Braden River is lone Manatee County football team still in state playoffs

We’re down to one.

Braden River became the last remaining Manatee County playoff football team standing after last Friday’s victory at Naples Gulf Coast.

Saint Stephen’s is competing in the Florida Bowl this Saturday, but that school is a Florida High School Athletic Association independent.

The Pirates were one of three county programs plus Sarasota’s Cardinal Mooney that started the postseason on the road, but were the only club to take a bus ride back with a win.

So here at Numbers Game, we’re dicing up the figures that comprise the FHSAA playoffs, which includes home field advantage, Braden River’s rematch at Venice this week, Manatee and Southeast’s early exits and we’ll also look as the Falcons aim for a Sunshine State Athletic Conference championship.

So strap in and enjoy this week’s delectable digits:

.627

All-time winning percentage for home teams in the FHSAA football playoffs for the past 54 years following last week’s games. Braden River’s victory was one of four road victories in Class 7A. There were 24 playoff teams across all classifications — a total of 96 games — to win on the road last Friday, which included upsets over the two top-ranked teams, Apopka and Kissimmee Osceola, in Manatee’s classification of 8A. Braden River is saddled with road playoff games throughout the postseason as a district runner-up, as a potential region final is against either Tampa Bay Tech or Tarpon Springs East Lake, which are both district champions. No Manatee County program has won a state title by winning all their playoff games on the road.

10.2

Speaking of the Pirates, Venice running back Matt Laroche torched their run defense with an average 10.2 yards per carry in the first meeting this season. That 42-35 in October came mainly from Laroche’s legs as he tallied 325 rushing yards and five touchdowns. It was one of the rare times Braden River’s first-team defense played the entire game. Last week’s 21 points allowed at Naples Gulf Coast came against backups as Pirates head coach Curt Bradley emptied the bench once he got a running clock.

67

Percentage of offensive plays Manatee ran in the second half of last Friday’s Class 8A-Region 2 loss to Orlando Dr. Phillips that either resulted in no gain, a loss or a turnover. The Hurricane tallied just 85 yards in the final two quarters, with 61 yards coming on one play. The Panthers’ defense stiffened at the right time to send Manatee packing with a first-round playoff exit for the first time since 2003. Of course, the Hurricanes didn’t qualify for the playoffs in 2008 during Joe Kinnan’s second stint as head coach. Prior to that, Manatee missed the playoffs in Howie DeCristofaro’s final season in 2004 and exited the playoffs in the first round in ’03. Kinnan had four first-round playoff exits, but also brought five state titles to the program.

30

Amount of time, in seconds, for Southeast’s playoff game to turn away from the Seminoles when Fort Myers Dunbar returned two kicks for touchdowns 30 seconds apart. Southeast still led by 10 points on the road, but the momentum swung toward the Tigers, who also benefited from a muffed punt to ice the game.

6

Saint Stephen’s running back Chase Brown didn’t start playing for the Falcons until Week 3, but his impact is immense so far. Last Saturday, he cranked out his sixth 100-yard rushing game when he ran for more the 200 yards for the second time this fall. Brown now has more than 1,300 rushing yards in nine games and is averaging 11.7 yards per carry as the Falcons look for the program’s first football state title when they battle Vero Beach St. Edwards in this week’s SSAC Florida Bowl.

This story was originally published November 14, 2016 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Braden River is lone Manatee County football team still in state playoffs."