Port Charlotte takes title; Saint Stephen's advances, Manatee survives, Booker wins, Venice falls

BRADENTON – During the past eight years, the Port Charlotte High football team finished second enough in the race for the district championship to know the feeling of not winning a title.

Friday, the Port Charlotte players and coaches experienced the jubilation of winning a district crown.

Scoring first and never relinquishing the lead, Port Charlotte came away with a 36-20 victory over Braden River High in a battle of Pirates for the Class 3 Suburban-District 13 crown.

It was Port Charlotte’s first title in nine years and the second for Coach Jordan Ingman and his staff.

“It’s an incredible feeling for our kids,” Ingman said. “The adversity they have seen.”

Port Charlotte (6-2; 3-0 in 3S-13 and winning all three on the road) took the opening kickoff 79 yards for a score. Bryce Eaton, who connected on his first seven passes, had four completions for 38 yards, all to Jamaal Streeter Jr., before Eaton went the final 2 yards himself.

Braden River (5-4; 2-1 in 3S-13) struck back quickly when Nick Trier found No. 1 Craivontae Koonce for a 63-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute, 11 seconds left in the first quarter for a 7-all tie.

Edd Guerrier, who carried 25 times for a career-high 279 yards, broke one of his many big plays, scampering 44 yards midway through the second quarter to break the deadlock. An offsides penalty on Braden River changed Ingman’s mind from kicking the PAT to going for a 2-point conversion, which Eaton converted to give Port Charlotte a 15-7 lead it never would relinquish.

On its first play of the second half, Guerrier bounced to the outside and outran a couple of Braden River to the end zone for a 73-yard touchdown run.

After a halfback option from Torry Holloman to Koonce covered 35 yards, Trier found Yashua Edwards for a 22-yard scoring strike as Braden River got within 22-14.

The backbreaker came when Eric Bell stepped in front of a Braden River receiver, picked off a pass and went 20 yards to paydirt with 7:31 left in regulation to make it 29-14.

Braden River responded with a Trier-to-Matt Schafer 7-yard touchdown pass. When Port Charlotte recovered the onside kick attempt at midfield, Guerrier needed one play and 10 seconds to go 50 yards to cap his historic night.

Port Charlotte then recovered its onside kick and ran out the clock.

“This is a unique group. They have been unique for a long time,” Ingman said. “We’re thankful they get to experience this moment because we’ve been on the other side. They finished second seven times. All the work that goes into this moment, finishing second hurts. For them to get this opportunity that nobody can ever take from them, we’re just so grateful.”

Port Charlotte takeaways

• Guerrier notched his second 200-yard game of the season (201 in the season opener against Bishop Verot) and crushed his previous best of 225 last year against Hardee County. “He’s a special kid, a great teammate,” Ingman said. “He’s one of those kids who lights up a room. … He’s just a lot of fun.”

• Included was the adversity of going on the road for the district title game, instead of playing at the home confines of the Pirates Cove because of an issue with the lighting there. “It’s just hard to generate that energy. There’s a comfort feeling, more preparation from walk-throughs and stuff like that you can do at home,” Ingman said. “It’s hard to win on the road, especially against a well-coached great football team like Braden River. I thought they had a great game plan. They put their best players in the best position to be successful. It was clear both sides had been preparing for each other for a very long time. It was just a gutty performance by our kids.”

• Eaton’s first six completions went to Streeter Jr., who caught 10 passes for 99 yards. Eaton was 11-for-19 for 115 yards. The offensive line of Michael Losh, Ben Davis, Jayce Marcum, Dylan Gauthier and Tyler Vinacco deserve credit for permitting just two short sacks and opening the holes for Guerrier, a gifted and patient runner.

Braden River takeaways

• Braden River was without its leading rusher Trayvon Pinder. That forced offensive coordinator Eric Sanders to go to the air more. Trier was 12-for-30 for 195 of the 230 passing yards. The running game produced 21 yards, all by Roy Burchette. “We were actually pretty healthy for the most part, down Trayvon obviously,” Braden River coach Curt Bradley said. “This is the healthiest we’ve been in a while.”

