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ZHOFRPH 72 7+( 6($621 Can you hear that autumn players to graduation. And Hyde, thunder yet? coming off of an ACL injury High school football, arguably early last season, is charged with the heart and soul of Plant City leading one of the area’s greenest sports, is finally back! The regular varsity squads. season kicks off tonight and, if The coverage doesn’t end here. you’re not quite ready right now, With our new Friday publication it’s our hope that you will be after date, you can expect to see some you finish reading the 2014 Plant changes in the way we cover City Times & Observer Football football. If you enjoyed the player Guide. profiles that made up plenty of I’ve been looking forour “Game of the Week” ward to this day ever since features, fear not: Those I first took over for Matt aren’t going away. We Mauney nearly a year ago. are, however, going to do His 2013 guide was one more with the upcoming of the first things that I game previews — going read to get educated on beyond printing only the the area, and one of my past week’s scores and a first assignments saw me few notes as a box with the JUSTIN covering the Durant-Plant main story. We’ll tell you KLINE City slugfest two days exactly who and what you later. need to watch for in the I was hooked. games, so that you’ll never go to a I’ve covered all prep sports in game flying blind. some capacity over the last four And, as always, we’re still going years, starting at the Naples Daily to give you the “Game of the News Sports desk and working Week” recaps and photo galleries in Collier, Lee and Polk counties, every Friday night. but I’ve had more fun in my The “Gridiron Report” podcast, current situation. Going from a as you already know, is back, and 31-school beat to a three-school will now go live every Thursday. beat has given me the opporIf you can’t wait until Friday to tunity to gain a more complete get your football fix, I’ll have you understanding of each team, as covered the day before. well as the impact of our local Things change all the time, but rivalries. we’re hoping this guide can serve It may be a small beat, but as a good reference point for you there’s never a dull moment at any time during the season. when there’s football. Keep an eye on the Plant City The 2014 guide’s theme is “PigTimes & Observer throughout the skin Puzzle,” because every team season for in-depth Durant, Plant in our area will be experimenting City and Strawberry Crest coverwith new pieces to see what fits age you won’t get anywhere else. best on game day. Not all of the And, if you have a great football puzzles are equally complex, but scoop for us, feel free to get in it’s almost a given that you will touch with me at any time. see new faces playing key roles We’re wishing all three teams on each team, filling in for those the best of luck this season, and who have graduated or transwe hope you have just as much ferred out of the area. fun watching the games as we do The athletes featured on the covering the teams! cover are all seniors: Durant quarterback Erick Davis, Plant City linebacker Sawyer Dawson and Strawberry Crest quarterOur football coverage goes beyond the pages you pick up back Tristan Hyde. Davis, who in the driveway or big green box will take the reins of the Cougar on Friday mornings. Check out offense from Trey VanDeGrift, PlantCityObserver.com for game looks to lead the team to greener scores, photo galleries, recaps, pastures than last year’s 3-7 camthe “Gridiron Report” podcast and more, and follow @PlantCitySports paign. Dawson, who rode a solid on Twitter for roster changes, 2013 season and 2014 offseason scholarship offers and committo a Purdue commitment, will ments, quarterly game updates and anchor a Plant City defense that other breaking news. lost three of the district’s best
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CHRIS ATKINS, RB, SR. 2013: 106 Car., 447 Yds. (4.22 Avg.), 44.7 YPG, 2 TD “Really good downhill runner. Quick, explosive.” — Mike Gottman
ERICK DAVIS, QB, SR. 2013: 3/5 (.600), 62 Yds. (20.7 Avg.), 1 TD, 143 QB Rate “Very talented. He’s quick. He’s a jitterbug who can run and pass.” — Mike Gottman
KADARIUS GRIFFIN, RB, SR. 2013: 96 Car., 409 Yds. (4.26 Avg.), 40.9 YPG, 3 TD “He’s a hard worker. He’s a leader on and off the field.” — Mike Gottman
Can the Cougars bounce back from a 3-7 2013, a season in which they lost three district games by five total points? Simply put, last season wasn’t supposed to play out the way it did. Coming fresh off Durant’s historic 11-0 regular season, the 2013 Cougars saw the return of several key starters — despite losing numerous seniors to graduation — and expected to do some more big things on the gridiron. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as expected. They didn’t even come close. “It was just one of those years,” head coach Mike Gottman says. “It was very, very difficult. I wasn’t used to losing those close games. It was tough. It was tough on everybody.”
