PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Prep football all about national exposure

BRADENTON — The Manatee High football program is in an enviable position.

The team put on an impressive performance in its inaugural national television debut last weekend, and more exposure could be on the way in the near future.

It continues this weekend when the Hurricanes visit Woodland Hills outside of Pittsburgh in a game featuring two traditional state powerhouses.

The door is open for any school to follow suit, according to ESPN, which is providing a lot of the fuel for a high school football landscape that has changed rapidly and will never be the same.

Dan Margulis, ESPN Director of Programming and Acquisitions, says anyone can jump on the bandwagon. All it has to do is prove television worthy.

Showcase football games such as Manatee-Woodland Hills are springing up all over the country and are one of the best ways to get an invitation to appear on national television. Of course, winning helps.

Manatee head football coach Joe Kinnan said he is in negotiations to get his team into another showcase game next season and hopes for another ESPN appearance.

Kinnan says the trip to Woodland Hills is being sponsored by the team’s booster club and fundraising, and it won’t cost the school district any money. Kinnan said Manatee High made a little money from ESPN off last Friday’s 48-10 win over Tampa Plant.

ESPN is still in the process of putting together next year’s TV schedule and won’t be finished until this season ends, so it’s open season for teams trying to get on the national airwaves.

If Manatee defeats Woodland Hills, it will improve its chances of getting another television game next season and an invitation to another showcase.

Margulis says even a local game between county rivals such as Manatee and Southeast could qualify as a showcase and warrant national television exposure.

“Everything is a possibility, absolutely. We love natural rivalries,” Margulis said. “We had two schools from South Carolina six miles apart play on our network last weekend. Rivalry games are a lot of fun to do.”

Margulis believes the development of Manatee sophomore quarterback Cord Sandberg could factor into whether the Canes get another invitation to appear on ESPN next season.

The same could be true for Southeast junior defensive back Brian Poole. He is a nationally touted prospect who wooed Florida fans when he ran a sub 4.3-second 40-yard dash at the Friday Night Lights camp this summer in Gainesville.

In the end, it comes down to supply and demand, says long-time ESPN college basketball analyst and Lakewood Ranch resident Dick Vitale.

“People are so enamored by recruiting these days, and everyone is so caught up in where this kid is going that it becomes a national interest,” Vitale said. “It’s big for college football fans. The FSU fans wanted to see James Wilder (from Plant), and Florida fans wanted to see Mike Blakely (from Manatee), so it was a natural for television. It all relates to the popularity of recruiting, and it’s going to get bigger.”

Margulis was in Bradenton for last week’s nationally televised game between Manatee and Tampa Plant. He describes the broadcast as a new phenomenon sweeping the nation.

So what does Southeast, Lakewood Ranch or any other Manatee County school have to do to get ESPN to put their game on TV?

Margulis says it’s simple, but at the same time difficult.

It’s almost like Hollywood. You need a nationally known name and exposure.

Manatee has the equivalent of a movie star in running back Blakely, and coming off a deep run into the state playoffs, the Canes shot up the television pole, Margulis said.

“The factors you look at in deciding whether to put a high school football game on television are the same every year,” Margulis said. “What are the names on a team that might resonate with the college sports fan and what regions of the country can we get the biggest mix of talent? A team’s postseason and preseason ranking and how many players are coming back are factors that go into things when we select a matchup.”

Now, showcase matchups are popping up, and though the games might not be televised back into a team’s hometown, it brings invaluable exposure in another part of the country, which can have a snowball effect.