Tarique Milton set to start at quarterback against Armwood as A.J. Colagiovanni recovers from surgery

When Manatee decided to schedule Seffner Armwood for its preseason game, it was looking for a challenge that would prepare the Hurricanes for a longer postseason run than the last several years.

The Hawks have been to three straight state championship games and are coming off a 14-1 season with most of their skill players back.

“It was by design. We wanted to do that and get our guys ready for the season. You get a game where we are moving the ball with ease and it masks a lot of deficiencies,” Manatee head coach John Booth said. “We wanted to challenge ourselves. Armwood is loaded again and it should be a good test to see how our guys can compete on that level.”

The only thing Booth wasn’t counting on was not having quarterback A.J. Colagiovanni. The senior had offseason surgery on his left foot and wasn’t cleared to do everything until Wednesday of this week.

Colagiovanni is the catalyst for the offense. Last season, he threw for 2,500 yards with 21 touchdowns and only seven interceptions while rushing for 457 yards.

Booth said Tarique Milton, the Canes top receiver, will start at quarterback. He was the JV quarterback as a freshman, but he has turned himself into the area’s most highly touted college recruit as a wideout.

It means Manatee loses its top receiver and quarterback.

“They might load the box against Tarique, but we like his ability to throw,” Booth said. “He gives us a little more of an option than we have seen in years past. He is a legitimate threat to throw and can keep their defense honest.”

Booth makes no bones about this game. He is playing to win. Everything is live, and he is not planning on using any freshman or JV players.

Milton is excited about the opportunity and feels confident. He has gotten a lot of help reading defenses from Booth and Colagiovanni.

“It’s the perfect test for me, and I am waiting to see how my athletic ability will be if they load the box,” Milton said. “But if they do that, I can just pop it out to my receiver. Our receivers are good and are starting to understand the concept of our offense.”

The Canes have an ace in the hole in junior running back Josh Booker. He led Sarasota County in rushing last year for Sarasota High and has already gotten offers from USF and Western Kentucky.

“I really love him in the backfield with me. He is like a duel threat because you have me and defenses don’t know what to do. And on his blocking he puts his life on the line,” Milton said.

The 5-foot-11, 215 pounder couldn’t be happier with his new team and showed his appreciation in the spring game when he ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries.

“I love our offensive line. It’s a lot bigger than I ever had. I was about the same size as most of my lineman at Sarasota,” Booker said. “We’ve got to win this game for A.J. We have to be disciplined and execute... and we can’t make mistakes. We are both good teams.”

There is another ace that Booth is holding and admits it could be tempting to use Colagiovanni.

“He is going to suit up, and we will determine what his availability might be,” Booth said. “I am tempted to use him, but you want to make sure he is fully ready. He is cleared to be fully ready, but without live practice, you want o make sure he is game ready. Milton will start and the role that A.J. plays and kind of reps he gets is still to be determined.”

The Canes open their season next week against week at Hewitt-Trussville, and Booth wants Colagiovanni to be fully healthy for that one so he could keep his quarterback out, but the coach admits it’s going to be tempting to use him, especially if it’s a close game.

Manatee’s defense will be tested. The Hawks have one of the best backfields in the state that is led by Brian Snead, who rushed for more than 1,200 yards last season, and junior Jerome Ford is another lethal weapon. The offense is run by Darrian McNeal, who has been offered by Arizona, USF, and Virginia Tech among others as an athlete.

This story was originally published August 18, 2016 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Tarique Milton set to start at quarterback against Armwood as A.J. Colagiovanni recovers from surgery."