Manatee rediscovers winning ways with rout of Riverview
Manatee High got back to its winning ways Friday night, but not with the dominance it had shown against every Class 8A-District 6 foe other than Sarasota Riverview.
Coming off a loss to the longtime district rival Rams that ended their district title hopes, the Hurricanes defeated Hillsborough County’s Riverview 31-0.
The game was close until Manatee went on a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter to turn the game into a blowout.
Afterward, first-year coach Yusuf Shakir lauded his defensive unit that pitched its first shutout of the season thanks, in part, to a pair of fourth-down stops and two interceptions — one each by cornerback Cedric Waters and linebacker Justin Porter, the latter coming off a tipped pass over the middle on a fourth-down play late in the game.
“The defense played great,” Shakir said. “They were just doing what they’re supposed to do.”
The Hurricanes (4-2, 4-1 in 8A-6) are unbeaten at home with victories over district opponents Riverview and Palm Harbor University.
The half nearly ended scoreless, but Manatee got on the scoreboard with 1 minute left until the break. Following a series of punts and interceptions by both teams, the Hurricanes capitalized on a turnover.
Waters returned an interception of Riverview quarterback Reagan Jorgensen for an apparent touchdown, which was called back on a personal foul. The Hurricanes needed just five plays to go 27 yards for a score with quarterback Ryan O’Neill finding fullback Josh Booker in the end zone on a 10-yard touchdown pass with exactly a minute to go in the first half.
Booker, who rushed for a game-high 114 yards on 22 carries, gave Manatee a 14-0 lead with his second touchdown, a 2-yard run on fourth-and-goal that capped an eight-play, 35-yard drive in the third quarter.
“You’ve got to ride him,” Shakir said of Booker, a senior.
The Hurricanes blew the game open in the third quarter. Axel Lepvreau kicked a 35-yard field goal, Porter’s interception set up O’Neill’s 2-yard scoring run and Irone Jackson burst up the middle for a 29-yard touchdown run.
O’Neill started in place of injured quarterback Keyon Fordham, who is sidelined with an injury to his right arm. Shakir could not say if Fordham, a dual threat as a scrambling quarterback, would return to the lineup for the Oct. 30 game at Lithia Newsome.
“We were missing a couple of players on offense. I think they just had to get in a groove,” Shakir said of his team’s slow start.
This story was originally published October 20, 2017 at 11:18 PM with the headline "Manatee rediscovers winning ways with rout of Riverview."