Basketball: Holiday tournament brackets

A pair of holiday traditions, The Willie Clemons Holiday Basketball Classic at Southeast and the Smoothie King Classic at Bradenton Christian, get underway Dec. 29 and wrap Dec. 31.
Here are the first-round pairings for each tournament.

SMOOTHIE KING CLASSIC, BRADENTON CHRISTIAN
MONDAY, DEC. 29
GIRLS
Bayshore vs. Tampa Sickles, 9:30 a.m.
Englewood Lemon Bay vs. Oldsmar Christian, 12:30 p.m.
Manatee vs. Sarasota Christian, 3:30 p.m.
Bradenton Christian vs. St. Petersburg Shorecrest, 6:30 p.m.
BOYS
Sarasota Christian vs. Southeast, 11 a.m.
Braden River vs. Manatee, 2 p.m.
Bayshore vs. Cape Coral, 5 p.m.
Bradenton Christian vs. Seven Rivers Christian, 8 p.m.

WILLIE CLEMONS HOLIDAY BASKETBALL CLASSIC
MONDAY, DEC. 29
GIRLS
Braden River vs. Riverview, 2 p.m.
Palmetto vs. Clearwater Calvary Christian, 3:30 p.m.
Gulfport Boca Ciega vs. East Bay, 5 p.m.
Southeast vs. Lakeland Kathleen, 6:30 p.m.

Football: Tentative assignments for 2015-18

Here are the tentative football districts featuring area schools for the 2015-18 cycle.
Schools can appeal their placement with the Florida High School Athletic Association.

CLASS 8A-DISTRICT 7
Alonso (Tampa)
Riverview (Riverview)
George Steinbrenner (Lutz)
Newsome (Lithia)
Manatee
Palm Harbor University
Riverview (Sarasota)

CLASS 7A-DISTRICT 11
Braden River
Lakewood Ranch
North Port
Palmetto
Sarasota
Venice

CLASS 5A-DISTRICT 11
Bayshore
Booker (Sarasota)
DeSoto County (Arcadia)
Hardee (Wauchula)
Southeast
Lemon Bay (Englewood)

CLASS 3A-DISTRICT 5
Bishop Verot (Fort Myers)
Cardinal Mooney
Calvary Christian (Clearwater)
Clearwater Central Catholic
St. Petersburg Catholic

CLASS 2A-DISTRICT 5
Out-of-Door Academy
Bradenton Christian
Cambridge (Tampa)
Carrollwood (Tampa)
Seffner Christian
  
INDEPENDENT - IMG Academy, Saint Stephen's

Football: Lemmy Awards

Rent that tuxedo. Purchase you ball gown.
Hire the babysitter and take your pick between the sirloin and the salmon.
It's time  to hand out the postseason Lemmy Awards, surely the highlight of every prep football season and another excuse to get decked out in your Sunday best.
Annual disclaimer: These awards have no bearing on the upcoming All-Area Team, which is put together by Herald staffers with input from area coaches.
The Lemmy Awards are put together by me. Hence the name.
The envelopes, please...

COACH OF THE YEAR: Curt Bradley, Braden River - Bradley wins it for the second year in a row because his Pirates overachieved for the second year in a row. Yes, I picked the Pirates to reach the playoffs way back in August.  But I didn't expect an undefeated regular season and district title clinched with a three-touchdown defeat of Palmetto. Bradley asked his players to believe in him and his staff while in the throes of a nightmarish 1-9 campaign in 2012, and he has certainly delivered. And the players deserve credit for sticking with it. Now comes the tough part: Keeping the winning  going when everybody expects it. Given what Bradley has done in such a short time,  however, it has become awfully tough to bet against him.
HONORABLE MENTION: John Booth, Manatee; Josh Smithers, Cardinal Mooney.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Johnnie Lang, Manatee - Oh, what a year.  The speedy Hurricane plowed his way to 2,116 yards (second-best single-season total in Hurricanes history) and 32 touchdowns in leading Manatee to its 15th regional championship. What made Lang's season so special was he didn't sneak up on anyone.  Opponents, especially when Manatee was ironing out its passing game early in the season, knew stopping the Hurricanes meant stopping Lang. And few could. In a season of standout performances, nothing topped what he did against Vero Beach in the second round of the Class 8A playoffs, scoring five times and rushing for 208 yards. Here's the best part, Canes fans: Lang is only a junior.
HONORABLE MENTION: Jacob Huesman, Braden River; Kwanzi Jackson,  Manatee; Quincy Washington, Palmetto; Reese Vita, Cardinal Mooney.

