DELL COMMENTARY: Manatee football reschedules Venice, going back to Alabama: Price visiting Ken State
Manatee High School will play Venice next season as part of a two-year agreement that renews a popular rivalry that will boost local interest.
The Hurricanes will travel to play the Indians in Week 3 and be home in 2017. Manatee dropped Tallahassee Lincoln to make room for the Indians.
For the second consecutive year, Manatee will travel to Alabama, this time to play Hewitt-Trussville on August 26.
The Huskies finished 6-5 last season and lost 38-0 to Hoover, which beat Manatee 42-21. Last year Hewitt-Trussville was 6-2 but lost its final three games of the season, including games to Hoover and Clay Chalkville. It lost 22-0 to James Clemens in the playoffs.
The Huskies have 46 winning seasons in 94 years of football and a 395-388-21 record that includes five region titles and 26 postseason playoff appearances. They reached the state semifinals
three times and the state title game once.
Timmons seeks SE job
Southeast has received about 100 applications for its vacant football coach's position.
One who stands out is Brett Timmons.
He played on Southeast's two state championship teams and on Tulane's undefeated 1998 squad.
He was the head football coach and athletic director at Out-Of-Door-Academy for nine years, taking the program to its only district and region titles.
Timmons is highly respected in the Southeast community and has strong ties with many former players and parents of today's players.
He would reverse the tide of potential Southeast players who have gone to other schools.
Timmons is strong on academics and a caring, no-nonsense guy who would be a perfect role model/mentor for the kids. He also has long time family roots here.
Kavious Price at Kent State
Manatee High's all-everything offensive weapon Kavious Price is visiting Kent State and could become the 'Canes only FBS signee this year.
Some people have discounted Price because of his size (5-6, 154), but Kent State gave Venice High grad Dri Archer (5-8, 174 pounds) a chance and he turned himself into an NFL third round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
SE guard commits to SCF
Southeast senior guard Tre Alexandrea verbally committed to State College of Florida, where he will be united with the Manatees' head coach, Elliot Washington.
Washington coached Alexandrea when he was a freshman at Southeast. The two have a lot in common. Washington played two years at SCF (then called Manatee Community College) and then had a standout career as a two-year starter at Alabama. Alexandrea is averaging 13.7 points and 6 assists per game. He scored in double figures in 17 games twice scoring seasons highs of 27 points and twice had a season 10 assists.
"I decided to commit there because I know Coach E very well and I know he can teach me all the right things and get me prepared for the next level," Alexandrea said. "It's a great fit for me because Coach E is a point guard and he pushed me very good when I was a freshman."
7 FBS signees possible
Braden River is expected to lead the area in FBS signings on Wednesday with four: Jacob Huesman and Ryan Neuzil (Appalachian State), Jo Jo Lewis (FIU) and Alex Salguero (Marshall).
Palmetto should have five signees, including two FBS guys in Jack Allison (Miami) and David Belvin (FAU). The others are: Octavious James (Savannah State), Ian Pittman (Florida Tech), James Kinley (Merchant Marine Academy) and Azavion Smith (New Mexico Military).
Besides Price, Manatee figures to have four other signees: Travon Rumph (Savannah State), Lorenz Allen and Paul Mobley (Nebraska Kearney) and Nick Null to Cornell, though Ivy League schools do not give athletic scholarships.
Lakewood Ranch hopes to have Trevor Losada sign with Carson Newman. Southeast doesn't have anyone expected to sign Wednesday, though it figures running back Kevin Johnson should get an offer somewhere down the road.
An easy move by Southeast
The process is already underway to name the Southeast High basketball court after its legendary girls coach, John Harder.
Southeast athletic director Daniel Bradshaw told the school board this week that the school advisory committee agreed to the change, and school officials submitted paperwork to the district to begin the process.
The final step is the school board voting to approve the change. This is one decision the board should welcome. It doesn't take a John Wooden to know this is the right thing to do.
What Harder has done on the basketball court with three state championships and 20 district titles is virtually unparalleled.
What he has done for his players over the years, particularly those who come from troubled homes, is priceless.
Alan Dell, Herald sports writer, can be reached at 941-745-7056. Follow him on Twitter at @ADellSports.
This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "DELL COMMENTARY: Manatee football reschedules Venice, going back to Alabama: Price visiting Ken State ."