Pompey quicker and better

BRADENTON — As one summer workout bled into another, Quinton Pompey started seeing something very interesting.

Manatee’s skill players.

Or to be more specific, he saw the skill players a lot more clearer than he used to.

“I thought, ‘Wow, I’m actually trying to keep up with them,’” Pompey said.

Pompey is a junior defensive lineman who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 253 pounds — not exactly the sort of guy you’d expect to see hanging with the likes of Mike Blakely and Ace Sanders in a footrace.

But after a summer working out with guys such as Blakely and Sanders, two fleet-footed pieces of Manatee’s versatile offense, as well as some of the Hurricanes defensive backs, Pompey felt himself getting quicker.

“I just wanted to get better,” said Pompey, who transferred to Manatee from Palmetto. “It worked.”

Pompey will take 71 tackles and team-leading eight sacks into Manatee’s Class 5A-Region 3 semifinal Friday night against St. Petersburg (10-1), the runner-up out of District 9 that likes to pound the ball, having thrown just three passes during its upset over Venice last week.

That sits fine with Pompey, especially since working out with the quicker Canes has increased his flexibility and durability — even if he had to take some razzing at first.

“You’re too big,” they told Pompey. “You should be down there with the big boys.”

Though Pompey said he has always been mobile for a guy his size, he saw some room from improvement. So he spent four days a week working out with Tracy Sanders, who coaches Manatee defensive backs, running sprints and working on his speed.

At first, it wasn’t even close — Pompey would be left in the dust, watching everyone else jet past him.

Pretty soon, however, Pompey found himself keeping up. Then came Friday nights, when he found himself keeping up with opposing quarterbacks, including St. Petersburg Gibbs’ Josh Rembert, who Pompey scored a sack against last week in a Region 3 quarterfinal.

He’s had at last least one sack in six games this season and recorded 21/2 in Manatee’s win over rival Southeast.

“Coaches told me there would always be someone bigger, faster and stronger,” he said. “So I just started working out. I’ve worked out with guys like that before, but never that athletic. I learned a lot.

“I just kept sprinting, and it seemed like every day, I was getting faster, trying to keep up with them.”

The leaner and quicker Pompey has been one key of a Manatee defense will look to slow the Green Devils, who are averaging 228.5 rushing yards per game.

“He’s played hard and he’s played well for us,” said coach Joe Kinnan. “He’s still got to improve, but he’s done a good job.”

Pompey said he isn’t worrying about college right now, but he has already received letters of interest from the likes of Rutgers and USF.

For now, however, he’s concerned with harnessing his new-found speed.

“I just kept thinking, ‘I’ve got to better — every week and every game,’” he said. “I’ve got to prove myself.”