When something’s working for the Durant Cougars, the team doesn’t like to mess with it.
The team’s “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality worked in 2016, which resulted in an 8-3 (5-1 district) overall record, a Redman Cup trophy and a playoff spot. Though Durant wasn’t able to advance past East Lake in the first round of regionals, head coach Mike Gottman was pleased to see the team improve upon its 2015 campaign in virtually every way.
Things won’t be as easy this time around, though. The combination of an inexperienced defense with the Plant City area’s toughest schedule works against Durant on paper, but the Cougars believe their foundation is strong enough for the house they built to weather this new storm.
“It’s just one of them things where there’s no substitute for those live reps, those game reps,” Gottman said. “Early on, it might be pretty rough. But we’re going to learn from our mistakes and hopefully move on and become better from them.”
A GOOD SIGN
Durant didn’t get off to the best start in 2016, taking a 17-7 loss at Hillsborough in its season opener. But the team turned things around by the following week, starting a seven-game win streak with a 33-0 win over Spoto at Cougar Path.
It was an impressive stretch for the senior-heavy defense, which allowed more than seven points just once in a 20-13 Alafia River Rivalry win over Newsome. Durant shut out Strawberry Crest and Lennard by a combined score of 91-0 and held East Bay to just a field goal in a 38-3 win, in which 35 of the 38 points were scored in the second half.
The win streak was snapped in the Cougars’ last game of October 2016, a 27-7 home loss to eventual 7A-9 district champion Tampa Bay Tech, but the team returned from its bye week to beat King, 48-3, to end the regular season on a positive note.
Though the Cougars held a 7-0 lead over East Lake at the end of the first quarter of the regional quarterfinals, the Eagles scored 14 unanswered points and kept the Cougars’ offense out of the end zone for the rest of the game.
Quarterback Carlton Potter established himself as a steady presence under center in his junior season, completing 62% of his pass attempts for 1,412 yards and 18 touchdowns against six interceptions. It was also a defining year for then-junior Cameron Myers, who led all running backs with 743 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns and a 7.4 yards-per-carry average in nine games.
Senior Brandon Myers led the receiving corps with 599 yards and 10 touchdowns through the air, and also proved valuable in the return game. An injury forced tight end Steven Witchoskey to miss all but three games in his senior season, but the team was pleased with how Jory Cole filled in for Witchoskey during his time out. Cole, who returns in 2017, finished with 345 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Middle linebacker Jake Ross led the defense with 105 total tackles (53 solo, 52 assisted) and helped a strong senior core with Brandon Guido, Austin Lumley, Xavier Lyas, Reese Schaaf, Chris Gay and others put together a strong season even without top defensive back Jaden Garrett, who was forced to miss his final season with a knee injury. The unit led all area teams with 21 sacks, mostly from Lumley (6.0) and Dylan Novo (5.0).
Though the majority of 2016’s key defensive players have graduated, Gottman and the team are confident that last year’s success can carry over with hard work.
“We’ve gotten a ton better through going through spring football and summer camp and summer lifting,” Gottman said. “Now we’re in fall camp, we’ve had a good fall camp.”
FINE-TUNING
Of the defense’s returning players, there are two in particular Gottman looks to be counting on to lead the unit.
One is senior linebacker Tanner Jurnigan, who is moving over to the mike position following Ross’s departure.
“He’s our mike linebacker and he’s kind of our heart and soul to the defense right now,” Gottman said. “He played in all the games last year, so he knows what it’s all about.”
Jurnigan will be the most experienced player on the defense, having seen varsity action in each of his three years at Durant.
The other is senior strong safety Nick Grimaldi, another returning player Gottman is counting on to provide leadership to an inexperienced group.
“I’m hoping he can be really solid for us,” Gottman said.
Grimaldi will play next to free safety C.J. Barnes, who took over the position after Demarcus Governor was moved to cornerback to play opposite Grover Wills. Gottman said he will be watching the defensive line closely. He has praised the recent play of Andrew Deaton, who will join Jackson Prestwood, Jayden Johnson and Aaron Eakins.
The coach said in-game experience should help the defense improve throughout the season.
“We’ve got to get from an inexperienced defense to somehow get experienced real fast,” Gottman said.
The offense appears to be in good shape with Potter, Cameron Myers, Cole, fullback David Tabakovic and back Tyrhon Brooks returning. Freshman wideout Agiye Hall has impressed the Cougars in the offseason and the preseason, using his long frame and athleticism to tear up Blake’s secondary on Aug. 18. By all accounts, the offensive linemen are firing on all cylinders and ready to make life easier for the rest of the unit.
“We’re hoping our receiving corps can be solid and catch the football, make a few big plays for us,” Gottman said. “I’m excited about our running game. Our offensive line is big, physical. Just got to stay away from turnovers.”
The Cougars’ schedule is bookended by some of the Tampa Bay area’s perennial contenders, starting with a road opener at Jesuit and ending with a Nov. 3 home closer against Armwood. Durant will play the Alafia River Rivalry game at Newsome and the Redman Cup game at Plant City, but it will get to host Tech on Oct. 20.
“It’s going to be a tough road,” Gottman said. “You’ve got Tech, you’ve got Plant City, you’ve got East Bay, you’ve got Bloomingdale, you know, everybody’s good. Jesuit, Armwood — it’s going to be tough sledding, no doubt.”