The Manatee Hurricanes will be playing in front of their home fans against the Charlotte Fightin' Tarpons at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Charlotte took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Manatee, who comes in off a win.
Manatee stacked a third blowout onto their ever-increasing hoard on Friday. They really took it to Southeast for the full four quarters, racking up a 49-0 win at home. Given Manatee's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 78th, while Southeast is ranked 412th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Manatee's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Andrew Heidel led the charge by throwing for 308 yards and two touchdowns while completing 78.3% of his passes, and also punching in a rushing score. Another player making a difference was Bonshavior Bean Jr., who picked up 185 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Another reason for the win was Manatee's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Leading the way was Alvoid Kennon and his two sacks.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 44 points the game before, Charlotte were a bit more limited in their contest on Friday. They were outmatched by Riverview Sarasota on the road and fell 54-6. Charlotte was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 40-0.
Charlotte's defeat came about despite a quality game from Brady Hall, who gained 130 total yards.
The victory makes it two in a row for Manatee and bumps their season record up to 8-2. As for Charlotte, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: Manatee has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 361 total yards per game. It's a different story for Charlotte, though, as they've been averaging only 174.3 per game. Will Manatee be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will Charlotte flip the ? Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other football content.
Everything came up roses for Manatee against Charlotte in their previous matchup back in September as the squad secured a 46-7 victory. Does Manatee have another victory up their sleeve, or will Charlotte turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