CLUTCH MOMENT OF THE YEAR: Nick Null's game-winning field goal in Class 8A-Region 2 final: With the wind swirling as momentum shifted away from Manatee, Null booted a 39-yarder to snap a 21-21 tie with Orlando Dr. Phillips with two minutes, 36 seconds remaining. John Madden said there is no such thing as a chip shot, that all kicks from all lengths are difficult. That's especially true in the prep ranks, where the kickers are far removed from their high-powered foes in the NFL. But Null, who also hit a big 42-yarder to help  Manatee beat Venice, made it look simple that night at Bill Spoone Stadium, where Phillips lost for the first time in 38 games.
HONORABLE  MENTION: Braden River's Jacob Huesman throwing for 316 yards and two touchdowns vs.  Palmetto in 7A-10 championship game; Manatee's  defense blanking Venice; Lakewood  Ranch's  Darren Lowery's 1-yard touchdown run with 33 seconds remaining vs. North Port.

QUOTE OF THE YEAR: "...We just thought that maybe that would be a memory for them to kind of find something that everybody could unify around." - Cardinal Mooney assistant and former Southeast head coach Paul Maechtle, who created a drill at the end of practice reminding Mooney of a key personal foul penalty suffered in last year's  Class 3A  playoffs. This year's Cougars won their first playoff game since 2006.

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2014/11/14/5473714/prep-football-drill-keeps-last.html#storylink=cpy

Football: Manatee's Booth, Lang third in voting

Manatee coach John Booth and running back Johnnie  Lang each took third in Class 8A in the Coach and Player of the Year balloting for the Florida Dairy Farmers High School Sports Awards.
Results were announced Monday.
In his first season at Manatee, Booth tallied 70 points, tying him with Miami Columbus' Chris Merritt. The Hurricanes went 12-2 and won district and regional championships under Booth, a 2000 Manatee alum hired in July.
Pembroke Pines Flanagan Devin Bush was first and Apopka's Rick Darlington was second.
Lang rushed for 2,116 yards and 32 touchdowns in his junior season and first as a starter. He finished with 56 points behind Player of the Year De'Andre Johnson of Jacksonville First Coast and runner-up Jacques Patrick from  Orlando Timber Creek.
Braden River's Curt Bradley (7A) and Cardinal  Mooney's  Josh Smithers and Reese Vita (3A), coach and  player of the year nominees in their classifications, did not crack the top three.
Voting was done by a panel of coaches and media members.

Football: The skinny on Apopka

Manatee heads back to the Orlando area Friday to face Apopka in a Class 8A state semifinal with the winner off to the state championship game Dec. 13 at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
Here is a primer on the Blue Darters.

RECORD: 9-4
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Blue Darters were the runner-up in District 4 and defeated District 3 champ Oviedo in the first round of the playoffs before blasting Winter Garden West Orange, 42-0, after losing to the Warriors during the regular season. Apopka then won a shootout over Jacksonville First Coast, 64-48, to claim the Region 1 title.
QUITE THE QUARTET: Apopka's four losses this season all came to playoff teams: Orlando Oak Ridge, West Orange, Plantation American Heritage and Orlando Edgewater.
VERY OFFENSIVE: The Blue Darters have scored 190 points during their current four-game winning streak, though this is nothing new: Apopka set a state scoring record last season with 786 points despite losing Nebraska-bound quarterback Zack Darlington to an early-season injury.
HE'S NO  1:  Senior lineman Martez Ivey (6-foot-5, 271 pounds) is ranked the nation's top offensive tackle by Rivals. Florida State, Ohio State and Auburn are among the 16 schools to make Ivey an offer.
POSTSEASON PATTERN: Apopka has made the playoffs every year since 2000 and won state titles in '01 and 2012. Both championships came under current coach Rick Darlington, who returned to Apopka in 2006 after spending 2003-05 coaching Valdosta High in Georgia.  The Blue Darters lost last year's Class 8A state title game to South Dade.
QUOTABLE: "People  call  it a Pop Warner offense, and that's not a joke: Pop Warner invented it in 1907. Jim Thorpe was his tailback, that's how old it is." Rick Darlington on Apopka's single wing offense.

