Para-Commandos to Drop in on Manatee High Pre-Game Friday

The game ball for the Manatee High School football game against nationally ranked Don Bosco Prep, out of New Jersey, will arrive in style at Hawkins Stadium

The U.S. Special Operations Command Parachute Demonstration Team, known as the Para-Commandos, are scheduled to perform a free fall parachute demonstration during the pre-game ceremonies at 5:40 p.m Friday. Those Para-Commandos will deliver the ball for the Manatee High vs. Don Bosco game.

The game is the first of the Suncoast Challenge, a prep football doubleheader matching Manatee and Tampa Plant against two premier New Jersey teams, Don Bosco is ranked first nationally. Tampa Plant will face off against Bergen Catholic in game two.

The first game kicks off at 6 p.m., and game two begins at 8:30 p.m. And the crowds are expected to be as big as the opening ceremonies. Tickets are on sale now and are $15 in advance, $20 gameday for both games.

The Para-Commandos team is made up of an elite team of active duty military and Department of Defense civilians assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Most are combat veterans with backgrounds in Special Operations.

U.S. Army team members have typically served with the Green Berets or the Army Rangers. Specialized combat controllers, para-rescue men and combat air crewmen represent the U.S. Air Force. Navy SEALs and Special Warfare Combat Crewmen represent the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps is represented by Special Operations Marines.

Special operators are highly skilled and trained in a variety of military missions ranging from direct combat to humanitarian assistance. On any given day, more than 12,000 Special Operations Forces are deployed to more than 70 countries worldwide.