The Cougars went 3-7 overall, with a 1-3 district record, and didn’t pick up their first win until Week 5 — a 26-0 Homecoming shutout against Gaither. Looking at the first four games, though, everyone knew it would be a rough month. Durant opened at home against nationally-relevant Armwood High School and then moved on to Sickles, Tampa Bay Tech and Plant City: two playoff teams, and one (TBT) that could have advanced if it played in another district. Durant lost those games by a combined score of 121-29. After that, the Cougars went 3-3 and didn’t lose a game by more than six points. With the
exception of the Gaither game and a 32-30 win over Hillsborough, they only averaged eight points per game. “I just think that this group felt entitled — that winning was just going to happen,” Gottman says. “And, they didn’t realize that it doesn’t just happen. You’ve got to make it happen. They expected it, and we made too many mistakes. We made way too many turnovers, had way too many penalties, and we just didn’t finish games.” For example, Gottman points to the season finale at East Bay, which the Indians won, 10-7, at the last minute. “It wasn’t until late in the
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Derek Wells Brandon Loudermilk Jalen Forte Kadarius Griffin Avry Walden Erick Davis Justin Bauman Quenton Williams Austin Resendez Brandon Cheatham Tracy Watson Noah Johnson Owen Carty Garrett Rentz Xavier Walden Jaden Garrett Randy Pickford Brandon Myers Kameron Joyce Jack Thompson Chris Atkins Anthony Grimaldi Jake Harris Brian Smith Tanner Jernigan Jacob Ross Blake Moody Adrien Kirkland Emilio Bell Dillon Novo Dustin Miller Justen Shillato D.J. Curry Garrett Waits Austin Lumley Cody Gregory Steven Wichosky Dalton Spare Alex Coughlin Ricardo Torres Christian Valdez Cody Johns O’Shay Haynes Kensey Davis Justin Davis Joe Williamson Aaron Zofnas Jawun Green
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• There hasn’t been a Plant City native in the NFL since 1993, when running back Derrick Gainer last played for the Dallas Cowboys. But former Durant and USF cornerback Trae Williams has come the closest since. He was drafted by Jacksonville in the fifth round in 2008 but never made a regular-season roster.
• You do not want to play the Cougars at the end of September. They’ve won every one of those games for the last six years and, with the exception of the 2012 game against Wharton, have done so by an average of 21.8 points — including two shutouts.
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fourth quarter, we were up 7-6 on East Bay, and we snapped the ball over the punter’s head,” Gottman says. “We could have been up on East Bay by seven or 10 points, but we didn’t do it. They hung around. Credit goes to them. They held us. They made us punt.” And that’s about as much as Gottman and the Cougars are willing to say about last year. The 2014 season will be better, they insist, and it’s going to start with the offense.
MIXING IT UP
Durant relied heavily on the run game last season, using a three-back system to eat up as much time on the clock as possible and wear defenses down. Quarterback Trey VanDeGrift competed 43% of his 122 pass attempts for 596 yards, with four touchdowns to eight interceptions, so the offense banked largely on the successes of John Hendricks, Chris Atkins and Kadarius Griffin. The play of the offensive line wasn’t always consistent; the backs combined for 1,782 yards and eight scores. Hendricks graduated this spring, so it’s up to seniors Atkins and Griffin to lead the way now.
But, Durant fans can expect the team to get more pass-friendly this season. Erick Davis, a dual-threat quarterback, will have the benefit of throwing to a handful of big bodies down the field. Garrett Rentz, who stands 6-foot-6, is expected to lead the receiving corps in what could be his breakout year. “Any time you have a 6-foot-6 target, it creates a lot of matchup problems,” receivers coach Jackson Barwick says. “He’s come a long ways. He got a lot better over the summer. He did some really good things at camp this year. He should have a really good year.” Another target with whom Davis will likely become friendly is 6-foot-4 tight end Joe Williamson, arguably one of the more underrated players in the area. Those two, along with 6-foot-3 junior wideout Aaron Zofnas, give Durant plenty of viable options for those red-zone situations. “We simplified some stuff and really just got back to the basics,” Barwick says. “We’re still going to be a run-heavy team and throw some play action.”
