Manatee looks to stop Devils

BRADENTON — St. Petersburg, not Venice, stands between Manatee and a berth in next week’s Class 5A-Region 3 championship game.

After watching film of the Green Devils’ win in the regional quarterfinals, Hurricanes coach Joe Kinnan knows how St. Petersburg got here.

“They were the better team that night,” he said.

Manatee hosts St. Petersburg at 7:30 p.m. today in a regional semifinal pitting two teams that have quite a bit in common.

Each team sports a gaudy 10-1 record. Each team was a district runner-up. Each team’s only loss cost it a district championship.

And each team is still standing while the top team in their district is not.

The Green Devils upset nationally-ranked Venice on the road last week — winning playoff games in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history — thanks in part to their defense and grinding ground game.

St. Petersburg, which shut out four opponents this season, blanked Venice in the first half, while putting the offense in the hands — or more specifically, the legs — of running back Ben Sams (135 rushing yards, one touchdown) and quarterback David Jones (two rushing touchdowns).

Jones attempted just three passes, befitting a style of play for a team averaging nearly 230 yards a game on the ground.

Sams has rushed for 563 yards and 10 touchdowns, forming a 1-2 punch with Malik Wilson (718 yards, 11 touchdowns). Jones has thrown just 44 passes this season, six of which went for touchdowns.

“They’re able to run the ball a lot more,” Kinnan said.

Manatee is allowing 139.7 yards a game on the ground and will rely on its defensive line to handle St. Pete’s six-man front.

“I like games like that,” said Manatee defensive lineman Quinton Pompey, who has a team-high eight sacks. “It’s going to be a battle.”

Another game within a game will feature Manatee’s vaunted offense against the Green Devils’ defense, which held Venice to 312 yards of offense and has allowed allowed about 11 points a game in its past five games since allowing 41 to St. Petersburg Gibbs on Oct. 9.

Meanwhile, Manatee has been piling on points — 165, to be exact, since the Hurricanes lost to Venice on Oct. 30.

The Hurricanes put up nearly 560 yards of offense last week against Gibbs and have gotten more than 2,000 passing yards and 22 touchdown from quarterback Brion Carnes, and 60 receptions from Ace Sanders.

Tonight’s winner faces either Melbourne or Palm Bay Bayside in a regional final. Manatee has won 10 regional championships, the last coming in 2006.