After a long offseason full of uncertainties and unprecedented obstacles, the Plant City Dolphins Midgets team made the most of the opportunity they were given. They ran the tables in 2020 with a perfect regular-season record and, most impressively, won by shutout in every game.
Now they’re getting ready for the next step: continuing their impressive hot streak in the playoffs.
“I think this year has been the most challenging,” head coach Robbie Jordan said. “It’s my 15th year coaching and a unique situation with COVID. There were lot of insurance issues with league, starts and stops, we had to take a winter break… I’m anxious to get there (the playoffs). I feel good about the team. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here.”
If this Dolphins team can win its next three games, that will make for five consecutive TCYFCC Superbowl championship wins — an impressive feat started by head coach Marcus Springfield in 2016 and 2017, then continued by head coach John Broome in 2018 and Jordan last year.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for those guys,” Jordan said. “They put in a lot of time to set this standard and it’s my job to keep the team rolling… it’s a winning tradition and I’m glad to be a part of it. We set high expectations and do our best to meet them.”
Though this Midgets team is on the younger side — it’s a 10U team with a lot of 9-year-olds rostered — it makes up for its youth with talent and attitude. It helps that many of the team’s younger players knew what to expect, having won a Superbowl last year with the Pee Wee team, so getting everyone from the players to the parents to buy in to the culture Jordan and his coaching staff have maintained was not difficult. That was crucial to the team’s early successes when, despite not being able to go through the usual six-week training camp, the Dolphins still found ways to get in the wins column and eventually get in sync to the best of their ability.
The defense has unquestionably been the keystone of the team’s success. There’s no one player who stands out head and shoulders above the rest, Jordan said — it’s a total team effort by the unit and the proof lies with those eight shutout wins. The defensive plays are called by coordinator James Lovett, whom Jordan says “watches film nonstop” and always has the kids ready for anything the TCYFCC can throw at them.
“He’s busy all the time, but he’s all about football and prepares better than any coach I’ve ever been around as far as defense goes,” Jordan said. “My other assistants deserve credit also, but I give (Lovett) 100 percent control over the defense.”
Offensively, the “three-headed monster” at running back allows the team to keep fresh legs on the field at all times and keep marching downfield. Zion Weems, Jayden Freeman and Dexter Lee have split the majority of the carries this season and opened things up for the revamped passing game. Quarterback Tyson McElhaney, whose football IQ Jordan praised, lets the Midgets run a spread offense and wide receiver Dominick Harris-Payne gives the offense a big-play threat at all times.
Plant City will kick off the 2020 postseason with a game against the Dover Patriots at 1 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Central Florida Panthers’ field, 310 Kid Ellis Road, Mulberry.
“Dover’s a good young team,” Jordan said. “They always show up to play football. I’m happy they made the playoffs and it’ll be a fun crosstown rivalry matchup in the first round.”
UPCOMING PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
The Plant City Dolphins Midgets are far from the only local team to make the TCYFCC playoffs this season.
The Midgets are one of four Dolphins teams to finish 2020 with perfect regular-season records, and the Varsity Dolphins also made the playoff picture with a 4-3 record. Also making appearances are the Turkey Creek Trojans’ Mighty Mites team (4-3) and the Dover Patriots’ Mighty Mites (5-2), Midgets (3-4) and Junior Varsity (3-4) teams.
The first round of the TCYFCC playoffs will be hosted at four different sites on Saturday, though local teams will only use three of them.
MIGHTY MITES
Pinecrest Pilots vs. Turkey Creek Trojans (@ Brandon Broncos, 3104 S. Kings Ave., Brandon)
Southwest Junior Saints vs. Dover Patriots (@ Seffner Seahawks, 7358 Taylor Road, Seffner)
Plant City Dolphins vs. North Lakeland Legends (@ Central Florida Panthers, 310 Kid Ellis Road, Mulberry)
PEE WEES
Plant City Dolphins vs. North Lakeland Legends (@ Central Florida Panthers, 310 Kid Ellis Road, Mulberry)
MIDGETS
Plant City Dolphins vs. Dover Patriots (@ Central Florida Panthers, 310 Kid Ellis Road, Mulberry)
JUNIOR VARSITY
Plant City Dolphins vs. Dover Patriots (@ Central Florida Panthers, 310 Kid Ellis Road, Mulberry)
VARSITY
Plant City Dolphins (First-round bye, will advance to second round)
Kickoff times are as follows:
Mighty Mites: 9 a.m.
Pee Wees: 11 a.m.
Midgets: 1 p.m.
Junior Varsity: 3 p.m.
Varsity: 5 p.m.