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We’ve got Plant City, we’ve got Strawberry Crest, we’ve got Brandon and East Bay. You never know. I’m hoping to win the district championship and get into the playoffs. — Mike Gottman
CLASS: 7A | DISTRICT: 8 | OFFENSE: SPREAD OPTION | DEFENSE: 4-3
SEE DURANT / PAGE 6
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5(68/76 The Cougars went .500 in their final six games, but their 1-3 district record kept them far away from the playoff picture. Aug. 30: Armwood 48, Durant (H) 6 Sept. 6: Sickles (H) 28, Durant 0 Sept. 13: Tampa Bay Tech 31, Durant (H) 10 Sept. 20: Plant City (H) 14, Durant 13* Sept. 27: Durant (H) 26, Gaither 0 Oct. 4: Strawberry Crest 11, Durant (H) 10* Oct. 11: Newsome (H) 9, Durant 3 Oct. 18: Durant (H) 12, Brandon 10* Oct. 25: Durant 32, Hillsborough (H) 30 Nov. 1: East Bay (H) 10, Durant 7*
6&+('8/( Aug. 29: @ Armwood Sept. 5: vs. Sickles Sept. 12: @ Tampa Bay Tech Sept. 19: vs. Plant City* Sept. 26: @ Gaither Oct. 3: @ Strawberry Crest* Oct. 10: vs. Newsome Oct. 17: @ Brandon* Oct. 24: vs. Hillsborough Oct. 31: vs. East Bay* Note: * denotes a district game
Note: * denotes a district game
DURANT / PAGE 5 For all of this to work, though, Durant will need the offensive line to function properly. “It’s been a challenge, to get some consistency and get five good ones (on the O-line),” Gottman says. New addition, Kensey Davis, should help. Davis, a senior who previously played at Mulberry High School, is an intriguing prospect. Listed at 6-foot-4, 340 pounds, he’s one of those players that makes your dad tap your shoulder during a game and say, “What are they feeding that kid?” Gottman would like to see Davis get more aggressive with his play and, should that happen, Durant won’t have to worry much about its right side. So, the Cougars likely will have a more difficult time finding pieces for another side of the puzzle.
SHIFTING THE FOCUS
No part of the Durant football team was hit harder by graduation than its defense. It lost 11 seniors, many of whom were key players. Gone is Dontriel Perry, the defensive end who collected 10.5 sacks and led the team with 32 solo tackles. Gone is linebacker Mason Bridges, who led the team with 22 assisted tackles and 51 total, while also forcing two fumbles. Gone is cornerback Gabe Brown, who caught six interceptions and scooped up two fumbles in nine games. Colin Kiehlmeier, Evan Moody and many members of the defensive line are also gone. It’s not yet known who will step up and make a Perry-esque impact for the front seven (besides Davis, who is also listed as a defensive tackle on the team roster), but Gottman likes what he’s seen so far. “The D-line — we’re small, but we’re quick,” Gottman says. “We don’t have great size,
but we’re pretty fundamentally sound. Gritty. Tough.” Gottman also likes the way the secondary looks. Quenton Williams, a senior, brings above-average height to the safety position at 6-foot-1. Playing next to him will be Jaden Garrett, who Gottman believes could turn into a reliable playmaker. “(Garrett) is a sophomore, but he’s got great instincts for the ball,” Gottman says. Avry Walden, a senior, is returning to cornerback this season, but now he’ll be playing across from his younger brother, Xavier — a junior that played on the 2013 junior varsity squad. The Walden boys are expected to make life difficult for any receivers that try to burn them. “They’re very aggressive, and they can run,” Gottman says. Most important, in any facet of the game, is the team’s mental makeup. If these players learned anything from watching last year’s squad, and if they agree with Gottman’s comments about a false sense of entitlement, then Cougar fans should see a more disciplined team on the field, perhaps with a better work ethic. And, on that front, the coaches are saying so far, so good. “They know how close, the fine line it is, between winning and losing,” Gottman says of the 2014 team. “I believe that. I really do.” The coaches are determined to not let 2013 happen again, but it’ll be up to the players to decide their own fate. With another brutal schedule to open the season, it’ll be a grind. But these Cougars might just be ready to get their hands dirty. “These guys had a pretty good offseason; they worked hard all summer,” Gottman says. “I think we’ve got a pretty good group.”
