Football: Booth, Bradley, Lang, Smithers and Vita up for awards

Braden River's  Curt Bradley (7A), Cardinal Mooney's Josh Smithers (3A) and Manatee's  John Boooth (8A) are all up for Coach of the Year in their classifications, while Manatee running back Johnnie Lang (8A) and Cardinal Mooney quarterback Reese Vita (3A) are player of the year nominees in the Florida Dairy Farmers High School Sports Awards.
In his first year replacing Joe Kinnan, Booth has the Hurricanes (12-1) in the Class 8A state semifinals Friday at Apopka after leading them to district and regional titles. A big part of that has been Lang, a junior who has rushed for 2,088 yards and 32 touchdowns. Only Shevin Wiggins (2,267 in 1993) has rushed for more yards in a single season at Manatee.
Two years after losing his first nine games, Bradley helped the Pirates win their first district title and record an undefeated regular season en route to Region 3 semifinals.
Smithers, who took over the Cougars in 2007, helped Mooney win its second straight district title and reach the Region 3 championship game. Vita threw for 1,226 yards and set program records for passing yards and touchdowns in a career.
The players of the year in each classification will have a chance to be named Mr.  Football, while the coaches of the year will be up for the state's overall award.