Football: Booth, Bradley, Lang, Smithers and Vita up for awards

Braden River's  Curt Bradley (7A), Cardinal Mooney's Josh Smithers (3A) and Manatee's  John Boooth (8A) are all up for Coach of the Year in their classifications, while Manatee running back Johnnie Lang (8A) and Cardinal Mooney quarterback Reese Vita (3A) are player of the year nominees in the Florida Dairy Farmers High School Sports Awards.
In his first year replacing Joe Kinnan, Booth has the Hurricanes (12-1) in the Class 8A state semifinals Friday at Apopka after leading them to district and regional titles. A big part of that has been Lang, a junior who has rushed for 2,088 yards and 32 touchdowns. Only Shevin Wiggins (2,267 in 1993) has rushed for more yards in a single season at Manatee.
Two years after losing his first nine games, Bradley helped the Pirates win their first district title and record an undefeated regular season en route to Region 3 semifinals.
Smithers, who took over the Cougars in 2007, helped Mooney win its second straight district title and reach the Region 3 championship game. Vita threw for 1,226 yards and set program records for passing yards and touchdowns in a career.
The players of the year in each classification will have a chance to be named Mr.  Football, while the coaches of the year will be up for the state's overall award.

Volleyball: Manatee's Cothron, Coulter win Class 8A awards

Winning its first state title is continuing to pay dividends for Manatee's volleyball team.
Haley Coulter was named the Class 8A Player of the Year and Tony Cothron was named the classification's Coach of the Year in the Florida Dairy Farmers High School Sports Awards after helping the Hurricanes win a state championship Nov.  15.
Coulter earned 132 points to beat Jupiter's Cara Guthrie (119) after finishing the season with 356 kills, 261 digs and 31 blocks. In Manatee's state semifinal and final victories, Coulter, a junior who has committed to Tulsa, had 32 kills and 22 digs.
"It's nice to be recognized for something I love to do,"  Coulter said, "and this award is just as much mine as it is my coach's, my team and my family's. I wouldn't be the player that I am today without them."
By winning the honor in Class 8A, Coulter is up for Miss Volleyball along with the players of the year in the state's  seven other classifications.
Manatee had never advanced past the regional semifinals before Cothron took over the program prior to this season. A longtime area club coach, Cothron led the Canes to 25 wins and a 3-1 win over nationally-ranked Jupiter in the state championship match.
Cothron tallied 146 points to beat Jupiter's Blane Betz (133) and is now a nominee for the state's overall  Coach of the Year honor.
Lakewood Ranch coach Perri Hankins finished third  in the Class 7A Coach of the Year honors with 49 points. Hankins helped the Mustangs reach the state semifinals for the second time in three years.

Football: Former Seminole and personal trainer Charles Chestnut honoring late friend

Southeast alum Charles Chestnut, owner of Chestnut Performance Training, is conducting free workouts at his Lakewood Ranch training center this week in honor of his friend, Gabriella "Gigi" Longpre, who was killed in a car accident Thursday.
Longpre, a Bradenton resident, was  22.
Workouts at Chestnut Performance Training, 7345 International Place, Suite 103 in Lakewood Ranch, are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 6:30  p.m.  and Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 a.m. They are free of charge though donations will be accepted to help  Longpre's family pay for the services.
Chestnut is also hosting a candlelight vigil  8:45 p.m. tonight at the Riverwalk in Bradenton.
Chestunt starred in football  and track at Southeast before playing football at Western Illinois, where he earned a degree in biology. A certified personal trainer, Chestnut founded CPT in 2013.