• If there was one area Bradley was pleased with it was the effort. “We played hard. It was something we haven’t done very well since after the hurricane. Our effort hadn’t been great, but tonight we played hard. We didn’t execute. We had chances to make plays and didn’t get it done. There were chances to make plays out there and it just didn’t happen. We gave up some big plays on defense, but our kids fought back. That’s a good football team. We gave them all they could handle tonight, just didn’t make enough plays at the end.”

• Braden River likely has not played its final football game this season. It likely will get one of the final seeds in the region and go on the road for the first round of the playoffs. “I think we’ll be playing next week on the road at North Fort Myers or Naples.”

Saint Stephen's 21, Out-of-Door 0

SARASOTA – Evan Brown scored two touchdowns and the Saint Stephen's Falcons advanced to the Sunshine State Athletic Conference 5A title game with a 21-0 victory over the previously undefeated Out-of-Door Academy Thunder on Friday night before a good crowd at Thunder Stadium.

The Falcons (5-5) will play the winner of Friday night's 5A semifinal game between Legacy Charter and Seven Rivers Christian for the championship on Nov. 12. The Thunder ended its season with a 9-1 record.

Brown, who rushed for 1,054 yards during the regular season, scored on a 3-yard run early in the first quarter, to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead. Saint Stephen's, which lost to ODA earlier in the season 26-22, then went up 14-0 with a nine-play drive beginning the second period. Brown, who finished with 122 yards rushing, capped it with a 2-yard TD run.

With the Falcon defense shutting down an ODA attack which averaged 36 points during the season, Saint Stephen's went up 21-0 a series later. Keyed by a 30-yard completion from Luke Donley to Brown, Donley then connected with wide receiver Justin Millican in the back of the Thunder end zone for a 15-yard touchdown and 21-0 lead late in the second.

The Thunder were stymied at every turn, finishing with fewer than 80 yards total offense. Running back Griffin DeRusso, who came in with 1,344 rushing yards, was held in check by a Falcon defense that stationed eight men near the line of scrimmage. He finished with fewer than 50 yards.

Saint Stephen's takeaways

• The difference between the first and second meetings of ODA and Saint Stephen's was basic, Falcons coach A.J. Brown said. "We just played ball. We didn't line up right the first time we played them. We wanted to make sure we fixed those little mistakes. The guys dialed in this week. We got those fixed and went out and played well."

• The difference maker was Brown, who scored two touchdowns and rushed for 122 yards. Donley is the Falcons' starting quarterback, but a majority of the time against ODA, the junior Brown took the direct snap from center. "We were trying to move the ball as best we can," A.J. Brown said. "He's amazing. He does everything we ask of him." On defense this season, the 5-foot-11, 172-pounder pitched in with 29 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery and seven passes defended. "I hope he's getting looked at (by colleges)," said his head coach.

• The Falcons were boosted by the returns of nose tackle Jeremy Stroh and linebacker Michael Konkol. Both missed the teams' first meeting. And both helped stymie DeRusso, who came in averaging 150 yards a game and was held to fewer than 50. "We knew No. 28 was definitely going to get the ball," A.J. Brown said. "He's been a hell of a running back all year and we had to make sure we wrapped up and tackled him."

Out-of-Door takeaways

• Head coach Rob Hollway was direct in his post-game assessment. "We just didn't play very well," he said. "Saint Stephen's is a really good team and we barely beat them the first time. I know it's a rivalry game and sometimes some funny things happen. And we struggled to stop Brown. It wasn't our night tonight."

• In his first year as ODA head coach, Hollway will lose 12 seniors. "What a great senior class," he said. "These guys laid the foundation. I'm so proud of these guys. We'll find a way to learn and get better from this. Our offensive line is coming back and we got a middle school group. We go to work with the guys we got."