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AUSTIN CARSWELL, QB/ATH, SR. 2013: 80/168 (.476), 930 Yds. (11.6 Avg.), 13 TD, 7 INT, 73 QB Rate “We’re very, very excited with what he’s done in camp so far. — Wayne Ward
SAWYER DAWSON, LB, SR. 2013: 87 Tackles (49 Solo, 38 Asst.), 12 TFL, 2 Sacks, 3 INT, 2 Blocked Punts “He’s a high-energy, high-impact, high-IQ player. He does an amazing job for us.” — Wayne Ward
MARKESE HARGROVE, RB, JR. 2013: 29 Car., 164 Yds. (5.66 Avg.); 25 Rec., 270 Yds. (10.8 Avg.), 4 TD “Markese is special. He knows the offense — he’s another coach, on the field.” — Wayne Ward
The Raiders lost nearly all their stars to graduation or transfer. Can the new guys get them back to the playoffs? The 2013 season was good to the Plant City Raiders, more so than any other team in the area. After an underwhelming 4-6 performance in 2012, last year’s Raiders went 8-3 and came just one quarter away from winning a three-way district tiebreaker playoff game. “We had some guys who could play football,” head coach Wayne Ward says. “We put them in position to make plays, and, the majority of the time, they did.” The Raiders opened with games against Steinbrenner and Wharton, outscoring their opponents 58-10, and sneaked past Durant for a 14-13 district win after a bye week. But, if Ward is happy about any one
non-district game, it would be that 40-0 shutout road win over Bloomingdale — a team that had just hung 40 points in a 10-point loss to state superpower Plant High School the week before. Even though East Bay upset Plant City for its first district title in four decades, the Raiders still made the playoffs. They met a hungry Sickles team on a rain-soaked field and, despite holding the Gryphons to a 17-10 final score, had no answer for superstar running back Ray Ray McCloud III. “We went up against a really good Sickles team in the first round, and they had a good game plan,” Ward says. “They executed. Unfortunately, we didn’t, and they beat us.”
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It was not how the players wanted to go out, especially with so many talented seniors. Quarterback Landon Galloway, who will play for the U.S. Air Force Academy, had an excellent season: boasting a .543 completion percentage and 14 throwing touchdowns, he impressed the scouts even more with his knack for running the ball. His 549 yards and nine touchdowns led the team. He and the versatile Hassan Bailey, who will play for Marist College, formed a formidable offensive tandem. And, of course, there was that defensive front. Led by Alabama commit Montel McBride, the
SEE PLANT CITY / PAGE 8
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Jacob Studstill Antoine Thompson Markese Hargrove Javaris Whitsett Tammarion Faison Austin Carswell Jorge Navarrete Deondre Gatlin Dalvin Bond Peyton Collins Quest Fluitt Corey King Xavier King Tommy Bennett Jared Braner Sawyer Dawson Ge’Shawn Parker Reaquavious Young Sterling Day Patrick Hawke Jordan Shears Steven Ogletree Rodney Ross Ryan Bjelke Zach Owen Justin Mull Chase Lott Patrick Colleran Steve Hunt Cory Cotnoir Matt Tucker Ryan Bradley Josh Cox Kevin Carrasquillo Kijafi Coney Alibel Fragoso Nathan Hamilton Cory St. John Jose Hermioso Josh Crowell Russell Kemp Zack Glass Evan Crowell James Alexander Luke Emery Malik Bennett Ken Khari Green Eddie Tanner Dustyn Hart Jamal Savage Chaunthon Phonsana Steven Hogan Randle Hadley Adrian Smith Tyriq Hargrove
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• Plant City High School was founded in 1914, and its sports teams were originally called the Planters. Orange was always a part of the color scheme, but the secondary color was blue — similar to the Florida Gators.
