Manatee High football gets two transfers from county rivals

The 2016 high school football season just wrapped up for Manatee County programs and there’s already movement around the area.

Palmetto High defensive back Mike Collins spent last summer with head coach Dave Marino for a football camp trip to the Northeast.

Collins, who was part of the Tigers’ vaunted secondary this past fall, won’t be joining Marino or any other Palmetto coaches for college football camp trips this offseason.

That’s because Collins is no longer with the program. He transferred to Manatee High on Nov. 14.

The Hurricanes also received a transfer from Southeast High with sophomore defensive tackle Chauncey Green switching sides in the county’s tradition-rich rivalry after tallying 29 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss and two sacks for the Noles in the fall.

“With Mike, he’s a tremendous defensive back,” Manatee head coach John Booth said. “We threw with them over the summer, and he’s somebody that can constantly make plays. I think he brings, just one, brings experience and he’s pretty aggressive with his coverage skills from that safety position. ... Chauncey, I haven’t gotten a chance to see him play a whole lot. We did play them this year. If anything, he’s going to be some added depth for us right now.”

The two defections from teams on the Canes’ schedule come at a time when Manatee’s defense was in need of a boost. The Canes gave up 263 points in the regular season, which is believed to be the highest in the program’s illustrious history.

While the defense is receiving two additional players, Booth said there are no coaching staff changes at Manatee.

Players transferring throughout the county or to Sarasota County schools and vice/versa isn’t anything new.

Recent examples include Manatee High running back Josh Booker transferring from Sarasota High for this season, while Palmetto defensive back Desmine Ross left Braden River High last summer.

However, the manner in which Collins left Palmetto didn’t sit well with Marino.

“We break it down on family, family, family,” Marino said. “The coaches treat the kids like our own children. I’ve taken Mike to doctor’s appointments when his mom couldn’t take him. ... If you want to go somewhere, you think you have a better offer or whatever the case may be, that’s fine. But at least have the decency to come see me and tell me in person or at least a text. Nothing. And then to call and text a parent, and not getting anything back? Not even a response, it’s just ... disrespect. You realize it’s not a family two-way street. It’s definitely one-way in that regard.”

Collins, who went to Rutgers camp and visited New York with Marino last summer, finished with one interception, two pass breakups and 29 tackles in the fall. But Marino also said they had to suspend Collins for quarters or halves or entire games during his Palmetto career.

“He was not a 100 percent committed type kid nor to Palmetto nor to his teammates nor to his coaches,” Marino said. “So because of that, we had to discipline him several times to try to teach him, try to get him to conform. Obviously, he made a decision not to conform. ... Skipping class, showing up late to school, things like that. Missing offseason workouts, not being 100 percent committed, missing practice. ... It was something we were going to address anyway, even if he didn’t leave.”

Noteworthy

▪ Venice running back Matt “Speedy” Laroche stirred up some trash talking from Manatee County players on social media this week, when he tweeted an in-sequence photo collage of a play against Braden River High from last Friday’s Class 7A-Region 3 semifinal. That evoked responses from Braden River High and Palmetto High players. The Indians eliminated the Pirates from the playoffs last week, while knocking the Tigers from playoff contention near the end of the regular season.

▪ There’s no word yet on whether IMG Academy and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) will meet next month for a national title game. Bishop Gorman has stayed atop the national rankings, with the Ascenders ranked No. 2 for most of the season in the USA Today Super 25 rankings.

This story was originally published November 25, 2016 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Manatee High football gets two transfers from county rivals."