Aftermath of Manatee's defeat

Some tidbits from Manatee's 21-14 loss to Tampa Plant in Friday's Class 5A state title game:

- Junior Mike Blakely capped his postseason with another electrifying performance, finishing with 119 receiving yards, 64 rushing yards and a touchdown.
With Manatee down 21-7 in the third quarter, Blakely took a pass 86 yards to Manatee's 2, and then scored to make it 21-14.
"Coach gave me the ball the next play," he said, "and I knew I had to push it in for the team."
Blakely, who has already received offers from schools such as Clemson, Syracuse and USF, scored at least one touchdown in four of Manatee's five playoff games.
"We almost came back, but almost don't count," Blakely said. "Nobody thought we'd be here, but we're here. We ended up losing, but it's all right. We're going to regroup, we're going to work harder, we're going to come back next year and hopefully, get a win."
- Manatee's defense was much improved in the second half, shutting out Tampa Plant after allowing 21 points in the first half. The Canes limited James Wilder Jr., the Panthers' stud running back, to eight rushing yards after the break.
"We went inside and I challenged my guys to dig inside of them," said Canes defensive line coach Steve Gulash. "Plant is an unbelviable football team. But when you come out flat against a team who's been there, you've got to step it up quick.
"We came back out the second half and proved that we belonged here."
- Manatee is now 4-2 in state title games. Plant is a state champ for the third time since 2006 - and first time in Class 5A. The Panthers last two titles came as a Class 4A school.
- Manatee and Plant will see each other again next year for sure - the Canes face the Panthers in a Kickoff Classic for the second straight year next fall.