Manatee High Falls to Don Bosco Prep, 22-16

They're No. 1 for a reason.

Don Bosco Prep, the nation's top-ranked high school football team, showed why Friday night, picking up a 22-16 victory over host Manatee High as part of the inaugural Suncoast Challenge.

The prep football doubleheader, presented by Manatee Memorial Hospital, matched up two powerhouses from New Jersey and two from Florida. Don Bosco, from Ramsey, NJ and winners of five straight state titles, put the Garden State on the board first.

Tampa Plant took on Bergen Catholic in the second game at Bradenton's Hawkins Stadium.

The Hurricanes, no slouches themselves at No. 19 in the Powerade Fab 50 national rankings, showed no intimidation and held a 7-6 lead at halftime in a defensive-minded contest.

Anthony Lauro ran for a 9-yard touchdown on an end around to put the Hurricanes on the board.

But the Ironmen, who have won 37 straight games, would use a 63-yard touchdown bomb from Mike Yankovich to Leonte Carroo and two TD runs from sophomore Jabrill Peppers to pull away.

Manatee QB Cord Sandberg was harassed by the Don Bosco defense all night. After Sandberg was sacked deep inside Manatee territory midway through the fourth quarter, the Hurricanes botched a punt, giving Don Bosco the ball at the Manatee 6-yard line.

Peppers ran in for a score to put the Ironmen ahead 22-10 with 5:09 left in the game.

On the ensuing possession, Manatee put together a scoring drive that was capped by Sandberg's touchdown pass to Austin Gordon in the back of the end zone to trim the lead to 22-16 with 1:14 left.

But after a missed two-point conversion try, the Canes failed to recover an onside kick, allowing the Ironmen to run out the clock and escape with the victory.

Manatee is now 1-2 this season, having lost its season opener in double-overtime against another national powerhouse, Our Lady of Good Counsel, in Olney, MD.

"We've got to get a little better," Manatee coach Joe Kinnan said. "You can't make the mistakes that we made in the kicking game, and you can't make mistakes offensively."

Stay tuned to Bradenton Patch for more coverage of Friday's game.