– Doug Fernandes, columnist

Manatee 9, Southeast 0

BRADENTON – Sometimes, you don’t need Tommie Frazier or Adrian McPherson, just Manatee and Southeast.

The two old rivals met again Friday night, and Cory Sanders’ 105-yard second-half rushing effort was about all that prevented the struggling Seminoles (1-8) from pulling off a massive surprise in their Senior Night season finale. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound junior accounted for 10 of the Hurricanes’ 19 first downs, including a third-and-6 catch out of the backfield – only his fifth reception of the season – that sent Manatee (6-3) on its way toward the game’s only touchdown.

That 14-yard pass into the left flat got the ’Canes out of a deep hole and ignited a 14-play, 97-yard TD drive, culminating in a 1-yard sneak by junior quarterback Johnny Squitieri with 43 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Manatee added a safety on the first play of the fourth, when Southeast’s Tarquez Thomas was pressured on second-and-14 from his own 4 and a holding penalty was called in the end zone.

“We told our O-line to toughen up, they gave me the ball and we did what we did,” said Sanders, who has rushed for 766 yards in nine games. “I’ve been growing up here and my brother went (to Manatee). He told me about how this is a rivalry game. (Southeast is) always going to play hard against us.”

The simultaneous shadows cast three decades ago by the likes of Frazier, who ran and passed for 63 TDs during his final two years at Manatee and McPherson, responsible for nearly 4,500 yards and 52 TDs as a Southeast senior, were of little help during a scoreless first half.

The hosts drove to the Hurricanes’ 15- and 28-yard lines on their first two possessions, but came up empty both times. First, a holding penalty forced Jovanni Avellaneda to attempt a 44-yard field goal, which was short, then Cory Clay was stopped on fourth-and-3.

Manatee’s defense allowed one more first down, a span of more than 40 minutes.

Sanders carried 27 times for 125 yards, with 22 of his attempts coming after a scoreless first half. Sophomore Kei’Shawn Smith added 53 yards on eight rushes, helping the Hurricanes pile up a 19-4 advantage in first downs, although their edge in total offense was only 220-167.

“I just told my guys we were going to line up, run the ball and keep our hands inside, and we’ll just pound the football,” said Manatee coach Jacquez Green. “We knew we could wear them down. We’re bigger than those guys.”

Manatee took the second-half kickoff and fed Sanders on its first four plays for 34 yards. Andrew Heidel completed a pair of third-down passes to Bon Bean, Jr. (seven yards) and Smith (21 yards), but the scoring threat ended when Sanders, who ran for 55 yards on the drive, landed on another player and fumbled at Southeast’s 2.

Manatee takeaways

• Green’s halftime decision to replace sophomore center Aiden Clark for the time being with 230-pound junior Hayden Randolph might have been the turning point of the night. Two snaps had sailed over the QB’s head in the first half, both times resulting in third-and-29 situations. “Hayden’s not as good a blocker, but he’s reliable with the snap,” the coach said. “We’re not a good enough team to be in third and that long.”

• The Hurricanes now appear to be safely into the playoffs, but a loss to Southeast could have quickly changed those plans. “You just want to win the game.” Green said. “We wanted to play a lot better and go into (the playoffs) playing well. But after tonight, everybody is 0-0. Anything can happen.”

• Manatee has won 11 of 15 meetings since 2004, but even now, many of the older fans at Paul Maechtle field at John Kiker Memorial Stadium recall the “glory days,” beginning in 1981, when Joe Kinnan (Manatee) and Maechtle (Southeast) turned Bradenton into a national football hotspot. The first game was in 1974, a 13-6 win that Manatee later forfeited. Eleven years later, Manatee suffered its first loss to the ’Noles – but still went on to win the Class 5A state championship.

