Manatee's difficult week comes to a close

You would think this would be a much more relaxing week for the Manatee Hurricanes.
Two weeks ago, they faced defending Class 5A state champion Tampa Plant in a game broadcast nationally on ESPN. Last Saturday, they traveled 1,064 miles to Pittsburgh to face Woodland Hills, Pa. in a cavernous stadium lined with artificial turf.
Tonight, Palmetto comes to Hawkins Stadium without any of the bright lights or hoopla of the weeks past.
Sounds easier, right? No so much, said Manatee coach Joe Kinnan.
"It's been really difficult," he said. "We lost Saturday as a rest day, Sunday was a travel day and we came back in to look at film on Monday morning and then try and get ready to practice."
Manatee handled both games well, knocking off Plant 48-10 in a Kickoff Classic before opening the regular season with a 39-16 win over Woodland Hills at the Wolvarena, a 12,000-seat stadium where the Wolverines were 88-22 all time.
So Kinnan has no quibble with the results, nor with the experiences and exposure both weeks gave his players.
That being said, this has been the furthest thing from a normal week.
"There is some jet lag. It's been a real, real quick week," he said. "But I think we've been focused and doing what we need to do."
While Kinnan said everyone is ready to play tonight, he acknowledged Manatee was a bit "banged up" following the game against Woodland Hills, a Class 4A team in Pennsylvania.
"They're a dang-god good football team. I'm glad they're behind us and we don't have to still play them," Kinnan said. "They were big, fast and physical. I think they've got a chance to really do well."
As for his own team, tonight has the makings of a classic trap game - Manatee is fresh off two emotional wins and faces Southeast next week in the county's ultimate rivalry game.
Yet Kinnan has no visions of the Canes overlooking Palmetto, which has been hit with the injury bug but plays well defensively.
"(Our goal) is to have the same mindset every week," he said, "We control what happens at Manatee. I can't control who we play, where we play, whatever they do, what they run offensively, defensively, the officials...
"All we can control is, this is our week of preparation. This is how we're going to do it, this is how we're going to go about it, and go from there."