The Redman Cup may not be as iconic as the Paul Bunyan Trophy, the Jeweled Shillelagh or the Victory Bell, but that doesn’t matter to the Durant and Plant City football teams.
This is the biggest rivalry game in the area, and it sounds like everyone involved is ready to make something big happen.
“It’s our arch-rival,” Durant head coach Mike Gottman says. “The kids, they know each other, and it’s got a lot of history. Emotions are gonna be high, and it’ll be a great high school atmosphere.”
Sure, the past 10 years have been kinder to the Raiders than the Cougars — Plant City owns a 6-3-0 record in that span. But, for the most part, the local fans have been treated with some quality games, and memorable performances from players past and present.
DURANT
Two of Durant’s three wins — the games in 2008 and 2012 — came at home, which is a good sign for Cougar fans this week.
It’s that 2008 game, though, that sticks out the most in Gottman’s mind. It’s one of his favorite wins as the Durant head coach over his long tenure with the team. It was marked by a 165-yard, three-touchdown effort from senior running back Ryan Rice.
For the most part, however, it’s been a series populated with Durant losses.
“Plant City’s kind of had our number,” Gottman says. “You look at that trophy, and it’s like, ‘Dang, we need to beat those guys!’ They usually have very good talent, and very good coaching.”
Last year’s 14-13 loss at 1 Raider Place still lingers in his mind — and in the minds of many of his players — this is a different year. Durant’s fielding its best team since that magical 2012 season and is coming off of two strong performances against Sickles and Tampa Bay Tech. The Cougars look as though they finally have figured out how to win those close ballgames. And, they’re not planning to kill their momentum at the game Sept. 19.
“We expect to play well enough to win,” Gottman says. “I just told the team in our meeting that we’ve got to continue to get better. We made mistakes in our last game, and we want to learn from our mistakes to get better. Work on the little picture, and the big picture takes care of itself.”
With the highest-scoring offense in the district, and a defense that’s been making plays at exactly the right moments, this Durant squad looks like one of Plant City’s biggest threats in at least the past five years.
“Always a great day when we can beat Plant City,” Gottman says.
PLANT CITY
Beating the Raiders is no simple task, though.
The only undefeated team in the district (the Steinbrenner game, which was canceled by lightning, is a tie and will not be resumed), Plant City also has enjoyed a huge competitive edge in the Redman Cup series since Wayne Ward took over the head coaching job five seasons ago. Take away that 2012 loss, and the Raiders have outscored the Cougars, 84-46, in that span.
Just don’t tell Ward.
“You can throw records out of the door when it comes to a game like this,” Ward says. “What’s in the past is in the past. Right now, we’re focusing on this week, and focusing on the next play.”
This has surely been Ward’s line of thought in each of those four games, with his favorite being 2011’s 43-12 win at home. Bennie Coney had a five-touchdown game. Whether Austin Carswell or Corey King can do something similar isn’t as getting the win.
“A neighborhood rivalry — the guys really get up for games like this,” Ward says. “I’m sure they’re doing the same thing over there.”
Luckily for Plant City, Ward says this team has definitely improved over the last two games — which were marked by shaky starts. He knows facing this defense won’t be easy, so he’ll try to do what Sickles and Tech both failed to do: have patience.
“You can’t get so caught up in the hoopla, you can’t get so caught up in the crowd, you can’t get so caught up in the game itself,” he says. “You’ve just got to go play by play. It’ll be a really good opportunity for us to stay calm but, at the same time, play fast and play furious.”
Patience will be crucial, because the Raiders will be playing in maybe the most hostile environment they’ll walk into during the regular season. The home crowd played a big factor in Durant’s win over Sickles. But, if the Raiders can block out the crowd, then fans can expect a good game.
“Let’s play some football,” Ward says.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
MATCH-UPS
STRAWBERRY CREST
An 0-3 start to the season probably wasn’t what head coach John Kelly and the Chargers had in mind, all things considered.
However, if there was ever a time for Crest to redeem itself on the field, it’s this district-opener at Brandon.
The Eagles (2-1; 0-0 district) have gotten off to a better start than usual, picking up a season-opening, 21-20 win over Blake and a 14-7 win over Riverview last Friday. Like the Chargers, Brandon dropped a close one to Bloomingdale, 22-16, on Sept. 5.
Brandon may be undefeated at home, but the Chargers appear to be the best opponent that the Eagles have hosted so far. It should be much easier for all three units to work against the Eagles, in comparison to the Leon Lions in last week’s 48-9 loss, and fans can surely expect a more competitive outing tonight.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
All games begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted:
SEPT. 19
Plant City at Durant; 4748 Cougar Path, Plant City
Strawberry Crest at Brandon; 1101 Victoria St.
SEPT. 26
Durant at Gaither; 16200 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa
Bloomingdale at Plant City; 1 Raider Place, Plant City
Strawberry Crest at Freedom, 17410 Commerce Park Blvd., Tampa