Reflections on Manatee's win over Miramar

You could call it a coming out party. But it really wasn’t. Everyone has heard the name of the Manatee Hurricanes. They won the Class 7A State Championship last year. Head Coach Joe Kinnan and his staff knows the talent they have on their roster. This talent provided them with an easy and overwhelming victory over the Miramar Patriots 41-6.

This Hurricanes roster kept most of their starters from last year’s championship squad, and they gained even more playmakers! But we heard the name Cord Sandberg before. The Hurricanes starting QB put up dazzling numbers today posting 214 yards going 18-27 with 2 passing TD’s. Also proving his dual threat status by  adding 58 rushing yards and a rushing TD.

The Patriots of Miramar started the game with the ball. Everything seemed to be going well for the Patriots in the 1st quarter. Senior RB Alex Lee got things started with a 46 yard run in the 1st minute of the game. Which put Miramar in scoring position. Then after a penalty, Junior QB Nick Jeanty got things started with a 11 yard TD pass to WR Sean Avant. The PAT was missed.

Through the whole 1st quarter the Manatee offense looked solid. The Hurricanes ran a spread style offense mixed in with lots of option packages. Although the Manatee offense gained chunks of yardage through the whole first quarter they could not completely finish. Their first drive lasted 16 plays and 7 minutes but ended up with a field goal from new kicker Greg Moss. Things looked good for Miramar ending the 1st quarter on top 6-3.

At the start of the 2nd quarter things shifted for the Manatee defense and special teams. The daunting defensive line of Manatee started to make plays. But none bigger than DE Blake Keller. Keller, who is committed to UCF, had 1 of his 2 blocked punts midway through the 2nd quarter. Manatee then converted another field goal after that turnover. From that point on the Miramar offense was petrified. Manatee DB/PR Willie Smith got in on the action registering two interceptions in the last 5 minutes of the half.

When the 3rd quarter started Manatee really started putting points on the board with a 21 yard TD pass from Cord Sandberg to Junior RB Trevon Walters. Walters had a big day as well adding 73 rushing yards, a rushing TD, and another 81 receiving yards. The defense maintained its dominance as Blake Keller got his 2nd blocked punt of the day recovering it himself and returning it for a TD.

The game was all but over when the 4th quarter started. More defensive playmaking and offensive production kept Miramar down and out. Miramar kept getting large production from RB’s Cameron Rigby and Alex Lee. Although they were not enough to stop Manatee from scoring 41 straight points. Manatee already a state champion favorite for this fall, cemented their status with this win on National TV.

Manatee is now 1-0 on the season and will be at Sarasota Riverview on Friday. Miramar will try to improve on its 0-1 record at home on Friday when they take on Pompano Beach Blanche Ely.