Kinnan pleased with bye week

Initially, Manatee coach Joe Kinnan wasn't enamored about having a bye week this early in the season, especially since Manatee's open week the last few years came during Week 11.
Looking back, however, it worked out well. Manatee's last game, a 30-26 win Sept. 18 over Southeast, was an intense one played in front of over 7,000 fans. It felt more like a November playoff game than a non-district game in September.
Consequently, Kinnan was happy his team had a chance to catch its breath.
"Now, we're ready to go back," said Kinnan, whose Canes, 3-0 and ranked third in the state in Class 5A, head to Lakewood Ranch on Friday. "We're ready to play again.
"We had a very productive open week. We got back to the base stuff, and did a lot of things we wanted to do."
Kinnan wants to see better play out of his offensive line after Southeast sacked quarterback Brion Carnes six times.
"It comes down to technique. As an offensive lineman, there are certain things you have to do," Kinnan said. "We were bending at the waist, we were crossing our feet...We were freelancing, and not playing the way we've been coached."
Manatee had its share of big plays against the Southeast, but had its share of negative-yardage plays.
"We need to cut down on the negative plays," Kinnan said, "and keep the big plays coming."
This is a good time to start doing that - following Friday's non-district game with the Mustangs, the Hurricanes head to Sarasota for their Class 5A-District 10 opener.