By:  J. Daniel Pearson

While 82 yards on 20 carries may not seem like much, the effort put in my reserve running back Eli Manning was absolute necessary and one of the key parts to St. Cloud’s 28-21 win over previously undefeated Gateway on Friday night.

Starting in place of the injured Michael Cuyler, Manning was the workhorse in the Panther game – rushing for two scores in the victory.  That effort led to Manning being named the Osceola Air Player of the Week for games of Oct. 2.

“We felt we could run against them and we certainly challenged Eli this week knowing he had to be the man to make that happen,” St. Cloud coach Michael Short said.  “We told him all week that we needed him not to go down on first contact and turn those 2 and 3-yard runs into five or six yards and that’s exactly what happened.”

Counting his two touchdowns, six of his runs gained first downs eight of his carries went for six or more yards against a Panther defense that had been allowing less than a touchdown a game.

“Gateway has a good team and they made running the ball tough,” Manning said.  “Still we felt we could move the ball on the ground and we were able to do it.”

A junior, Manning entered the game with just 16 carries, 1 score and 92 yards rushing.  He came close to almost doubling those totals in a single night vs. the Panthers.

Osceola Air Partners with Positively Osceola to Celebrate Local Student-Athletes

Positively Osceola is proud to welcome Osceola Air as the community partner of Positively Osceola’s Osceola Air Player of the Week, helping recognize outstanding high school football student-athletes from across Osceola County throughout the season.

A 100% locally owned and operated company, Osceola Air has deep roots in the community it serves. Founded by lifelong Osceola County resident Zak McMorrow launched in 2014, the St. Cloud-based company has grown from a small local HVAC business into a full-service home comfort company providing air conditioning, heating, plumbing, drain and indoor air quality services throughout Osceola County and surrounding Central Florida communities. Giving back to the communities it serves is also one of Osceola Air’s core values.

OSCEOLA AIR PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Week 1:  Jaden Taylor, St. Cloud

Week 2: Nydrell Thigpen, Gateway

Week 3:  Jason Lewis, Osceola

Week 4: Iran Gonzalez, St. Cloud

Week 5: Dylan Dingle, Gateway

Week 6:  AJ Wise, Tohopekaliga

Week 7:  Eli Manning, St. Cloud