Football: Vero Beach has a dangerous QB-WR tandem

photo courtesy of Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers

John Booth knows a thing or two about being a prolific quarterback.
In order for his Manatee Hurricanes to reach the Class 8A-Region 2 title game, they need to contain one.
Vero Beach heads to Hawkins Stadium on Friday for a regional semifinal. Leading the way for the Indians is quarterback Carter Stanley, who has thrown for 2,819 yards and 36 touchdowns for the 11-0 Indians, who are looking to reach a regional final for the first time  in 11 years.
Friday's winner plays either Tampa Plant or Orlando Dr.Phillips next Friday for the regional championship and a spot in the final four.
"Really (need to) try to create some pressure with our defensive line on their quarterback," Booth said. "If we let him sit in the pocket and just be comfortable all night, he's good enough to kind of pick you apart and get it to their different weapons."
After graduating from  Manatee in 2000, Booth played at MidAmerica Nazarene, a NAIA school in Kansas, and threw for 4,250 yards and 42 touchdowns to earn All-America honors and a spot in the school's hall of fame.
"So we've got to get pressure on him and collapse that pocket,"   Booth said of Stanley, "and get him to make some errant throws."
Manatee has had success getting pressure on quarterbacks, recording 44 during the regular season, including 21 from end Kwanzi Jackson. Manatee also intercepted 12 passes, and the Canes will call on that secondary to try and quell M.J. McGriff, Stanley's favorite target who has pulled in 97 catches and 20 touchdowns this season.
McGriff has also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, which means Manatee needs a big night from kicker Nick Null, who has sent 40 of 64 kickoffs into the end zone for a touchback.

"They’ve got a special talent at receiver,"  Booth said. "He can beat you in the screen game, he can get vertical on you. So we have to make sure we stay over the top of him."

 

Volleyball: Notes and observations from Manatee's state championship

photo by John Lembo

-  If you like close volleyball, Manatee was the team for you. The Hurricanes won their six sets against University and Jupiter by a combined 14 points and allowed 22 points or more in each one. Jupiter actually outscored Manatee 98-93 in the championship  match, which Manatee won 3-1 on the strength of three two-point victories.
- Manatee lost just three sets in seven postseason matches, dropping two to Palm Harbor University in a Region 2 semifinal and another to Jupiter in the championship match.
- If there was an official MVP of the tournament, Haley Coulter would have made a strong candidate. The Tulsa commit had 32 kills and 22 digs in the semifinal  and  final to go along with five blocks. No surprise the junior is up for Player of the Year honors in Class 8A.
- Speaking of awards, Canes coach Tony Cothron has a solid shot of winning the title in Class 8A. Manatee never made it past the regional  semifinals before Cothron showed up and the Canes wound up winning the county's first state volleyball title since Palmetto in 1986.
- The last area volleyball team to reach a state final was  Cardinal  Mooney, a runner-up to  Orlando Bishop  Moore in Class 3A in  2000. Palmetto is the last county team to do so,  falling to Estero in 1988 in the Class 2A final. That capped quite a run for the Tigers, won a state title in '86 and made the final four the following year.
- The Hurricanes had a two-headed set monster in  Kissimmee  as junior Gillian Cassidy and freshman Gabby Coulter teamed for 82 assists in the two matches. They were balanced, too - Coulter had 42, Cassidy had 40.
- How did Manatee win so  many close sets? Success at the service line helped. The Hurricanes totaled 19 aces at Kissimmee, including six from Stefani Keller. (Jupiter and University combined for seven.) A freshman, Keller won the Region 2 championship match at Orlando Timber Creek with an ace to send Manatee to the state semifinals.
- The volleyball team is  Manatee's first indoor team to win a state title since the boys weightlifting team won the Class 4A title in 1990. Nine boys lifters have won individual titles for Manatee. The wrestling team has 16 individual championships but never won the team trophy, finishing second in 1973, 2007 and '09. The girls lifting team crowned a champ in 2004 when Sam DeCristofaro won at 129 pounds.
(Cheerleading is a bit tricky. Manatee has won consecutive state cheer titles but is that considered an inside sport? Discuss.)
- Not a bad year for volleyball  in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Venice and Manatee won state titles and  Lakewood Ranch reached the state semifinals for the second time in three years.

