Braden River throttles Palmetto 35-0 in unexpected rout

EAST MANATEE-- The stands filled up both sides of the East Manatee County stadium creating a big-game feel.

Friday night's showdown between district unbeatens Palmetto and visiting Braden River, however, turned into a one-sided contest.

The Pirates rolled to a 35-0 victory to clinch the Class 7A-District 11 championship.

Braden River (8-0 overall, 4-0 district) still has Sarasota left on its district slate, but owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Palmetto and Venice, who will play each other with the district's second playoff berth on the line.

The Pirates won their 18th straight regular-season game and second straight district title on the strength of a defense that limited Palmetto (6-2, 3-1) to one first down in the first half and an offense that scored on four of its seven first-half possessions.

This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Braden River throttles Palmetto 35-0 in unexpected rout ."