For the first time since 1999, the Plant City Raiders can say they survived the first round of the playoffs.
"Survived" may not be accurate in this case, however, as the Raiders cruised to a 47-34 win over the East Lake Eagles that, at one point, was a 40-14 game.
Corey King scored the first of his two touchdowns on a short QB sneak at 9:09 in the first quarter, but East Lake answered by returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown with 48 seconds left. Tydre Ward took the ensuing kickoff to the end zone, but it was called back on a penalty; on the very next play, Markese Hargrove made up for it with a 90-yard run for a score.
On the very first play of the second quarter, East Lake running back Xavier Jackson fumbled the ball right into the hands of Kwest Fluitt, and the Raiders promptly drove for another score. T.J. Chase caught a 30-yard pass in the end zone but, much to the dismay of the home crowd, the officials determined he didn't have possession. It ultimately didn't matter, as King scored on a QB keeper on the very next play.
At the 5:22 mark of the quarter, East Lake had driven to the goal line and appeared ready to score. But a successful Raiders goal line stand kept the score at 21-7, and the Eagles would have to wait until the 3:13 mark to get a rushing touchdown. Two minutes later, King found Chase for a 30-yard touchdown that the officials upheld. Chase Lott's PAT was tipped, and the Raiders took a 27-14 lead into halftime after Tammarion Faison picked off East Lake's Bobby Goldinak on the next possession.
In the third quarter, Jackson went down with a leg injury and had to miss the remainder of the game. It wasn't long before one Eagle got ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct and another got hurt on a kickoff (following a 25-yard touchdown pass from King to Chase). To complete the meltdown, Fluitt came up with an interception on a tipped ball and took it in for six points with 2:35 left in the third quarter – giving Plant City the 40-14 lead.
The Eagles were then able to score 14 unanswered points, with a rushing touchdown 10 seconds before the end of the third quarter and a passing touchdown with 4:48 left in the game. Two minutes later, though, Hargrove tacked on the last insurance score with a 25-yard run. East Lake got another passing touchdown with 1:02 left in the game but, with no timeouts remaining, Plant City was able to kill the clock with a kneel or two.
Next up for the Raiders: hosting a rematch with Tampa Bay Tech, which scored a 31-21 upset win over Countryside.
