If it seems like this spring has been busier than normal for Plant City-area football teams, that’s because it has been.
All three schools participated in several scrimmages and jamboree exhibitions over the past few weeks, giving athletes a chance to go against other teams in full pads. Even with all the drills, intersquad games and camps that populate the spring and summer months, nothing holds a candle to real game action.
“I thought it was a great opportunity for the coaching staff to coach against another team,” Durant head coach Mike Gottman says. “We usually have an intersquad game, and it was so much better to focus on somebody else.”
DURANT
Things went pretty well for Gottman’s Durant Cougars.
The defense, as he had hoped, looked solid against each team it faced. Gottman credits strong play from star defensive back Jaden Garrett, defensive end Xavier Lyas and mike linebacker Jake Ross for helping the unit keep offenses from opening up.
The Cougars offense looked good at the Strawberry Crest scrimmage series, held Saturday, May 14. It struggled out of the gate during the Thursday, May 19, scrimmage at Brandon, but Gottman enjoyed the way Brandon Myers, Steven Witchoskey and Cameron Myers played. Peyton Ledbetter sealed a 7-6 win over Newsome with a successful PAT kick.
Gottman praised the team’s overall effort and knows where work needs to be done over the next few months.
“We’re still trying to solidify our O-line and D-line,” Gottman says. “We played some young kids in the trenches. We’re going to be concentrating on that. It’s always big, on my part, to be good up front, be good in the trenches.”
PLANT CITY
Because the Raiders lost a huge senior class, a lot of younger players will have to step up if the team wants to repeat last season’s success.
Head coach Greg Meyer has been pleased with what he’s seen of the team, including its effort in the Tuesday, May 24, jamboree at 1 Raider Place.
“D.J. Gordon started in the linebacker rotation last year, and he’s in complete command of the spot now,” Meyer says. “Ge’Sean (Parker) and Treshaun (Ward) looked fantastic. We’re really excited.”
The team picked up a 20-2 win over Crest in its jamboree action, which featured a number of key players experimenting in new roles. Notably, three-year defensive lineman Nathan Hamilton moved to offensive tackle, and linebacker Steven Ogletree played some snaps at fullback.
“They’ve done a great job,” Meyer says. “We just have to add protection — be more physical.”
Other players on the rise, according to Meyer, are Corey St. John, Christian Austin, Antoine Thompson and Corey King.
STRAWBERRY CREST
New head coach Ron Hawn is pleased with what he’s seeing on the field thus far.
The Chargers looked good in their Saturday scrimmage against Newsome and, although Durant and Plant City got the better of them in those matchups, Hawn enjoyed seeing the effort his players put forth on the field.
“I think they’re very resilient,” he says. “They’ve been through 19 straight losses in the last two years. That’s challenging for a coach to deal with and also challenging for them to deal with.”
After the first eight plays of the Plant City game, which saw Crest give up 14 points, Hawn says coaching that game was an enjoyable experience.
“Over the next 22 minutes of game time, our kids fought back,”Hawn says. “They continued to play. They got better and better as the game went on. Here’s the most amazing statistic: we got 42 snaps on offense and 19 snaps on defense. Our goal is ball control.”
The team is still learning the new playbooks, so this offseason is about getting everyone comfortable. Adapting to the number of changes Crest made in 2016 doesn’t happen overnight for any team, but Hawn thinks that his group has what it takes to pick things up and get back on track.
“They’ve dealt with probably the most physical spring they’ve ever seen — it was certainly the most physical spring I’ve ever seen — and they still came out and played football,” Hawn says.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.