• Wayne Ward may be best-known from his Virginia Tech days as one of the strongest skill players on the roster. Ward is a two-time Iron Hokie (who set a positional record with a 620-pound back squat in 1999), and the first Google result for “Wayne Ward Virginia Tech” is a video of the Raiders’ coach destroying a West Virginia special teamer with a block that led to an Andre Davis touchdown.
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CLAY CULLINS, WR, SR.
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2013: 18 Rec., 250 Yds. (13.9 Avg.), 1 TD
“He’s just done the right things. He’s worked hard, and he hasn’t been selfish. He did his time on scout team, on second team, and now it’s his time for first team. We’re going to utilize him on both sides of the ball.” — John Kelly
JOSH ENGRAM, DB/ATH, SR. 2013: 72 Tackles (45 Solo, 27 Asst.), 6 Sacks, 3 Forced Fum.
“He’s basically the quarterback of our defense. I’m excited for what he’s going to do. He’s going to do a little bit on both ends, and some special teams, as well, so you’re going to see a lot of Josh Engram’s name this season.” — John Kelly
The Chargers have the area’s youngest team and a new game plan. Can they repeat 2013’s success? CODY MCDANIEL, OL, JR. 2013: OL stats not available
“He is a guy that a lot of people need to know about. 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, extremely intelligent, very humble, hard work ethic. He’s got a chance to do some special things.” — John Kelly
The 2013 Strawberry Crest Chargers basically came from out of nowhere. An aggressive, senior-heavy team, the Chargers rode a mid-season five-game win streak (including three district wins) to a program-best 6-4 record and a first-place tie in the Class 7A District 8 standings. “We made it right to the precipice of where we wanted to
be at, but we didn’t quite break through,” head coach John Kelly says. “That’s the intent this year — to take that next step.” When quarterback Tristan Hyde was injured against Leon, Austin Carswell (brother of top senior Alex Carswell, Huntington Community College) stepped in and performed well under center. He led the team to a 5-2 record as
a starter, and threw for 930 yards and 13 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Carswell had some good targets in his brother, Hyde’s brother (Josh), D.J. Trigg and Farron Rainford. Chris Perez anchored the ground game with 666 yards and 10 touchdowns. Matt Chaney led the defense with 124 total tackles (88 solo,
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Joshua Engram Anthony Quinn Tate Whatley Freddie Dixon Bryce Blackmon Chase Blackmon Farron Rainford Clay Cullins Luis Paul Mejia Christian Tapper John Boscia Tristan Hyde Zack Hamel Jean Paul Lafitte-Hall Carson Fields Kisean Ruth Chase Lawson Zion Carr Stanley Baptiste Jordan Zilbar Devonte Lowe Arjay Smith Theo Williams Austin Farmer Arthur Shepherd Darius Williams Tyler Hood Gunner Thomas Dylan Traffanstedt Greg Griffis Jack Morrison Trent Swearingen Connor Smith Andrew Burbridge Dennis Mitchell Jherri Green Jonathan Georggi Andrew Kinner Lane Medina Danny Lamb Brandon Smith Emanuel Meza-Krehn Michael Gleason Cameron Hinton Efrain Ramos David Cox Tristan Simmons Cody McDaniel Cole Boozer Austyn Garstka Tristan Samuel A.J. Rahming Cameron Lehtola Harry Combs Austin Eldridge Michael Bogart Jaime Zamarripa
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Right now, we’re kind of flying under the radar, which is fine. We’re going to continue to use that mindset when we go out, and work as hard as we can. — John Kelly
CLASS: 7A | DISTRICT: 8 OFFENSE: MULTIPLE | DEFENSE: MULTIPLE
36 assisted), 7.5 sacks and four forced fumbles, and nearly helped Crest lock up a playoff spot with a late blocked field goal in the district tiebreaker. Josh Engram, with 72 tackles (45 solo, 32 assisted) and six sacks, also made a name for himself on the field. It was a good year, up until that district tiebreaker. After a 7-0 loss to East Bay, the Chargers tried and failed to execute a late rally against Plant City in a 7-0 playoff elimination. And then, Crest lost seniors to graduation. A lot of them. “We lost a great deal of seniors this year,” Kelly says. “There were 22 seniors, 18 of which were starters, so we’ve got a lot of kids with a lot of opportunities to do some things and step up.” The school’s commencement ceremony is the last thing Kelly remembers about 2013. “I forgot about last season,” he says. “Shoot, I’m thinking about this season.”
