Jacquez Green, Manatee Have A Bright Future

By now, if you follow high school football in the state of Florida, you know that there was a coaching change made in the off-season at Bradenton Manatee. After an 8-2 year, which included a one-point loss to rival Bradenton Southeast, and a season-ending 45-0 loss to eventual 7A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas, Coach <strong>Yusuf Shakir</strong> was let go. During his time with Manatee, he won his 100th career game, leading the Hurricanes to back-to-back District 7A championships and won five playoff games. He was 29-16. Enter <strong>Jacquez Green. </strong>The University of Florida Hall of Fame receiver had groomed himself to one day become a head football coach, serving as an assistant at St. Petersburg Gibbs, Tallahassee Lincoln, Valdosta (Ga.), Tallahassee Godby, and for the past two years as the Offensive Coordinator for Manatee<strong>.</strong> After a spring in which he had the chance to start rebuilding several positions, Green and the Hurricanes know that their work will be cut out – even though district rival Venice had moved to 8A. What the Hurricanes need to do this season is rely on a seniors class. One that has athletes coming back with leadership and experience. Among those Class of 2022 standouts who are expected to make a major impact include<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="50069" first="Tyreak" last="Allen"] </strong>(DB, 6-0, 180), <strong>Jayce Berzowski</strong> (QB, 6-1, 180), <strong>Carlo Caceres</strong> (OT, 6-3, 230), <strong>Stanqualin Collins</strong> (DT, 6-3, 300), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="111469" first="Jaleel" last="Duncan"]</strong> (WR, 5-10, 170), <strong>Sonny Jenkins</strong> (CB, 5-11, 175), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="111448" first="Kyree" last="Jones"]</strong> (TB, 5-8, 228) and standout <strong>Trent Lepoil</strong> (TE/H-Back, 6-1, 200). The Hurricanes also will look to <strong>Derick Lewis </strong>(DL, 6-1, 250), <strong>Alex Lubbs</strong> (OL, 6-5, 300),  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="111553" first="Cameron" last="McCloud"]</strong> (OL/DL, 6-4, 260), <strong>Christopher Perry</strong> (WR, 6-3, 165), <strong>Elijah Stewart</strong> (WR, 6-0, 165) and linebackers <strong>Cornell Thomas </strong>(6-0, 200) and <strong>Samu Vave</strong> (6-2, 230). <strong>PLENTY OF TALENT COMING UP</strong> While the Class of 2022 has the experience, the underclassmen are loaded with athletic ability and skill. Class of 2023 prospects like <strong>Roy Burchett</strong> (Athlete, 5-6, 150), <strong>Wesley Choate</strong> (LS, 5-11, 195), <strong>Bruno Gutschow</strong> (DL, 5-10, 250), <strong>Koby Keenan</strong> (TE, 6-6, 225), <strong>Daniel Dunbar </strong>(DB, 5-8, 170), <strong>Marcellous Ponder</strong> (LB/DE, 6-0, 235), <strong>Hayden Ridgley</strong> (OL, 6-2, 330), <strong>Nico Rodriguez</strong> (OG, 6-0, 315), <strong>Nathaniel Schofield</strong> (DE, 5-11, 200) and offensive lineman <strong>McKinney Xavier</strong> (6-4, 260). As the Class of 2023 will be impressive, Coach Green and the Hurricanes will certainly use prospects such as <strong>B.J. Bean</strong> (WR, 5-8, 155), <strong>Daron Jean</strong> (DB, 5-9, 160), <strong>Jaden Judge</strong> (Athlete, 5-8, 170), <strong>Tez McDowell</strong> (LB, 5-11, 190), <strong>Andrew Morris</strong> (OL, 6-3, 325) and defensive lineman <strong>Tyreek’e Robinson</strong> (6-1, 280) from this rising sophomore class. Also, the Class of 2024 will boast <strong>Cory Sanders</strong> (Athlete, 5-7, 160), <strong>Johnathan Squiteri</strong> (QB, 5-8, 165), <strong>Thamar Liafortune</strong> (Athlete, 5-10, 170), <strong>Keyvon Reddick</strong> (WR, 5-8, 150) and promising tight end <strong>Cade Weiskopf</strong> (5-11, 190). The Hurricanes are also excited about incoming freshman (2025) defensive tackle<strong> Ean Johnson-Kelley</strong> (6-0, 250). <strong>PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADENTON MANATEE FOOTBALL</strong> <strong><em>You Can Contact [player_tooltip player_id="111610" first="Larry" last="Blustein"] with prospect or team information at: Floridakids1@aol.com. We are also on Social Media on @PrepRedzonefl.</em></strong>