Prep volleyball: Manatee, Orange City University have already met

photo by Timothy R. Wolfrum

Friday marks Manatee's first time playing in a state semifinal though it won't mark the first time the Hurricanes have seen their opponent.
Manatee plays Orange City University at 9 a.m. Friday in a Class 8A state semifinal in Kissimmee less than two months after beating the Titans 2-0 during the Winter Park/Lake Highland Showcase.
The Hurricanes won 25-22, 25-23 on Sept. 13.
"They just know they have to come out and play, and play defense," said Canes coach Tony Cothron. "I think across the board we're more offensive than the other team, but we just need to play defense. If we play defense like we did Saturday (at Orlando Timber Creek in the Region 2 final), it's going to be a short day for us...We didn't play defense very well."
Haley and JoJo Coulter had eight kills each for Manatee against the Titans, who had nine kills from Jenna Talbert.
The defenses matched up well: Manatee had 31 digs, led by Haley Coulter and Jesse Durst, who had 10 each; Rebekah Blunt and Monica Jones had eight apiece for the Titans, who had 29. And Manatee made 12 digging errors to the Titans' 13.
MaxPreps ranks Manatee third in Class 8A while University is fourth, making this an even more of a tougher match to call.
The winner plays either Jupiter or Miami Coral Reef at 11:05 a.m. Saturday for the state championship.

Volleyball: District championship pairings

photo by Paul Videla

Jacqui Armer and Manatee's volleyball team are looking for a second consecutive district title tonight against Palm Harbor University in a Class 8A-District 8 final.
Here are the local pairings for tonight's finals. All teams have qualified for the regional tournament, which gets underway Tuesday (Classes 8A, 6A, 4A, 2A) and Wednesday (7A, 5A, 3A).
Tonight's matches begin at 7 p.m.

CLASS 8A-DISTRICT 8
Palm Harbor University at Manatee
CLASS 7A-DISTRICT 10
Sarasota at Lakewood Ranch
CLASS 5A-DISTRICT 10
Southeast at Gulfport Boca Ciega
CLASS 3A-DISTRICT 10 at BRADENTON CHRISTIAN
Out-of-Door Academy vs. Cardinal Mooney

Volleyball: District pairings

photo by Tim  Wolfrum

Lakewood  Ranch's volleyball team has reason to celebrate - the  Mustangs are the top seed in next week's Class 7A-District 10 tournament.
Here are the pairings for the tournaments involving area teams. The top two finishers in each district advance to the regional  playoffs, which begin Tuesday, Oct.  28 (Classes 2A,  4A,  6A and 8A) and   Wednesday, Oct.  29 (1A, 3A, 5A, 7A).
Each team's seeds are in parentheses.

CLASS 8A-DISTRICT 8
SEMIFINALS - TUESDAY
(4)  St. Petersburg at (1) Manatee, 7 p.m.
(3) Riverview at (2) Palm Harbor University,  7 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP - THURSDAY
7 p.m.at highest remaining seed

CLASS 7A-DISTRICT 10
PLAY-IN GAME - MONDAY
(5) Palmetto at (4) North Port, 7 p.m.
SEMIFINALS - TUESDAY
Palmetto/North Port at (1) Lakewood Ranch, 7 p.m.
(3) Braden River at (2) Sarasota, 7 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP - THURSDAY
7 p.m.  at highest remaining seed

CLASS 5A-DISTRICT 10
PLAY-IN GAME - MONDAY
(5)   St.  Petersburg Gibbs at (4) St. Petersburg Lakewood, 7 p.m.
SEMIFINALS - TUESDAY
Gibbs/Lakewood at (1) Gulfport Boca Ciega,  7  p.m.
(3) Southeast at (2) Bayshore, 7 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP  - THURSDAY
7 p.m. at highest remaining seed

CLASS 3A-DISTRICT 10 at BRADENTON CHRISTIAN
PLAY-IN GAME - MONDAY
(5) Imagine School of North Port vs. (4) Saint Stephen's, 7 p.m.
SEMIFINALS - TUESDAY
Imagine School/Saint Stephen's  vs.  (1) Cardinal Mooney, 5  p.m.
(3) Bradenton Christian vs. (2) Out-of-Door  Academy, 7 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP - THURSDAY
7 p.m.

