Manatee County’s top high school football games of 2016

The 2016 high school football season wrapped up last week ahead of the holiday season, which means it’s time to unveil the top 10 games involving area teams.

Games that had a lot at stake, where a playoff berth was on the line or a playoff battle itself, and games involving state- or nationally-ranked teams or the good old-fashioned rivalry tilts carried weight in determining the list.

But that’s not the complete criteria. The excitement stemming from each close contest also was also a factor in choosing the top 10. Do you agree or disagree? Let us know with your feedback on our Facebook page. So let’s unveil the Herald’s top 10 high school football games of 2016.

10. Seffner Christian-Saint Stephen’s, Oct. 20

At first, this game wasn’t looking like a classic. Rather, it looked like another Saint Stephen’s blowout. The Falcons stormed to a 21-0 lead, before holding off a furious Seffner Christian comeback with Peyton Vining’s game-saving tackle on a two-point conversion attempt. Quarterback Fred Billy iced it a little later as the Falcons defeated a Class 2A playoff team, 42-33, on a Thursday night.

9. Manatee-Southeast, Nov. 4

It’s the top traditional rivalry in Manatee County and Southeast’s second-half surge made it a close game. Manatee quarterback A.J. Colagiovanni was named the game’s most valuable player and the Hurricanes fought off some miscues to hold off the Seminoles, 42-24, and close the regular season.

8. IMG Academy-Corona (Calif.), Sept. 3

Drama, drama and more drama. This game had everything you want: two nationally ranked teams going mano-a-mano in a California shootout. Basically, whoever had the ball last was going to win. IMG Academy’s national title aspirations hung in the balance with quarterback Kellen Mond’s deep throw in the closing seconds. His 38-yard pass found Brian Hightower for what looked like a game-tying score. Then head coach Kevin Wright rolled the dice, went for two and picked up the conversion for a 50-49 victory, preserving a possible national title.

7. Southeast-Fort Myers Dunbar, Nov. 11

The first playoff game to make the cut, this one was a dandy. Southeast’s modus operandi for the regular season was slow starts and second-half pushes. The Seminoles, though, benefited from host Fort Myers Dunbar’s three early turnovers to seize a 17-0 lead. Then the Dunbar Tigers clawed back, returning two back-breaking kicks for scores 30 seconds apart and eventually peeled off a 33-24 victory to eliminate the Noles from the Class 5A playoffs in the first round.

6. Braden River-Venice II, Nov. 18

There was no way a second meeting between two of the top teams in Class 7A would get into a shootout, was there? Any defensive adjustments from either side went by the wayside as Venice couldn’t be stopped in a 64-42 victory to redeem itself from two losses in 2015 to the Pirates. Braden River fell behind 36-7 before responding with scores at the end of the first half and in the middle of the third quarter. Ultimately, Braden River struggled containing Venice on third and fourth downs. Among Venice’s 15 conversions out of 19 attempts between third and fourth downs, were nine of 6 yards or longer.

5. Manatee-Hewitt Trussville (Ala.), Aug. 26

A Week 1 out-of-state trip with zero national title or playoff implications usually doesn’t register as a game that will be remembered. Well, Manatee’s trip to Alabama to start the year bucks that trend. Why? The Hurricanes scored 56 points and lost. They allowed a program-worst 78 points to a Hewitt-Trussville team that lost its only game in Alabama’s Class 7A quarterfinals. Social media and the internet went ballistic not believing just how many points and yards both offenses produced. It happened, and it won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

4. Palmetto-Manatee, Sept. 5

Unlike Manatee’s Week 1 shootout in Alabama, the Hurricanes returned to Manatee County with what looked like a defensive resurgence. Even Hurricane Hermine couldn’t prevent the cross-town rivals from going head-to-head. The game was delayed to Labor Day, and it was a little sloppy. But the defensive struggle and rivalry aspect, despite Palmetto not beating Manatee since 2004, pushes this game into the top four. Josh Booker’s fake punt call catapulted the Canes past the stifling Tigers defense with a 7-3 victory on a Monday night.

3. Saint Stephen’s-Vero Beach Saint Edwards, Nov. 19

Fred Billy’s emotional speech triggered a fourth-quarter comeback for the ages. The Falcons looked headed for a second-straight Florida Bowl loss when the fourth quarter started. Vero Beach Saint Edwards was knocking on the door to add to its 14-0 lead. The Falcons made a stop, and then Billy led the program to its first Sunshine State Athletic Conference championship. Saint Stephen’s struck for three scores in 7 minutes, 3 seconds. Billy scored twice en route to game MVP honors after rushing for 212 yards.

2. Sarasota Booker-Southeast, Oct. 28

While most eyes were fixated in Palmetto for the Tigers matchup with state-ranked Venice, the Seminoles and Tornadoes were embroiled in a must-win game. The winner headed to the Class 5A playoffs as the District 11 runner-up. The loser didn’t have a future past the final regular season week. Booker took a commanding lead, or so everyone thought, when it was 15-0 in the third quarter. Clyde Townsend’s momentous punt block saved the Seminoles’ season. The Noles pounced on the short field to score and pull within one point. The Tornadoes answered at the end of the third quarter. A running game that was held in check for most of the night suddenly woke up as Qion Burch found paydirt for Southeast early in the fourth quarter. He converted the game-tying two-point try and a tipped pass in the final five minutes found Bradley Tresalus in the back-corner of the end zone for the game-winner. And Southeast sent the fans that did show up into a frenzy, generating a second consecutive playoff date at Fort Myers Dunbar.

1. Braden River-Venice I, Oct. 14

Budding rivalry? Yes. Two state-ranked teams? Yes. Hyped game that lives up to the billing with playoff implications at stake? Yes, yes and yes. This year’s top game took place at Venice with Braden River looking to extend its 25-game regular season winning streak. What we saw was a back-and-forth contest that was a prelude to the November playoff shootout. Running back Matt Laroche confirmed his “Speedy,” nickname when he gouged the Pirates for 325 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Braden River quarterback Louis Colosimo stated his case as the top signal-caller in the county with 469 passing yards. A Noah Arce interception coupled with a Matthew Haftke onside kick recovery brought the Pirates on the precipice of a fourth-quarter comeback. But Colosimo was sacked on the final play, and the Indians escaped with a 42-35 victory in an instant classic that should remain a standard for years to come.

Honorable mentions: Lakewood Ranch-Sarasota; ODA-St. Pete Shorecrest; IMG Academy-Bishop Sullivan; Bradenton Christian-Jacksonville Christ’s Church Academy; Southeast-Palmetto; Fort Myers-Palmetto; Cardinal Mooney-Lakeland Victory Christian; Saint Stephen’s-Clearwater Calvary Christian; Sarasota Riverview-Manatee; IMG Academy-Jacksonville Trinity Christian.

This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Manatee County’s top high school football games of 2016."