NEW LOOKS
To revamp, well, everything, Kelly brought in new assistant coaches and re-tooled the offensive and defensive game plans. Other than the uniforms and the home field, everything about this team is going to look different in 2014. “There’s a lot of variables this year,” Kelly says. “We got a new offensive coordinator, a new defensive coordinator and an influx of new players. We’ve got new talent — some kids that moved in from out of state, some transfers, just a great incoming freshman class that I’m really excited about.” If there’s anything that’s carrying over from last year, it’s that the Chargers aren’t exactly on
5(68/76 The Chargers came two quarters away from winning the district, but fell to East Bay and Plant City. They did not make the playoffs. Aug. 30: Bloomingdale (H) 23, Strawberry Crest 12 Sept. 6: Strawberry Crest (H) 28, Spoto 14 Sept. 13: Leon (H) 32, Strawberry Crest 26 Sept. 20: Strawberry Crest (H) 46, Brandon 0* Sept. 27: Strawberry Crest (H) 22, Freedom 14 Oct. 4: Strawberry Crest 11, Durant (H) 10* Oct. 11: Strawberry Crest (H) 24, Riverview 7 Oct. 18: Strawberry Crest (H) 35, East Bay 14 Oct. 25: Plant City (H) 41, Strawberry Crest 14* Nov. 4: East Bay 7, Strawberry Crest 0; Plant City 7, Strawberry Crest 0^ Nov. 8: Armwood (H) 40, Strawberry Crest 6 Note: * denotes district game; ^ denotes playoff game
6&+('8/( Aug. 29: vs. Bloomingdale Sept. 5: @ Spoto Sept. 12: vs. Leon Sept. 19: @ Brandon* Sept. 26: @ Freedom Oct. 2: vs. Durant* Oct. 10: @ Riverview Oct. 17: @ East Bay* Oct. 24: vs. Plant City* Nov. 7: vs. Armwood Note: * denotes district game
SEE CREST / PAGE 12
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CREST / PAGE 11 everyone’s radar right now, and they’re going to play like they know that. “The kids that don’t have any type of name recognition, they probably will by the end of the season,” Kelly says. That applies to a lot of the kids. But, who stands to benefit most from the changes?
IT’S TRISTAN TIME
On offense, it’ll probably be whoever is on the other end of a Hyde pass. After injuring his ACL against Leon and missing the remainder of 2013, Hyde hasn’t missed a day of practice. He worked closely with Carswell and still could be found roaming the sidelines at Charger games, motivating his teammates. “I can’t say enough about that kid right there,” Kelly says. “I’ll take 11 Tristan Hydes. Any team would love to have a kid like that.” Carswell is gone, and the offense looks to be more complex, but Hyde has remained steady through all the changes. He’s back to 100% now, according to his coaches, and looked good while throwing touchdown passes to Clay Cullins in Crest’s recent scrimmage. If anyone has a handle on the new offense, it’s him. “Mentally, he’s probably one of the sharpest quarterbacks I’ve ever worked with,” Kelly says. “He has the desire and the drive and the fire in his heart.” So, it’s important that his receivers have a handle on things, too. The offense is going to incorporate multiple formations, utiliz-
ing a lot of movement to keep defenses in the dark. With his brother’s departure, Hyde’s primary target looks to be Cullins, who will lead the receiving corps for the first time as a senior. Also returning to the offense are Farron Rainford, who caught five touchdown passes last season, and the versatile Josh Engram, who will be a force on both sides of the ball. Engram, a defensive back, also can line up at running back and wideout and also will return punts. For the offense to work, though, the players are going to have to take a different approach than what the defense will be asked to do. “Offensively, you can’t really have that full-out, wild mentality,” Kelly says. “You have to have more of a calm, reserved demeanor because of the fact that you have to know where you’re going.” Hyde is expected to ensure that things don’t get out of hand and, if what Kelly says is true, he’s the man for the job. It’s the defense, then, that may have more question marks than the offense.