Golf: District tournaments

Philip Knowles and Bradenton Christian's boys golf team head to Bent Tree Country Club on Monday for the Class 1A-District 17 golf tournament

Proof the fall season is winding down: The playoffs are upon us beginning with the district golf meets, scheduled for next week at various sites.
The top three teams  in each district advance to regional play and the top three individuals not on regional-qualifying teams advance, as well.
Here is the information involving local  schools.

DISTRICT: Class  3A-District 14
LOCALS: Braden River,  Lakewood Ranch, Manatee
BOYS: 8 a.m.  Monday, Misti Creek Country Club, Sarasota
GIRLS: Noon, Tuesday, Mission Valley  Country Club, Nokomis

DISTRICT: Class  2A-District 19
LOCALS: Bayshore,  Palmetto, Southeast
BOYS and GIRLS: 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Golf Hammock Golf and Country Club, Sebring

DISTRICT: Class 1A-District 17
LOCALS: Bradenton Christian, Cardinal  Mooney, Out-of-Door Academy,   Saint Stephen's
BOYS:  10 a.m. Monday, Bent Tree Country Club, Sarasota
GIRLS: 11 a.m.    Monday, Tatum Ridge Golf  Links,  Sarasota

Football: Sloan Drummonds is Manatee's quarterback

A balanced Manatee attack will ease the workload of running back Johnnie Lang

As Manatee approaches the most critical stretch of its schedule, head coach John Booth has decided to put senior Sloan Drummonds under center.
A transfer from Sebastian River, Drummonds has had an eventful year at Manatee, leaving the team after the Kickoff  Classic before  deciding to return.  But his performance Saturday at Southeast, where he threw for 180 yards and three touchdowns while running for another in his Manatee debut, convinced Booth that Drummonds is the best option heading Thursday's Class 8A-Distrit 7 opener at Riverview.
"Sloan did a great job for us in creating some balance in what we were trying to do," Booth said following practice Wednesday.
Drummonds was slowed by an injury over the summer and was replaced by sophomore A.J.  Colagiovanni. But as the season progressed,  Manatee become  more  reliant on running back Johnnie Lang, who leads the area with 765 rushing yards while averaging close  to 30 carries per game lining up mostly in the wildcat.
"We looked at it and said, 'There's no  way we'll be able to run Johnnie like that for the course of the season,'" said Booth, whose brother,  James,  is Manatee's  offensive coordinator. "And we were going to get into some teams that were going to load the box, go cover zero and force Johnnie to throw. So  we're going to have to be able to find  some balance,  and  Sloan  did that for us against Southeast."
Lang will still be used out of the wildcat, however.
"That's  just been so successful for us," Booth said, "so it would be silly to not use that."
Colagiovanni completed 21 of 43 attempts for 307 yards, three interceptions and a touchdown. And Booth praised the sophomore for how he has handled the personnel   shift.
"A.J.'s been, I can't even stress, he's been fantastic," Booth said. "He's been very supportive,  he understands, and we tried to be very honest with him, as well. And he's responded well.  And he's been very supportive of Sloan and he's just a team guy, and he's  looking forward to being whatever role he could  do  for the team this year and improving and building to hopefully where he can get out there and play in the future."
The Hurricanes are 4-1 overall and host Palmetto next week before playing St. Petersburg on Oct.  17 in a key district game in Bradenton. Following a bye week Oct. 24, Manatee closes district play Oct. 31 at Palm Harbor University and wraps the regular season Nov. 7 at Venice.

Prep football: Manatee, IMG nationally ranked

photo by Grant Jefferies

Manatee is back in the national rankings.
Winners of four straight following Saturday's  39-26 win over rival Southeast, the Hurricanes are ranked 71st in the HSFB100 at nationalhsfootball.com.
Ranked No.1 in three different national polls during the 2012 season, Manatee entered this season unranked. But Manatee began last week ninth in Class 8A by The Associated Press.
The Hurricanes open Class  8A-District 7 on Thursday at Riverview. Manatee has won 50 straight regular-season games against Florida opponents and has not lost a district game since Oct. 31,  2008 at Venice.
IMG Academy also cracked the HSFB100, entering the list at 89 after beating New Jersey's   St.Peter's  Prep.  St. Peter's entered the game ranked fifth and is now 27th.

