Coach Sandberg credits Manatee's depth

(Photo taken by pagemoorephoto.com)

Chuck Sandberg calls it The Next Guy.
"That means when you go in next," said Sandberg, who coaches Manatee's receivers, "we don't really skip a beat that much."
If The Next Guy was a stat, the Hurricanes may be leading the entire state.
How else can you explain the 10-0 record and No.1 ranking in Class 5A Manatee takes into Friday's Region 3 quarterfinal against St. Petersburg Northeast?
The team's talented quartet of skill players - Mike Blakely, Quenton Bundrage, Cord Sandberg and Anthony Lauro - haven't been on the field together since the Sept. 17 game against Southeast, with Blakely, Bundrage and Lauro shelved by an assortment of injuries.
Chuck Sandberg, now in his 25th year coaching at Manatee, puts some of the credit on the team's deep pool of wide receivers, namely Terry Evans, Ryan Taylor, Todd Johnson and Brandon Kull (pictured above).
"All those guys, I can't tell them enough how much I love them, how much they've done great for us," Chuck said. "I can't go into words."
Lauro returned last week against Booker, but hadn't played since Week 3 against Southeast. Blakely, a running back headed to Florida next year, hurt his ankle two weeks later against Sarasota and didn't play in Manatee's final two games of the reguar season.
Bundrage, who carried more than his share of the slack with Blakely out, hurt his knee early in the game against North Port on Nov. 5 and didn't play last week.
Cue the bench. Kull's 24 catches are second on the team behind Bundrage (52), and he has been Cord's top option on the shovel pass.
Evans has 22 catches, Taylor has 14 and Johnson has blocked well. He also has a pair of catches, including one for a touchdown.
The four have teamed for 62 receptions and four touchdowns.
"The number of reps they've got in the last seven games, they've gotten better," Chuck Sandberg said. "When you have game experience, there's no substitute for that. And they've gotten better."
Make no mistake - Chuck Sandberg is happy to have the exciting Lauro back in the fold.
He just has a spot in his heart for The Next Guy. And rightfully so.
"They've done a great, great job. And we can win with those guys," Chuck Sandberg said.