Fordham leads way as Shakir gets first win as Manatee’s coach

There will be no more sharing at the quarterback position for Manatee, which on Friday night found its clear-cut starter in Keyon Fordham, who had shared the load in a season-opening loss to Palmetto.

Starting from the outset against Lutz Steinbrenner, all the junior dual threat did was rack up 365 yards (184 rushing, 181 passing), running for four touchdowns and passing for another in leading the Hurricanes to a 42-7 defeat of the Warriors. If not for a running clock in the fourth quarter, Fordham’s statistics might have been even more overwhelming.

“Oh yeah, there’s no doubt about that,” Manatee coach Yusuf Shakir said of Fordham’s new-found role as the No. 1 signal-caller. “He can do some special things. It was always in the plans for him to get some snaps back there.”

Fordham helped stake Manatee to a 28-7 halftime lead with scoring runs of 4, 71 and 23 yards. He added a 29-yard touchdown run and completed a screen pass to Josh Booker for a 30-yard touchdown in the second half.

While that performance marked the best game of his high school career, his five touchdowns merely tied a personal mark. As a 14-year-old, Fordham had five TDs in a game for the Manatee Wildcats.

“I went in (to Friday’s game) as me being captain and leading the team to the best of my abilities,” he said. “I want to throw and run. I can throw, but if I have to run, I’ll run.”

Manatee (1-1) also got a 4-yard touchdown run from Booker, who ran for 47 yards and had two catches for 46 yards.

Defensively, the Hurricanes held the Warriors at bay with the exception of Deon Silas’ 25-yard scoring run in the second quarter. The secondary had a shot at three interceptions, but Javarious Pollock had the only pick while Chauncey Green added a fumble recovery.

Shakir said his team was eager to play a game for the first time in nearly three weeks.

“We did a great job of getting better and improving after what seemed like a month off,” he said.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 11:33 PM with the headline "Fordham leads way as Shakir gets first win as Manatee’s coach."