Local players picked for inaugural All-Madden Team

Football players from Bayshore, Bradenton Christian, Braden River, Palmetto and Southeast were among those selected for the All-Madden Team. Members of the team were picked by the coaches associated with The IMG Madden Football Academy following a three-month tour that covered 27 states and seven countries.
Academy director Chris Weinke was among the coaches who picked the 27-member team.
Palmetto guard Iziah Sanders, Bayshore tackle Wendell Williamson and Braden River kicker Kadin Kerns made the team on offense, while Southeast's Brian Poole (cornerback) and Terran Williams (linebacker) were picked to play defense.
Palmetto offensive lineman Kevin O'Brien and linebacker Daqual Randall, Bradenton Christian offensive lineman Josh Clark and Southeast defensive lineman Sanjai Persuad made the team's Next Man In Category, created for underclassmen on the rise.

Wilder Jr. chooses Florida State

Tampa Plant running back/linebacker James Wilder Jr. has verbally committed to Florida State, according to the St. Petersburg Times, whose reporters were blogging live from Wilder Jr.'s announcement Wednesday evening at the school's auditorium.
One of the most highly-touted players in the country, Wilder helped the Panthers defeat Manatee in last year's Class 5A state championship game, and should see the Hurricanes next Friday when Plant visits Bradenton in a Kickoff Classic.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.

IMG's Murphy knocks in nine

IMG alum and Bradentonian J.R. Murphy had a day for the ages Saturday.
A catcher with the Charleston RiverDogs, a Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, Murphy knocked in nine runs in an 18-4 win over Hickory.
(In other words, Murphy pretty much beat Hickory on his own.)
Murphy blasted a grand slam in the third inning and a three-run shot an inning later before adding a run-scoring grounder in the sixth and an RBI single in the eighth.
A second-round pick of the Yankees in 2009,Murphy is now batting .266 with seven home runs and 53 RBIs in 75 games with Charleston.

Manatee cracks a pair of national lists

Manatee's football team has made its way on to a pair of national preaseason polls listing the top 100 teams in the country.
The Hurricanes are 21st on the National Prep Football Poll and 49th on Rivals.com.
The Hurricanes host Tampa Plant - ranked second in the former poll - in an Aug. 27 Kickoff Classic broadcast live on ESPN, and head to Woodland Hills, Pa. on Sept. 4 to participate in the eight-team Rally at Wolvarena.
Manatee plays Woodland Hills 8 p.m.

Manatee's Mason earns national honor

Dave Mason, the assistant wrestling coach at Manatee, was named by Wrestling USA magazine as a runner-up to their Assistant Coach of the Year award.
"Very well deserved," said Hurricanes head coach Andy Gugliemini.
A two-time state champion at Bloomingdale Valrico, Mason helped the Canes to pair of runner-up finishes in the Class 2A state tournament in 2007 and '09. Manatee has crowned three individual state champions - Alex Doran, Andrew Fulk and Jacob Gregory - since Mason joined the team for the 2006-07 season, with Doran becoming Manatee's first freshman wrestler to win a state title.

Canes, Noles get kudos from football mag

Manatee and Southeast have earned praise from Friday Night Football Florida, a high school football magazine produced from flavarsity.com previewing the ensuing season.
Manatee is ranked fourth in the magazine's listing of the state's top 25 teams and first in the west coast region.
"Manatee is once again a state power," the magazine reads, "and has the talent and depth to compete for the Class 5A title this year."
Running back Mike Blakely, ranked ninth in the list of the state's top 10 running backs, was named to the All-West Coast team. Joining him are teammates Prince Matt (offensive line) and Quenton Bundrage(utility. Defensive lineman Quinton Pompey was ranked the ninth-best defensive tackle in the state
Manatee's defensive line was tabbed as the fourth-best in the state and the coaching staff was ranked fifth.
Southeast's linebacker Desmond Blue also made the squad All-West Coast team.
And the future appears bright for both teams - Southeast defensive back Brian Poole (24th) and defensive tackle DeAngelo Dawes (37th), along with Manatee linebacker Darius White (38th) and linebacker Clinton Heaven (41st) were named among the top 50 members of the class of 2012.

FCA 7-on-7 tournament set for next week

The Gulf Coast FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) Air Attack, a 7-on-7 football tournament featuring seven area teams, has been scheduled for Tuesday at the Manatee PAL fields at 202 13th Ave. E.
Pool play begins at 8 a.m. and the championship game is scheduled for 1:45.
The 10-team field will be broken into two divisions - Faith (Southeast, Bradenton Christian, Cardinal Mooney, Tampa Wharton and Palmetto) and Service (Venice, Out-of-Door Academy, Bayshore, Tampa Middleton and Braden River).
The top two teams from each division advance to the semifinals, and consolation games will be played at 1 p.m.