Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.) at Good Counsel (Olney, Md.)Manatee hopes to match the feats of fellow Florida powers Armwood (Seffner) and St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) of last week by opening with a road win against a nationally-ranked opponent. It's the second straight time the Hurricanes are many hundreds of miles away from Bradenton to start the season. Last year, they won a week-one matchup in Pittsburgh against Pennsylvania 3A power Jefferson. That team went 13-1 and reached the 5A semifinals. Impressive junior quarterback
Cord Sandberg is one of only four returning offensive starters. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards with 35 touchdowns last season. Win or lose, Manatee must play well enough to build confidence heading into its Sept. 16 meeting with No. 1-ranked Don Bosco (Ramsey, N.J.).
Good Counsel, ranked No. 15 in this week's MaxPreps Xcellent 25, has six returning starters on both sides of the ball and more than a dozen players on its roster holding scholarship offers from FBS colleges. The Falcons have a number of game-breaking talents on offense including senior receiver
Stefon Diggs, the
No. 1-rated athlete in the country according to MaxPreps' recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. Maryland recruit
Mike Madaras (6-6, 285) anchors the offensive line and Georgia Tech commit Roderick Chungong is the top returning player in Good Counsel's defensive front.
Mitch Stephens: Manatee 21, Good Counsel 20
Steve Montoya: Good Counsel 27, Manatee 14
Stephen Spiewak: Good Counsel 21, Manatee 17
Kevin Askeland: Good Counsel 28, Manatee 21
Jamie DeMoney: Good Counsel 24, Manatee 10
Good Counsel's Stefon Diggs is always making plays.
File photo by Wayne Litmer
