Venice, Palmetto Roll in Week 6 as Sarasota Area Honors Top Performers
The short version
- Venice beat Sarasota 57-33; Palmetto won its fifth straight with a 52-0 shutout of Parrish Community.
- Cardinal Mooney's Connail Jackson racked up 277 yards and five touchdowns in about one half.
- Venice teammates Mike Blakely and Dorien Jones combined for seven touchdowns against Sarasota.
- Manatee edged Sumner 30-27 and Riverview routed Lehigh 71-8.
- Week 7 begins Oct. 1, with eight area teams on bye.
Week 6 of the Sarasota and Manatee high school football season featured big wins by Venice, Palmetto and Riverview, plus standout individual showings recognized with weekly game balls.
Week 6 of the high school football season in the Sarasota and Manatee area is complete, with several district matchups decided. Venice pulled away from Sarasota for a 57-33 victory, Palmetto blanked Parrish Community to extend its winning streak to five games, and Riverview dominated Lehigh 71-8. Manatee survived a tight one, edging Sumner 30-27.
Because team scores can overshadow individual efforts, the region's top performances from the week are being recognized with game balls. Ten players made the Week 6 list, headlined by record-setting offensive nights at Venice, Cardinal Mooney and Saint Stephen's.
Venice's win over Sarasota produced two honorees. Freshman receiver Mike Blakely, nicknamed "Mike Mike," caught nine passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Teammate Dorien Jones, a three-star senior running back, sat most of the second half but still paced the Indians with 208 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries.
Cardinal Mooney's Connail Jackson piled up 277 yards and five touchdowns in roughly one half of play during a blowout win over Braden River. Saint Stephen's quarterback Steven LeBlanc was nearly perfect through the air, completing six of eight passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns while adding 12 rushing yards and two more scores in a 62-0 rout of Marco Island Academy.
Wellen Park, coming off a bye, won 38-26 at Bayshore and placed two players on the list. Sophomore running back Curtis Bowdre caught seven passes for 187 yards and contributed on special teams, while quarterback Noah Wireman threw for 289 yards and a touchdown — including a 64-yard completion to Bowdre — and added 74 rushing yards with a seven-yard scoring run.
Other honorees included sophomore defensive lineman Mykell Crawford of Sarasota, who recorded an interception and a sack in the loss to Venice. North Port's Ayden Guerra, a two-way player, scored on a seven-yard touchdown, made a tackle in the end zone for a safety and ran in a two-point conversion in a 33-21 win over Lakewood Ranch. Palmetto's Jok Harris, an Appalachian State commit, rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown in the 52-0 shutout.
Sarasota Christian's Tait Zeltwanger completed 15 of 37 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns and added 84 rushing yards and a score on six carries in a 41-21 victory over Northside Christian. The Week 6 slate also included Out-of-Door Academy's 46-7 win over IMG Academy State on Thursday, Sept. 24, and Slam Tampa's 28-24 win over Bradenton Christian.
The Week 7 schedule kicks off Thursday, Oct. 1, with Hollins visiting IMG Academy State at 7 p.m. Friday's card features Clearwater Central Catholic at Cardinal Mooney, Columbia at Manatee at 7:30 p.m., Venice traveling to Raines for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff, and Wellen Park at Lemon Bay, among other games. Braden River, Bradenton Christian, Lakewood Ranch, North Port, Palmetto, Parrish Community, Riverview and Sarasota are all on bye.
Games to watch
