MANATEE—The Manatee Hurricanes and the Vero Beach Indians fought to keep their seasons alive with hopes of a state championship.
The Indians, who were undefeated going into the game, and the Hurricanes battled it out vying for the chance in the 8A State Championship. But Manatee took a 47-28 win thanks to running back Johnnie Lang who scored five touchdowns with 126 touchdown yards. Vero Beach's M.J. McGriff got three touchdowns with 110 touchdown yards.
The game got off to a slow start before Vero Beach scored first after quarterback Carter Stanley threw a 25-yard pass to Chris Larsen. Kicker Arron Kuh nailed the PAT and the Indians took the lead 7-0 in the first quarter.
But the Hurricanes pulled a trick up their sleeve. When Kuh went to punt the ball, Manatee's Jumar Gaskin blocked the kick allowing it to roll into the end zone and the Hurricanes got the safety making it a 7-2 ball game before the end of the first quarter.
Then the Hurricanes came alive in the second thanks to the help of Lang. He started things off going 35 yards into the end zone with Kicker Nick Null getting the PAT. The Hurricanes held a short 9-7 lead before Stanley threw a 22 yard pass to M.J. McGriff in which the Indians took back the lead 14-9.
But Lang struck again this time with a four-yard touchdown before the Indians took the lead after Stanley threw an 82-yard pass to McGriff. Even after Null nailed a 43-yard field goal for Manatee, Vero Beach held the lead 21-19 going into halftime.
In the second half, the Hurricanes did not want this game to be over yet. Lang got his third touchdown with a one yard run followed by Octavious James' 37-yard touchdown, which gave Manatee a 33-21 lead. McGriff scored one more time taking the ball six yards for a touchdown. Manatee still held a 33-28 lead.
It all ended for the Indians in the fourth quarter when Lang's 58 and 28-yard touchdown runs brought the Hurricanes to a 47-28 final. This advanced them to the next round of the regional playoffs.
The Vero Beach Indians ended their season with an 11-1 record, ranked number one in 8A District 8 and number 49 in Florida. The Manatee Hurricanes (11-1) will face the undefeated Dr. Phillips Panthers in Orlando on Nov. 28.
