It’s Gameday! Here’s what you need to know for Week 6 of the high school football season
The showdown is here.
Two of them, actually.
The headliner: Braden River at defending state champion Venice in a Class 7A-District 11 heavyweight bout.
Not to be overlooked: Two-time defending Sunshine State Athletic Conference champ Saint Stephen’s traveling to unbeaten Out-of-Door Academy.
The Braden River-Venice game has been circled on calendars for months, which is to be expected considering the recent history on and off the field that has only fueled the rivalry.
Venice beat Braden River twice last season en route to winning a state title. Both coaches — Braden River’s Curt Bradley and Venice’s John Peacock — were suspended for three games this season.
Braden River wasn’t expected to have Knowledge McDaniel — the 2017 Bradenton Herald offensive player of the year — in uniform, but he gained eligibility for the remainder of the regular season last week.
His return gives the Pirates a big boost in their bid to overtake the Indians atop 7A-11.
As for Saint Stephen’s-ODA, first place in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference Coral Bay standings will be on the line for a pair of team that have combined to outscore their opponents 276-93.
Enjoy all of the action.
Here are storylines to watch for Manatee County teams as kickoff approaches for Week 6:
Bayshore
The Bruins (3-1, 0-1) return from their open week and jump back into Class 5A-District 11 action as Booker (1-3, 0-1) visits Balvanz Stadium. Despite its solid start, Bayshore is averaging only 14.5 points per game. The Bruins will look to get their offense rolling against a Tornadoes team that allowed at least 41 points in each of its three losses. The teams have one common opponent: Sarasota. Bayshore beat the Sailors 24-0 in Week 1, while Booker rolled to a 37-13 win in Week 3.
Braden River
The Pirates (3-1, 1-0) have won three in a row and outscored their opponents 114-94 since their season-opening loss to Jacksonville Trinity Christian. The Indians (3-1, 1-0) have won three in a row and outscored their opponents 133-15 since their season-opening loss to Vero Beach. Both teams had last week off to prepare for the highly anticipated showdown, with the winner having the inside track in the race for the 7A-11 crown at the midway point of the season.
Bradenton Christian
Still in search of a breakthrough victory, the Panthers (0-4) travel to winless Tampa Bayshore Christian (0-4). After being held to a combined 14 points in their first two games, Bradenton Christian has scored 24 and 25 points the past two weeks, but it wasn’t enough for that elusive victory. For what it’s worth: Both teams lost to unbeaten Out-of-Door Academy. The Panthers dropped a 40-24 decision in Week 4; the Faith Warriors were beaten 41-8 in Week 2.
Cardinal Mooney
Off to their first 4-0 start since 2014, the Cougars play their third straight road game, facing Clearwater Calvary Christian (3-2) in a Class 3A-Region 3 contest. After beating Tampa Berkeley Prep and Englewood Lemon Bay, Cardinal Mooney looks to cap a perfect three-game road swing and remain unbeaten heading into the Week 7 showdown against Southeast, the team first-year Cougars coach Paul Maechtle led for 33 seasons and guided to two state titles before resigning after the 2013 campaign.
IMG Academy
The Ascenders (3-1) saw their 40-game winning streak end last week with a 28-24 loss to perennial national power Mater Dei in Santa Ana, Calif. It was IMG’s first setback since a 35-2 loss to St. John’s of Washington, D.C., on Aug. 29, 2004. The Ascenders, who fell from No. 1 to No. 3 in the USA Today Super 25 rankings and from No. 5 to No. 6 in the MaxPreps XCellent 25 after the loss to Mater Dei, will look to start another streak on Saturday night when Miami Northwestern (3-2) comes to Bradenton.
Lakewood Ranch
The Mustangs (0-5, 0-1) travel to North Port (1-3, 0-1) for the first of four consecutive Class 7A-District 11 games looking to give first-year head coach Christopher Culton his initial win. Lakewood Ranch has been outscored 181-27 this season as Culton tries to rebuild the program. The lone common opponent to this point is Cape Coral Ida Baker. The Mustangs suffered a 21-14 loss in Week 1, while the Bobcats prevailed 14-7 in Week 2 for their lone victory of the season.
Manatee
The Hurricanes (3-2, 2-0) have been dominant in their first two Class 8A-District 6 games, beating Lithia Newsome and Lutz Steinbrenner by a combined margin of 73-7. Look for more of the same as Tampa Alonso (2-2, 0-1) travels to Joe Kinnan Field at Hawkins Stadium. This will be the first time Manatee takes the field since longtime radio broadcaster Dave Bristow died. After facing the Ravens, Manatee travels to Palm Harbor University on Oct. 5 in preparation for the Week 8 showdown against Sarasota Riverview, which likely will decide the district champion.
Out-of-Door Academy
Off to the first 4-0 start in program history, the Thunder have been dominating the opposition — ODA is averaging 36.8 points per game and allowing 9.8. Coming off its open week, Out-of-Door had extra time to prepare for rival Saint Stephen’s, which will provide the Thunder’s toughest test to date. Saint Stephen’s beat ODA twice last season (61-7 and 42-0) en route to winning its second straight SSAC title, so you can be sure the Thunder have payback on their minds.
Palmetto
The Tigers (3-2, 0-1) have been unstoppable at Harllee Stadium, averaging 49 points per game in wins over Southeast, Sarasota Riverview and Lakeland Lake Gibson. There’s no reason to think Palmetto won’t equal — or exceed — that average as Sarasota (1-4, 1-0) comes to town for a Class 7A-District 11 matchup. It’s been a different story on the road for the Tigers, who are 0-2 away from home and averaged 24 points per game in losses to Manatee and district rival Braden River.
Saint Stephen’s
Since having their 22-game winning streak snapped in Week 3, the Falcons (3-1) have been dominant, winning two straight, scoring 13 touchdowns while allowing two and outscoring their opponents by a combined 91-13. Now comes a test at unbeaten Out-of-Door Academy, which Saint Stephen’s beat twice last season en route to defending its SSAC crown. Despite losing a big chunk of the 2017 championship team, the Falcons appear poised to make a run at a three-peat in the SSAC.
Southeast
The Seminoles (3-1, 1-0) have won three straight since their season-opening loss to Palmetto as they travel to DeSoto County (3-1, 1-0) for a Class 5A-District 11 game. Likewise, the Bulldogs (3-1, 1-0) have won three in a row since opening the season with a loss to Avon Park. Coming off its open week, Southeast is playing its first road game since Aug. 24 and needs to be careful not to look ahead to the Oct. 5 game against former coach Paul Maechtle and Cardinal Mooney.
Week 6 schedule
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Bradenton Christian at Tampa Bayshore Christian, 7 p.m.
Cardinal Mooney at Clearwater Calvary Christian, 7 p.m.
IMG White at Fort Myers Bishop Verot, 7 p.m.
Saint Stephen’s at Out-of-Door Academy, 7 p.m.
Booker at Bayshore, 7:30 p.m.
Braden River at Venice, 7:30 p.m.
Sarasota at Palmetto, 7:30 p.m.
Southeast at Arcadia DeSoto County, 7:30 p.m.
Lakewood Ranch at North Port, 7:30 p.m.
Tampa Alonso at Manatee, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Miami Northwestern at IMG Blue, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published September 27, 2018 at 9:49 AM.