Prep football: Manatee's Sandberg a junior to watch

(photo by Tiffany Tompkins-Condie)

Manatee quarterback Cord Sandberg has caught the eye of MaxPreps' Stephen Spiewak, who listed Sandberg as one of the top 100 players to watch for the Class of 2013.

The players were listed alphabetically.

The lefty-slinging Sandberg has already received five offers, according to rivals.com, with Auburn, Cincinatti, Clemson, Iowa State and Western Kentucky vying for his services thus far.

Manatee opens the regular season against nationally-ranked Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olney, Md., and then hosts powerhouse Don Bosco Prep out of New Jersey on Sept. 16, a pair of games that are already meriting national attention. If Sandberg performs well, his stock will even rise.

Sandberg, the Hurricanes and the rest of the area football teams officially begin practice Monday.

Prep football: Cord Sandberg sixth in Miami Herald's 2013 rankings

(pagemoorephoto.com)

Manatee quarterback Cord Sandberg is ranked sixth overall and tops among quarterbacks on the Miami Herald's list of the top 100 prospects for the Class of 2013.

"This list is a starting point as we head into summer," the blog reads. "With camps, combines, practices, 7-on-7 tournaments and games, many of these players will either play their way up - or down - the list."

Sandberg threw for 2,879 yards and 25 touchdowns and rushed for 586 yards and 10 toucdowns last year for Manatee, leading the Hurricanes to a 13-1 record and the Class 5A final four. He performed well in the Canes' 31-7 loss to Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas in a state semifinal, throwing for 200 yards and a touchdown.

He, along with the rest of the Canes, will be challenged early in 2011. Manatee's first four games will be against two national powers (Maryland's Our Lady of Good Counsel and New Jersey's Don Bosco Prep) and two traditional rivals (Riverview and Southeast).

Prep football: Canes' other quarterbacks to get some work

(pagemoorephoto.com)

If you're waiting to see Cord Sandberg run with a ball, check out G.T. Bray's outfield. That's where Sandberg will be for at least one more night, patrolling centerfield for a Manatee baseball team set to host Tampa King in Tuesday's Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinal.
Sandberg, of course, has become known for his work on the football field, especially after he won All-Area Offensive Player of the Year honors last year as a sophomore.
So while their triggerman is batting leadoff, the football Hurricanes will make due without him, allowing guys such as Zach Hill and Brodrick Yancy to get a chance to play with the varsity team. Hill quarterbacked Manatee's JV team last year. Yancy, whose brother, Brett, is a varsity defensive back, was the freshman team's quarterback.
Each player went 7-1.
"They both did a great job for us," said Manatee coach Joe Kinnan. "This gives them a chance to bring them along as backups."
Running back Mike Blakely, wide receiver Quenton Bundrage and quarterback Reed Carter filled out the rest of the depth charter behind Sandberg last season. But Blakely and Bundrage were seniors, and Kinnan said Carter is focusing on baseball.
That means Hill, a sophomore, could possibly make the team as a backup while Yancy could take over Hill's spot running the JV team.

Manatee ranked 15th by MaxPreps

Manatee's football team has been labeled by MaxPreps as one of 25 national contenders for the 2010 prep football season.
The Hurricanes were ranked 15th on the list, and MaxPreps.com writer Stephen Spiewak said Manatee re-established itself as a football powerhouse last season despite falling to Tampa Plant in the Class 5A state championship game.
"The Hurricanes have a foundation in place that could position them to be better in 2010," Spiewak writes.
He notes that the team's two top players from last season, quarterback Brion Carnes and wide receiver Ace Sanders, are being replaced by the talented tandem of Cord Sandberg and Quenton Bundrage, which teamed for four touchdowns during Manatee's spring victory over Palm Bay Bayside last Friday.
Electric playmaker Mike Blakely returns, along with most of the defense - most notably the front four of Drakkar Wilson, brothers Chris and Quinton Pompey, and Marquis Dawsey.
Dawsey saw time at linebacker against Bayside, an idea that was tossed around last season.
Click here to see the rest of the top 25 football teams throughout the country, according to maxpreps.com.

Sandberg's spring game a big step forward

No one in Manatee colors doubted that Cord Sandberg could ably fill the void left under center by Brion Carnes.
Nonetheless, they all have to even better about the transition after Friday's 48-41 spring win over Palm Bay Bayside.
Sandberg, a rising sophomore, completed 21 of 23 passes and threw five touchdowns.
"I really didn't know what to expect," Sandberg said. "The offensive line was great - it gave me time, and the receivers running around, getting open...it just happened."
Sandberg has Manatee football in his blood. His father, Chuck, is a longtime Hurricanes assistant who currently coaches the receivers. And his older brother, Chase, a placekicker and receiver, is set to begin his third season on the varsity roster.
Cord tasted success himself last fall, when he piloted Manatee's JV team to an undefeated season and performed well when he appeared in three varsity games after a late promotion.
Friday, however, was different. He started a varsity game for the first time and showed plenty of poise in leading Manatee's final drive - a 74-yard, four-minute charge capped with a 7-yard touchdown toss to Quenton Bundrage with :21.4 seconds left in the game.
Sandberg went 4 for 4 on the drive and hit Mike Blakely for a 34-yard completion with Manatee facing a 3rd-and-15 from its own 47.
"It was good to have some success," Cord said. "Friday night, the real thing, with something that I'm going to be doing for the next three years. It's real important and I'm glad it happened."
Cord and Bundrage showed plenty of synergy, hooking up for four touchdowns and 162 yards.
"Q's amazing - I love him," Cord said. "He's fast, he can jump, he's an amazing athlete. I'm glad I have him."
After what happened Friday, the Hurricanes are surely saying the same thing about Cord Sandberg.