Southeast takeaways

• Mykall Gipson, a junior, had a spectacular night defensively, accounting for at least 3 1/2 sacks in the first half alone. He wiped out Heidel on consecutive snaps late in the first quarter, then got to Squitieri two more times – joining forces with freshman Jacoby Mobley on a key fourth-and-10 at the Seminoles’ 25 late in the second quarter.

• So what does ’Noles head coach Brett Timmons say to a team at the end of a 1-8 season, during which it was held to seven points or less in six of the eight losses? “It’s all about maturation, it’s all about growth,” he said. “It’s more about the journey, just staying the course.”

• According to Timmons, Southeast dressed 12 seniors, three played meaningful minutes. “We’re going to be a really good football team,” he said. “We stay together, we get stronger, we get faster. The pieces to the puzzle are there.”

– Donnie Wilkie, correspondent

Booker 43, Lakewood Ranch 39

LAKEWOOD RANCH - They said Scottie Littles was crazy for coming.

The 33 year-old Littles left behind a prominent head-coaching job at Palm Beach Central this past summer and came to Booker High School, a program which had lost 20 straight games and had gone 2-32 in its last 34 contests. The Tornadoes had struggled for years to field enough players for its varsity football team, let alone compete for victories on the playing field.

Less than a year later, Littles now has the last laugh.

Booker’s thrilling 43-39 road victory over Lakewood Ranch a 6-4 winning season and a likely playoff berth.

The Tornadoes rode the legs of junior tailback and varsity captain Ahmad “Tooda” Hunter, who rushed for a career-high 204 yards, en route to their fourth straight regular season win. And it all came just one week after rallying from a 22-6 deficit to defeat district foe Lemon Bay at home.

Littles had previously coached at Booker in 2011-12 as a quarterback coach and assistant head coach. He took the head-coaching reigns at Palm Beach Central in 2019 and ran up a 28-4 record in three seasons with the Broncos, which included a 10-1 record and trip to the region finals last year. When Booker principal and longtime colleague Dr. Rachel Shelley called him during offseason, however, Littles said he knew the time was right to “come back home.

“Booker is a special place, and I’ve always known that. When Dr. Shelley called me, it just felt like the right thing to do,” Littles said. “They called me crazy, but now I get the last laugh.

“We just want to build our program, and continue to move forward. We’ve got a lot of great kids here. They fought, they believed, they showed up, and they work hard every day. They just bought in. The foundation is now set as district champs, and the sky is the limit from here.”

Hunter, whose previous career-high was 153 rushing yards in a loss to Sarasota earlier this season, racked up 100-plus yards in each half Friday night, en route to 30 total carries and three total touchdowns. Senior running back Zekilynn "Zee" Singleton had 10 carries for 78 yards and two rushing touchdowns for the Tornadoes (6-4, 2-1), including a 48-yard touchdown run to open the fourth quarter and give Booker a 43-27 lead with 10:33 remaining.

Booker ran for 443 yards and had 30 total first downs, as the Tornadoes opened up an early 8-0 lead and never trailed throughout. It was Booker’s first ever win over Lakewood Ranch, with the series between the schools now tied at 1-1.

“The game plan was to run the ball tonight, and our o-line was doing a good job opening up holes for us the entire game,” Hunter said. “We’ve come a long way and overcome a lot of adversity this year, and it’s all about the guys on this team trusting each other and believing in each other that we’re all going to do our jobs together, the right way. Our o-line has come together slowly but surely, and that’s been a big part of our success running the football.”

Booker takeaways

• Hunter’s career-high rushing performance gave him more than 1,200 rushing yards and makes him just one of three running backs in the area to accomplish that feat in 2022. Hunter accounted for more than half of the Tornadoes’ 30 first downs and added a long touchdown run of 30 yards in the second quarter. “(Tooda) is a tank,” Littles said. “The kid is all muscle, he works hard in the weight room, has strong lower body, and you just don’t ever tackle him on the first tackle. We’re super proud of him.”

