With spring football in the books, what have we learned?

With spring football in the books, here is what we learned.

Newcomer of the spring?

Manatee running back Josh Booker takes this honor and could arguably be considered offensive player of the spring after scoring three touchdowns and rushing for 178 yards in less than three quarters Friday night.

The Hurricanes have a lot of offensive weapons, but Booker gives them something they haven’t had in awhile, a big strong back (5-foot-11, 215 pounds) who can pound a defense up the middle, which can take a lot of pressure off Manatee’s defense.

In the past two years, Manatee has gone deep in the playoffs and faced offenses that ran the ball down the heart of their defense and wore them out. Booker’s running, along with quarterback A.J. Colagiovanni running the option, can return the favor and run time off the clock to keep the Canes’ defense off the field.

Booker is bigger than Johnnie Lang, the Canes’ heralded running back from two years ago. In many ways, he is a reminder of former Manatee running back Chris McNear, who led the county in rushing in 2005 with 1,797 yards, averaging 8.6 yards per carry.

Booker’s emergence presents John Booker with a nice problem. With a quick-strike offense that features some outstanding receivers led by Tarique Milton, does the Manatee head coach want to score as quickly as possible or use Booker to help Manatee go on long drives, which can keep opposing offenses off the field.

For the most part, the Canes’ defense stopped Clearwater Countryside’s run game Friday night, but their pass defense showed it needs work and the overall unit lacks experience.

Up and comers

Southeast and Lakewood Ranch suffered losing seasons last year, though Southeast made the playoffs as the district runner-up. Both displayed potent offenses in their spring games, albeit against some questionable defenses.

New Southeast head coach Rashad West, a former college quarterback, and the Seminoles’ offense is not afraid to throw the ball, but they can also run it. More importantly, the Noles look like a disciplined unit that are all in behind what West is trying to sell.

Lakewood Ranch head coach Mic Koczersut said he believes attitude goes a long way in determining a team’s success. And he will not argue it helps to have a quarterback who can run, which has been a Mustangs’ trademark. Rising junior quarterback Justin Curtis might be the next one with his 225-yard rushing performance against Booker.

As expected, the defense will be led by defensive backs Chris Hadley and Blauvett Georges who both picked off passes.

Bounce back ahead?

Palmetto lost nationally touted quarterback Jack Allison from an era that never lived up to expectations. But the Tigers could be better this year, especially in the postseason when a strong running game and good defense are of the utmost importance. They forced three turnovers as the defense dominated St. Petersburg 27-7 in its spring game.

With four returning offensive linemen and a stable of running backs, the Tigers displayed a strong ground game, which certainly will help a defense that allowed 24.2 points per game in district play last year when Palmetto failed to qualify for the postseason.

Reloading

Despite losing four players to Division I schools, including heralded quarterback Jacob Huesman, Braden River still has a ball-hawking defense if the five interceptions in its spring game against St. Pete Lakewood is indicative. The offense relied on what coach Curt Bradley has labeled his three-headed monster at running back: Deshaun Fenwick, Knowledge McDaniel and a healthy Raymond Thomas. Louis Colosimo, a transfer from IMG, looks solid at quarterback.

For the second straight year Manatee and Braden River figure to be the best two teams in Manatee County and again they will not play each other. That is a matchup fans are clamoring to see.

Private schools

Saint Stephen’s is the best of the private schools in Manatee and Sarasota counties, and Fred Billy showed he is worth the price of admission alone. The quarterback ran for 202 yards on eight carries and accounted for four touchdowns in Falcons’ 35-3 rout of St. Pete Catholic last week.

This story was originally published May 28, 2016 at 11:46 PM with the headline "With spring football in the books, what have we learned?."