Canes return to familiar place

BRADENTON — Last year’s Class 5A football playoffs had its share of followers.

Brandon Persinger, however, wasn’t one of them.

“I really didn’t pay attention,” said Persinger, senior offensive lineman at Manatee. “It was really hard to listen to because we worked so hard and just didn’t go.”

The Hurricanes fell short of the playoffs last season for the second time since 1999 — and the first time since Joe Kinnan returned to the sideline in 2005.

It was a bizarre experience for guys such as Persinger and Ace Sanders, the latter of whom played an integral role when Manatee came within a win of playing for the Class 5A 2006 state championship.

“That felt horrible,” said Sanders, a receiver who typically got a late jump on winter sports because of the football team’s playoff runs. “I was never used to (playing) basketball during the first game of the basketball season.”

They return to the postseason at 7:30 p.m. Friday when the Hurricanes (9-1) head to St. Petersburg Gibbs (6-4) for a Class 5A- Region 3 quarterfinal.

In the eyes of Sanders, whose dad, Tracy, won a state championship with the Canes in 1983 and coaches the team’s defensive backs, the playoffs are where Manatee belongs.

The Hurricanes have been there 22 times, which is tied with Southeast for tops among Manatee County schools.

“You never hear of coach Joe Kinnan not going to the playoffs,” Ace Sanders said. “You can look at all the boards and see the district champs and the state champs.

“There’s high expectations. We’re supposed to be the powerhouse school around here in football, so there’s real high expectations on us.”

Which is why last season’s 7-3 mark wasn’t good enough, and why Kinnan sees a difference in this year’s Hurricanes.

“Just in the work ethic,” Kinnan said, “and the commitment.”

That’s not all. Persinger called this year’s team a “band of brothers,” stating it is much tighter of a unit than it was last season.

Those bonds have translated on to the football field.

“Me and (quarterback) Brion (Carnes), we’ve been playing together for five years,” Persinger said. “Me and him got together and said, ‘We’ve got to set them straight. We’ve got to tell them we are together.’

“Last year ... we weren’t on the same page.”

Of course, big seasons from varsity veterans such as Carnes (1,825 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 10 rushing touchdowns) and Sanders (an area-best 54 catches) hasn’t hurt, nor has an offense that is averaging 36.2 points a game and scored 113 in its past two victories.

All of it has Manatee back in the postseason.

“We realize once we have fun, and play relaxed,” Sanders said, “the outcome is better instead of being all serious and getting upset and mad each other.

“We’re focused, but we’re going to have fun with it at the same time. Just get out there and play the game.”