Orlando to host football state championship for two more years

LINK to story on the state championship game.

Two more candidates emerge for Manatee football head coach position

LINK to Bradenton Herald story on two more candidates emerging for Manatee's head coach position.
LINK to Bradenton Herald story naming the final seven candidates.

Photos of new Manatee QB Sloan Drummonds from ManateeFootball.com

New Manatee QB Sloan Drummonds readies to deliver a pass.


Drummonds takes the snap.

LINK to Manatee Football's Facebook page for more photos.

NFL.com names Manatee High's Tommie Frazier as the greatest college football player of the 1990s

LINK to the story and the listing of the top ten.

Manatee High lines up first six head football coach interviews - 4 internal and 2 external candidates emerge

LINK to the Herald Tribune article.

Vote for the next Manatee High football coach in the Bradenton Herald poll

LINK to the Bradenton Herald reader's poll.

Bradenton Herald: Manatee received 70 resumes in search for football coach Joe Kinnan's replacement

LINK to the Bradenton Herald article.

Catpause.com: 'Cats hand first offer to Manatee RB Lang

LINK to a story on Johnnie Lang receiving a verbal offer from the University of Kentucky.

BlueGreyfootball.com: Manatee High receiver "turns heads" at Blue-Grey Football Super Combine in Tampa

Vrinios finishes the 40 at a U of F
camp while a group of coaches time
him and Will Muschamp (Far left)
looks on.

Manatee High receiver Sam Vrinios, a rising senior, vaulted onto the recruiting scene by turning heads at the Blue-Grey Combine in Raymond James Stadium earlier this month. According to media reviews, Vrinios "opened eyes" with his times and then "passed the skills tests with flying colors". Vrinios was also the Manatee County champion in the 200 meter dash and finished sixth in the 200 meter dash at the Class 4A-Region 2 track meet.
LINK to the Blue-Grey Super Combine: Southeast Scouting Report.
LINK to Vrinios 2013 Huddle highlights.

Manatee High head football coach position opening posted on FHSAA website

LINK to a Herald-Tribune article on the posting of the Manatee High head coaching position.
LINK to a Bradenton Herald article endorsing Jim Phelan as the next coach of Manatee High.

247Sports.com: DT Ryan Fines hoping to carry on Manatee tradition

LINK to a feature story on Manatee's Ryan Fines.

Floridahsfootball.com: Former Manatee players speak respect for Coach Joe Kinnan

LINK to a great story by Floridahsfootball.com. It includes interviews with Cord Sandberg, Trevon Walters, Brooks Larkin and Anthony Lauro.

Manatee's Nashon Smith and Johnnie Lang recognized for spring game efforts

LINK to Bradenton Herald story.

Coach Joe Kinnan requests medical leave of absence for 2014-15 school year

LINK to information on today's announcement by Coach Kinnan.

Herald Tribune: Sebastian River QB transfers to Manatee

LINK to Herald-Tribune article on QB transfer Sloan Drummonds.

Starting QB from Sebastian River, Sloan Drummonds (6-2, 195 pounds), transfers to Manatee High

Another QB will be competing for the starting position this fall at Manatee with the addition of rising senior Sloan Drummonds. Drummonds was the starting QB last year at Sebastian River High School on Florida's East Coast. 

LINK to the TCPalm.com story announcing the transfer.
LINK to Drummond's game video highlights from last year.
LINK to a photo of Drummonds at the Jimbo Fisher Camp in 2013.
LINK to a Bradenton Herald story announcing the transfer.

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Tech freshman update on Manatee OL Jake Stickler

LINK to story on Jake Stickler.

70,000+ views of Manatee Football's The Eye of The Hurricane (Map of US showing locations of readers)

Red dots indicate past readers of The Eye of The Hurricane

The Eye of The Hurricane just passed over 70,000 page views since its inception just over one year ago.

The top states viewing The Eye of The Hurricane in order: Florida, Maryland, Georgia, California, NC, NY, Washington, VA, Texas, Tennessee.

USA Today: USF going to mine football talent in Manatee and other key Florida counties

LINK to story in the USA Today.

Manatee High football team to travel to Valdosta, GA to take on Ware County, Georgia

Manatee and Tampa Plant will both be traveling to Valdosta, Georgia on August 29, 2014, to play in Martin Stadium in Valdosta. Manatee will take on the Ware County High School (GA) Gators and Plant will take on the Valdosta Lowndes High School (GA) Vikings. The games are being billed as a Florida vs. Georgia high school football showdown.

Visit the website of the LOWNDES HIGH SCHOOL football program for directions to the stadium and for more information on the history of the stadium and the football program at Lowndes High School. Visit the WARE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL website for information on Ware County High and its football program.

Update on Rutgers bound Manatee DB Darian Dailey

LINK to update profile on Darian Dailey.

A 3-minute video from a drone of all angles of Manatee High's football stadium

BILLY D PHOTOGRAPHY'S video of Hawkins Stadium, Manatee High and surrounding neighborhood from a drone.

Manatee OL Austin Reeves to play football at Berry College

LINK to commitment announcement by Berry College. LINK to video highlights for Reeves.

Herald Tribune: Manatee's football team is area's preseason #1

LINK to the Tribune's area top five preseason list.

High School Gridiron Report: Manatee's Johnnie Lang begins garnering national attention

Larry Blustein ‏@larryblustein  2h

2016 FLORIDA PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT: Johnnie Lang, RB, 5-9, 185, Bradenton Manatee. http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1702033/johnnie-lang … @ManateeHighFan @JimStefani

Manatee Athletics announces Athletic Hall of Fame

 Bradenton, Florida – Manatee High School Director of Athletics Jason Montgomery announced on Monday that the school has begun the process of creating an athletic hall of fame with a goal of inducting its inaugural class in the fall of 2015.  Called the “Hall of Honor” in order to differentiate from the Manatee Hall of Fame, an academic award already given at the school, the honor would go to those former players, coaches and supporters of MHS athletics who have made outstanding contributions to their sport, school and community.

“With over 100 years of tradition and excellence it is important that we have a way of saying thank you to all those who have helped built our rich tradition” said Montgomery.  “Our traditions, our history and our alumni are what separate us from the typical school and I am excited to be a part of bringing this new tradition to Manatee” he added.  Manatee has a long history of athletic success including 16 team state titles and sports programs that have produced hundreds of collegiate and professional athletes.  In addition to on field success, MHS athletics boast a slew of sport alumni that have risen to prominence in their professional endeavors.

Montgomery noted that the process has now begun to put together those friends and alumni that want to be on the ground floor of the project.  In the coming months the school will form a Hall of Honor Committee that will begin fundraising and the process of soliciting nominations for the inaugural class.  The Hall of Honor will honor those who have excelled on the field, in the community and professionally in the following five categories; student athletes, coaches, administrators, teams and supporters.

If you have an interest in being a part of the Manatee Hall of Honor Committee please contact Jason Montgomery at montgomeryj@manateeschools.net or by phone at (941) 741-7300.

Manatee running back Johnnie Lang picks up first scholarship offer - SEC's University of Kentucky

The end of the school year brought good news for Manatee RB Johnnie Lang - He picked up his first verbal scholarship offer.
Lang, who will be a junior in the fall, received an offer from the University of Kentucky. Four of the last five Manatee tailbacks have earned offers from SEC schools. (Ben Axon from South Carolina, Mike Blakely from Florida, Trevon Walters from Missouri and now Lang.)

LINK to a Bradenton Herald feature on Lang. Visit THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE and  MANATEEFOOTBALL.COM for more information on Manatee High Football.