• Senior quarterback Will Carter Jr. added 164 rushing yards for Booker, including multiple first down runs of 40-plus yards. “None of this happens without our unquestioned leader in Will Carter,” Littles said. “Will made a ton of big runs for us tonight, and we don’t do anything we did this year without his leadership. I’m so proud of his success and his growth this year.”

• Littles’ journey back to Booker dates back to the relationship he built with Principal Shelley during his first stint as a quarterbacks coach with the school in 2011. The Virginia Beach, Virginia native stayed in touch with Shelley over the years, and this past summer wasn’t the first time she tried to lure him back home. The two eventually struck a deal to make Little Booker’s new athletic director and varsity head football coach. “He (Littles) believes in the vision and mission of what we have going at Booker High School, and he continues to amaze us. The students and their disposition on campus and their attitudes, they’re commitment to each other, it’s truly a credit to him and the little things he does for us. We went from barely having 12 to 13 players on this entire team, to a full roster now. I’m so happy that he said yes to me and yes to Booker. I know that with his tutelage, and his direction, that Booker has a lot of great things in store.”

Lakewood Ranch takeaways

• Senior tailback Kevin Everhart led Lakewood Ranch with 112 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including two second-half scores for the Mustangs (6-4). Everhart’s 34-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter cut the deficit to 43-39 with 6:49 left, but the Mustangs were unable to force a stop on Booker’s ensuing drive as the game clock expired.

• Junior quarterback Clayton Dees added 179 combined passing and rushing yards for the Mustangs, including a 39-yard touchdown strike to senior Isaac Ashley in the fourth quarter. Lakewood Ranch never trailed by more than 16 points.

• The Mustangs’ talented secondary was on full display Friday, holding Booker to less than 100 passing yards and picking off two passes. Junior Jayden Munoz had a pick-six interception for a touchdown in the second quarter to bring Lakewood Ranch within one point of the lead before halftime at 22-21. Munoz also scored on a 70-yard kickoff return  in the opening period to give the Mustangs their first score of the game. Sophomore Trey Schwartz also had an interception for Lakewood Ranch.

– Chris Dell, correspondent

Clearwater Academy International 26, Venice 20

VENICE - Clearwater Academy International held off a fourth quarter Venice rally and spoiled Senior Night at Powell-Davis Stadium.

The Knight's backfield tandem of Khalid Campbell and Ben Cottrell combined for 260 yards and four touchdowns. The CAI defense stopped Venice twice inside the 5-yard line in the final period to preserve the victory.

Venice had cut the lead to six points with 6:37 to go in the game on a 2 yard run by quarterback Brooks Bentley, then got the break it needed when Carter Dalton intercepted CAI quarterback Evans Chuba's pass and returned it to the Knights 34-yard line. Bentley picked up two first downs running to bring the ball to the 5-yard line. But after a false start penalty and a sack, Venice was facing fourth down from the 15 and Bentley's desparation pass to the end zone was intercepted with less than two minutes to go.

Venice started off well, taking a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game by capitalizing on a 1-yard punt by CAI kicker Jack Perry. Five plays later, Alvin Johnson scored on a 6-yard run.

But the Venice offense was held in check for most of the rest of the first half, and the Knights scored twice to take a 14-7 lead. But after the second touchdown, Bentley and Keyon Sears combined on a beautiful 63-yard deep ball to move into CAI territory. Bentley had just enough time to hit Johnson with an 11-yard TD pass on fourth down with 8 seconds to go in the half to make it 14-all at halftime.

Venice (5-3) couldn't capitalize on the momentum in the third quarter, and it swung back the Knights' way after Bentley's punt pinned CAI back at its own 2-yard line. Cottrell broke free for 61 yards on the first play and the Knights (8-1) finished off the 98-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge by Campbell to regain the lead.

Venice was stopped on 4th and 1 on its next possession, giving CAI the ball at the 30. Chuba's 27-yard completion to Lubovic Martin set up Cottrell's 1-yard run to increase the Knights lead to 26-14 with 2:40 to go in the quarter.

