florida with a 40-0 win Friday against First Coast (Jacksonville, Fla.) in the Class 7A Florida state championship game at the Citrus Bowl.

The Hurricanes scored at will, and the defense shut down First Coast (Jacksonville, Fla.) freshman quarterback DeAndre Johnson, who came into the game having passed for 2,706 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Wide receiver Anthony Lauro scored twice for the heavily favored Hurricanes, who rushed for 225 yards. Manatee quarterback Cord Sandberg finished 13-for-17 for 180 yards. He also rushed for 78 yards, including a 12-yard first-quarter touchdown.

Meanwhile, Manatee's defense held Johnson to 163 yards passing and intercepted him twice in the red zone. The Hurricanes hurried many of Johnson's throws. Manatee also sacked Johnson five times. Defensive lineman Derrick Calloway had three sacks. First Coast's miscues, which included three fumbles, resulted in the team having minus-72 rushing yards.

First Coast had the ball in the red zone twice in the first half, but came away without a point when Johnson was intercepted each time. First, Jalen Holmes intercepted him near the end zone. Two possessions later, Willie Smith intercepted Johnson at the 3-yard line.

Manatee scored on its first drive of the game when Sandberg, a 6-3 junior, went airborne over a defender at the goal-line to cap a run. In the second quarter, Manatee stretched the lead to 14-0 when Sandberg connected with Lauro on a 44-yard touchdown pass. The Buccaneers defender fell down as Lauro broke into his route across the middle.

At the start of the second half, Manatee (13-2) stretched the lead to 23-0 when junior defensive lineman Blake Keller scooped up a blocked punt in the end zone. One possession later, Lauro scored on a 10-yard run to the left side.

First Coast finished the season 13-1. The Buccaneers were vying to become the second Jacksonville public school to win a Florida high school football state championship. Raines won a state title in 1997. Jacksonville's private schools have won several state titles.

Manatee won all of its games against Florida schools this season, but a pair of losses to out-of-state powerhouses kept the Hurricanes from a national championship claim. The Hurricanes lost 24-17 to Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) on Sept. 2 and lost 22-16 to juggernaut Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) on Sept. 16. Both schools went undefeated this season.

Manatee's difficult time in the Class 7A playoffs also factored into its national ranking. The Hurricanes squeaked past Fort Pierce Center 13-10 and Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer 19-14 in the postseason to earn trip to Orlando.