Hurricanes make memories in Pittsburgh (with photo gallery)

PITTSBURGH — They sat in Pittsburgh International Airport on Sunday, happily ripping into their Subway sandwiches the same way they ripped into the start of their season the night before.

The members of Manatee High’s football team were a pleasant bunch as they waited to board a plane back to Tampa, basking in the glow of a season-opening 39-16 win over Woodland Hills, Pa., during Saturday’s Rally at Wolvarena.

The game, of course, was the reason the Hurricanes trekked more than 1,000 miles north. And unlike last week’s win over Tampa Plant, this win counts — Manatee takes a 1-0 record into Friday’s home game against Palmetto.

But it was about more than that.

“The people here were just tremendous,” said Manatee coach Joe Kinnan. “(Woodland Hills) Coach (George) Novak really treated us first class. It was an honor to be up here.”

The Canes’ weekend was one of extremes. Friday was non-stop — the team landed in Pittsburgh after 3 p.m., hit traffic on the way to the hotel, checked in and made their way to the Wolvarena, where they went through a brisk 30-minute practice.

Then it was off to dinner at Golden Corral and back to the hotel, where the Manatee guys passed the time hanging out with the Cocoa (Fla.) Tigers, who were staying at the same hotel and also competed in Saturday’s four-game event.

The next day was a bit more relaxed. After meeting for a team breakfast at about 8 a.m., and an 11 a.m. trip to the Wolvarena to watch some football, the Hurricanes took in some college football back at the hotel before heading out to lunch at about 4:30.

Roughly two hours later, they were decked out in their white road uniforms, stretching and prepping for the first out-of-state game in program history.

“It was truly a special weekend for our kids,” Kinnan said. “They made memories they’ll keep the rest of their lives with this.”

That includes the plane ride. One of Manatee’s leaders on the field, Mike Blakely played a similar role during Friday’s flight to Pittsburgh, calming the nerves of some of the team’s first-time fliers.

“Some of those guys have never flown, and some of those guys were scared, saying they were going to throw up everywhere,” said Blakely, a senior. “I was just telling them, ‘Just calm down, man. Just sit back. It’s just like a roller coaster — once you get in the air, it’s just like you’re sitting down at school.’”

The good vibes cooked up during Saturday’s win bled over into Sunday. The Hurricanes even shared some of their Subway sandwiches with members of Tulane University’s women’s volleyball team, which was on the same flight.

After a harried two weeks, things return to normal Friday, when the Hurricanes stay in town and host county rival Palmetto.

Like Kinnan said, however, the players won’t forget this trip any time soon.

“Everyone in Pittsburgh has been treating us real nice. It’s nothing but love everywhere we go up here,” Blakely said. “It’s a nice experience. It was a real great experience.”