That seemed to inspire Venice, which quickly moved down the field as a 42-yard pass from Bentley to Ryan Matulevich brought the ball into the red zone.  But on the first play of the fourth quarter, Bentley was stopped inches short of a first down on 4th and 2 from the 4-yard line.

Another shanked CAI punt gave Venice the ball back at Knights 41 and Bentley found Sears for a 32-yard gain to the 7. That set up Bentley's keeper that brought Venice to within 26-20.

Venice takeaways

• Venice seemed a bit off all night as the offense sometimes struggled to move the ball and the defense gave up big gains to the Knights' running backs at inopportune times. "They're a good football team and obviously they had their kids ready to play," Venice coach John Peacock said. "We probably didn't play our best game but moving forward we've just got to focus on the playoffs and that's the main thing is that Monday we come in here and focus on what's ahead of us."

• While Venice was stopped twice on fourth down in the fourth quarter, the Knights' offense also failed to convert on two fourth-down attempts in Venice territory in the first half. Still, the red zone difficulties are nothing new for Venice this season. "That's something we've been struggling with all year," Peacock said. "It's something we've got to look at and work on but we'll move forward and the main thing is the playoffs. We've done our job in the regular season, we've put ourselves in position to be home for three games in the regional championship so we've just got to make sure we're ready to go Monday."

• Johnson was the only running back available to Venice. He carried the ball 32 times for 112 yards in addition to three catches for 20 yards. The junior made a nifty move on the sideline to elude a tackler after catching the pass from Bentley for the tying TD just before the half.  Bentley was 16-for-24 passing for 210 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Sears and Matulevich caught 6 passes apiece.

– Bruce Robins, correspondent

Lemon Bay 35, North Port 7

ENGLEWOOD - The Manta Rays won their second straight, an easy victory over winless North Port (0-7). Lemon Bay finished the season with a 4-5 record. The Bobcats play their final game at winless Bayshore (0-9) on Wednesday.

Charlotte 48, Riverdale 7

FORT MYERS - Connor Trim rushed for 132 yards and scored five touchdowns to lead the Tarpons (2-7) to a victory over the host Raiders. Charlotte ended its season with two victories after seven straight losses.

Cardinal Mooney 50, Bayshore 3

SARASOTA - After losing six of their first seven games, the host Cougars (4-6) ended the regular season on a three-game winning streak, the final victory a blowout of winless Bayshore (0-9).

Mulberry 30, Parrish Community 28

PARRISH - The host Bulls scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough to offset the 30 put up by Mulberry in the first half. After winning its first four games,

Parrish (4-5) ended its season on a five-game skid.

Clearwater Central Catholic 63, IMG Academy White 35

CLEARWATER - IMG Academy White allowed a season-high in points in a loss to the host Marauders (9-1). IMG White is 5-4.

8-man

Sarasota Christian 62, Florida School for the Deaf and Blind 44

At Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, St. Augustine

Top players: SC, Ben Milliken 21-33, 354 yards, 5TDs, Travis Miller 4 catches, 134 yards, 2TDs, Colton loftus 7 catches, 89 yards, TD, Justin Brock 4 catches, 77 yards, TD, Daniel Jacinto 10 carries, 61 yards, TD, Austin Kerle 7 carries, 52 yards, TD, 9 tackles, Daniel Jacinto 9 tackles, Carson Spenn 9 tackles

Of note: Sarasota Christian had 500 yards of total offense.

Records: Sarasota Christian 6-4, FSDB 4-7

Next: Sarasota Christian advances to the second round of the SSAC 2A Playoffs, 7 p.m., Nov. 11. Location is TBD

Dennis Maffezzoli is the deputy sports editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and chief reporter for Sarasota Herald-Tribune and HTpreps covering Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Support local journalism by subscribing. 

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Port Charlotte wins the battle of the Pirates; Saint Stephen's tops ODA