The 1st Annual Lemmy Awards

Welcome friends, foes and everyone else to the 1st Annual Lemmy Awards here on Prep Rally!
Before we go forward, please keep these points in mind:
- These will have no bearing on The Herald's All-Area Football Team, which will be unveiled after the season is over. That team, as well as the Player of the Year, is decided by Herald staffers with input from the area's 10 coaches.
The Lemmy Awards are one man's opinion, with that man being me.
- These are just for fun. No trophies, plaques or jackets - just something to chew on before the playoffs begin Friday.
- Agree? Disagree? Shoot me an email at jlembo@bradenton.com.
And now, the awards...

Most Valuable Player - Cord Sandberg, Manatee.The Hurricanes are 10-0 for the first time in 20 years and have usurped Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas at No. 1 in the Class 5A state rankings. And they have accomplished that even though superstar Mike Blakely has missed most of the second half of the season with ankle injuries.
A big reason is Sandberg, who has thrown for 2,088 yards and has rushed for 488. Though he is just a sophomore, Sandberg has been asked to do more than just make decisions - the Hurricanes have put many games in his hands, such as the 24-7 win over Venice that clinched Manatee's first district title since 2006.
Sandberg and the rest of the Canes will be tested during the playoffs, and the team's defense has been as good as advertised this fall. But it's hard to imagine Manatee being this successful without the precocious Sandberg pulling the trigger.
HONORABLE MENTION: Brian Poole, Southeast; Taryn Laws, Lakewoood Ranch; Quenton Bundrage, Manatee.

Coach of the Year - Dave Marino, Palmetto (above); Don Purvis, Braden River. I'm not usually a fan of splitting awards, but Marino and Purvis have done solid jobs during their Manatee County head-coaching debuts.
Marino has led the Tigers through a rough start and a tidal wave of injuries right into the Class 4A-Region 3 playoffs. And by beating Purvis' Pirates last week, Palmetto has assured itself of a winning season - a fine accomplishment for a team that was 2-4.
Purvis, who was Raymond Woodie's assistant at Bayshore in 2003, reminded his team after an ugly 0-3 start that only district games mattered. The Pirates listened, and despite the absence of a passing game and a defense gutted by graduation, clinched their third straight playoff berth.
HONORABLE MENTION: Shawn Trent, Lakewood Ranch; Joe Kinnan, Manatee; Paul Maechtle, Southeast.


Game of the Year - Palmetto at Lakewood Ranch, Nov. 2 Southeast and Manatee added another classic to a rivalry full of them, but the Tigers-Mustangs tilt in east Manatee County was a win-or-stay-home game for the final playoff spot in Class 4A-District 11.
It featured a little bit of everything - a deflection that turned into a touchdown; the surprise return of Mustangs QB Reggie Lindsey; the arrival of Palmetto RB De'Quan Reddick; the emergence of Palmetto's defense, finally healthy; and the Tigers scoring a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, compliments of Reddick, and recording a 28-14 win, earning a trip to Cape Coral for a regional quarterfinal.
HONORABLE MENTION: Manatee at Southeast, Sept. 17.