The Manatee High boys lacrosse team has already checked off one major milestone this season—winning a regional title. Now, the Hurricanes have their eyes locked on an even bigger prize: the FHSAA Class 2A state championship.
As the No. 2 seed in the state semifinals, Manatee (20-2) is set to face another second-seeded powerhouse, St. Thomas Aquinas (16-4), on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 5 p.m. at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples. The winner will advance to the title game on Saturday, where they'll face the victor of the other semifinal between top-seeded Ponte Vedra (19-2) and No. 4 seed Winter Park (20-1).
Under first-year head coach Derek Wagner, the Hurricanes have stormed through the Region 2A-3 bracket with authority. They opened with a dominant 22-1 win over No. 8 seed Horizon, followed by a 13-7 victory over No. 5 seed Newsome, and capped it off with a 12-5 triumph over No. 3 seed Plant to claim the regional crown.
"It feels good to move on, but now the focus is going to be playing Manatee Ball," Wagner said. "Nothing more, nothing less. We're just going to go out there and show them how we do it on the West Coast and introduce them to a little bit of Manatee lacrosse. Teams can be confident in what they do, but teams have no idea about our speed and physicalness, so we'll see if we can shake things up a bit down there."
The Hurricanes are riding a 13-game winning streak that dates back to March 13. Their impressive run has earned them a No. 8 ranking in Florida and a No. 12 national ranking according to MaxPreps.
Offensively, Manatee boasts a balanced attack led by a trio of underclassmen and a senior standout. Sophomore Easton Miller leads the charge with 62 goals and 15 assists, followed by juniors Dutch Anderson (56 goals, 22 assists) and Gabe Lahman (40 goals, 12 assists), and senior Devon McGonigle (34 goals, 20 assists).
But it's been the Hurricanes' defense that has truly shined during their winning streak. Over the last 13 games, Manatee has held opponents to an average of just five goals per game. That stinginess starts in net with sophomore goalkeeper Cooper Kolbe, who is backed by seniors Tommy Baugher and Andrew Desermia, along with sophomore Rob Tua'one.
St. Thomas Aquinas, meanwhile, enters the semifinals on an eight-game winning streak of their own. The Raiders blitzed through their regional bracket, shutting out No. 7 seed Gulf Coast 17-0, routing No. 3 seed Columbus 16-3, and taking down No. 1 seed Jupiter 13-8 in the final. They currently sit at No. 3 in both the state and national rankings according to MaxPreps.
The Raiders are led offensively by seniors James Finch (58 goals, 49 assists) and Diego Salazar (55 goals, 15 assists). With both teams riding hot streaks and boasting elite talent, Thursday's showdown promises to be a battle of speed, physicality, and championship ambition.