GOING AGGRO
The defense is returning just three of its key starters: Engram and Cullins at safety and Rainford at linebacker. Much of the lineup is new and even new to the varsity level. And, when one is that young and inexperienced, being timid is never going to fly. Kelly and new defensive coordinator Carey McCray want to field a fast, aggressive defense, running with multiple formations like the offense. “Defensively, that’s kind of the hallmark of what our defense is about — multiple fronts, bringing pressure and everybody running to the ball,” Kelly says. “And, being enthusiastic. Those are the tenets of our defense.” More
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• John Kelly picked up as many regular-season wins (10) in his first two years as head coach as the program had had since its inception in 2009. He has now taken over current Freedom coach Todd Donohoe’s spot as the winningest coach in Chargers football history.
• New offensive coordinator Ty Alvarez has helped develop several successful quarterbacks, most notably Kansas City Chiefs backup Aaron Murray and former Miami Hurricanes starter Robert Marve — both Plant High School legends. He speaks highly of Crest starter Tristan Hyde and, looking to the future, freshman Tate Whatley.
than ever, the coaches are going to count on Engram to run that show. Described as the “quarterback” of that unit, Engram’s leadership is expected to prove just as valuable to the defense as his own skills and natural talents. “I would like to see somebody in this county that’s stronger, pound-for-pound,” Kelly says. “He weighs about 180 pounds, bench presses 335, power cleans 275, squats 475 — legit numbers.
Good quickness, as well.” Kelly guarantees Engram’s name will be more widely known by the end of the season. And, he’s hoping that Strawberry Crest’s name will pop up on the radar by then, too — but for the right reasons.
KEEP THE GOOD TIMES ROLLING
“Obviously, we took a step forward as a program, but we’re still trying to go further,” Kelly says. “We didn’t accomplish, overall, what we wanted to accomplish.” So, he says every game is going to be treated like the season finale. “To us, they’re all big,” Kelly says. “We look at it as we’ve got 11 business trips coming up in the next 12 weeks.” Like it did last season, the team expects to make some noise in the district standings. To the Chargers, winning all four games is a distinct possibility. They will be using last season’s district tiebreaker as bulletin-board material, every Friday night. “We came up a little short last year, and the players recognize that,” Kelly says. “The coaching staff recognizes that. That’s our purpose, this year — to take that next step.”
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6&+('8/(6 PLANT CITY DOLPHINS 2602 Cherry St., Plant City Sept. 6: vs. East Bay Buccaneers Sept. 13: @ Lakeland Eagles Sept. 20: vs. New Tampa Wildcats Sept. 27: @ Dover Patriots Oct. 4: vs. Turkey Creek Trojans Oct. 11: @ Lakeland Gators Oct. 18: vs. Brandon Lions Oct. 25: @ Pinecrest Pilots
TURKEY CREEK TROJANS 5937 Connell Road, Plant City Sept. 6: @ Lakeland Eagles Sept. 13: vs. New Tampa Wildcats Sept. 20: @ Brandon Lions Sept. 27: vs. Lakeland Gators Oct. 4: @ Plant City Dolphins Oct. 11: vs. Brandon Broncos Oct. 18: @ Brandon Cowboys Oct. 25: vs. Dover Patriots
DOVER PATRIOTS 1300 Sydney Washer Road, Dover Sept. 6: @ New Tampa Wildcats Sept. 13: @ Brandon Cowboys Sept. 20: @ Wesley Chapel Cowboys Sept. 27: vs. Plant City Dolphins Oct. 4: vs. Lakeland Gators (@ Antioch) Oct. 11: @ East Bay Buccaneers Oct. 18: vs. Pinecrest Pilots Oct. 25: @ Turkey Creek Trojans
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