Volleyball: Lakewood Ranch wins county title

photo by Tim Wolfum

Lakewood Ranch swept Manatee (25-22, 25-22) to win the Manatee County volleyball tournament Saturday at Braden River.
It was the Mustangs' first county championship since 2007.
The Hurricanes had won the last two titles.
For more on the Mustangs' win, check out Sunday's edition of The Bradenton Herald.
Here is the all-tournament team:
Bayshore - Kristen Fleury
Braden River - Siena Kelly
Bradenton Christian - Savannah Shontere
Lakewood Ranch - Nicole Grant, Courtney Rapp
Manatee - Haley Coulter, Jacqui Armer
Palmetto - Whitley Canezo
Saint Stephen's - Bryce Liebel
Southeast - Emma Bartges

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER - Nicole Grant, Lakewood Ranch

Volleyball: County tournament information

Manatee will be looking for its third straight county title Friday and Saturday at Braden River.

Braden River will host this year's  Manatee County volleyball tournament, which gets underway 4:30  p.m. Friday and resumes 8 a.m. Saturday morning.
The Pirates reached the finals  last year for the first time and fell to Manatee, which won its second straight title and seventh overall.
The eight teams will be split into Pools A and B and the top two finishers from each pool advance to the Gold Bracket  to play off for the championship and third place.
The third- and fourth-place teams will play for fifth and seventh place in the Silver Bracket.
The championship and fifth-place games are scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday.
Listed below is the information for this year's  tournament with each team's seed in parentheses. Seeding is based on last year's  results.

POOL A - (1) Manatee, (4) Saint Stephen's, (5) Bradenton Christian, (8) Bayshore.
POOL B - (2) Braden River, (3)  Lakewood  Ranch, (6) Southeast, (7) Palmetto.

Volleyball: Manatee alum Butler doing well at Mars Hill

Former  Manatee volleyball  player Becca Butler has had little trouble finding success at the college level.
A freshman at Mars Hills University, a Division II school in North Carolina,  Butler earned All-Tournament Team honors for her play Saturday during the CSU Cougar Invitational at Columbus State.
Butler, an outside hitter, had 20 kills,  10 digs and eight blocks during the tournament. She is second on the team with 73 kills,  which is also good for 11th in the South Atlantic Conference.
Butler was named The Herald's All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year  in 2013 after helping the Hurricanes win the Class 8A-District 8 title.

Football: Drummonds is back with Manatee

Quarterback Sloan Drummonds has returned to Manatee's  football team.
A transfer from Sebastian River,  Drummonds left the Hurricanes  prior to the start of the regular season. But the senior was on Manatee's  sideline Friday wearing his jersey and a  pair  of shorts, and coach John Booth said Drummonds will suit up next week when Manatee hosts Sarasota.
"It was a mutual thing. It didn't work out where he was going, and he wanted to come back. And it worked out,"  Booth said Friday following Manatee's win over Naples. "It wasn't  a negative thing why they were leaving.  And when they came back we said, 'Yeah,  we'll take you back. No problem,' with certain conditions...He's been great with understanding his role and where he fits in with everything."
Sophomore  A.J. Colagiovanni got the start during the Canes' Kickoff Classic at Tarpon Springs East Lake while Drummonds, who had battled an injury during camp, watched in the sideline from street clothes. He left the team days before Manatee opened the regular season in Ware County, Ga.
Though Drummonds will  be active against the Sailors, Booth said he won't  automatically slide into the starting lineup. Colagiovanni has completed 20  of 41 attempts for 304 yards, and Manatee has utilized running back Johnnie Lang out the  wildcat. The junior has totaled 367 yards on the ground and four touchdowns in the last two weeks.
"A.J.  played well and we've done some different things with Johnnie in the wildcat," Booth said,  "so we're not necessarily next week having (Drummonds) come in and start. But certainly as we move and progress down,  we're trying to find a role and where he can kind of fit in with the offense."