Two dominant backs in Zahmir Mcneil and KeiShawn Smith are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Pinellas Park Patriots will venture away from home to face off against the Manatee Hurricanes at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Manatee is hoping to do what Gibbs couldn't on Friday: put an end to Pinellas Park's winning streak, which now stands at four games. Pinellas Park claimed a resounding 41-10 victory over Gibbs on the road. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 125th, while the Gladiators are ranked 400th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mcneil continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 148 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 146 rushing yards dating back to last season. Kaiden Nobles was in the mix too, providing Pinellas Park with two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Manatee at home against IMG Academy White on Friday as the team secured a 44-7 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Hurricanes.
Smith was his usual excellent self, picking up 87 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 51 yards and two touchdowns. Andrew Heidel was another key player, throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 passes.
Manatee's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Jamari Parker and Jermiah Patterson. Manatee got some further help from Alvoid Kennon Jr.: he picked up a sack, forced a fumble, and forced a fumble.
Pinellas Park's record is now 4-1. As for Manatee, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-1.
Pinellas Park took a serious blow against Manatee in their previous matchup back in November of 2019, falling 35-7. Thankfully for Pinellas Park, Jayse Berzowski (who rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 134 yards and a touchdown while completing 84.6% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
