Raiders recover Redman Cup

In one of the most physical games in Redman Cup history, the Plant City Raiders were able to take back the trophy Friday night with a 35-6 win over Durant.

The 2018 Battle for the Redman Cup came with a plot twist: just two days before kickoff, Plant City High School students shot a country music video called “The Critter Side” as a parody of Durant and uploaded it to YouTube, where it picked up more than 7,200 views by Friday night. Needless to say, the Cougars were not thrilled and it showed with both teams on the field.

In true rivalry fashion, both teams got chippy with each other on the field. They combined for nearly as many penalties as there were points scored in the game, including numerous personal fouls and one ejection. Plant City’s high-powered offense was firing on all cylinders, though, and the Raiders kept the momentum in their favor from start to finish.

Quarterback Braxton Plunk scored the first touchdown of the game, capping off a drive with a five-yard plunge across the goal line at 5:15 in the first quarter. A few drives later, midway through the second quarter, Plunk marched the Raiders from Durant’s 48-yard line to deep inside the Cougars’ red zone and found wideout Maurice Morris in the right corner for another touchdown. Durant’s ensuing drive ended in a punt after quarterback Sean Williams and wideout Adrian Resendez linked up for a huge gain that was called back on a penalty, and Plant City quickly got back into Durant territory to set up another score — this time, a touchdown pass from Plunk to Mario Williams. Plant City’s 21-0 lead held through the last 42 seconds of the half.

Durant appeared to catch a break early in the second half, forcing a turnover on downs on Plant City’s first drive, but the PCHS defense was soon able to plow through the Cougars’ offensive line and hit Sean Williams hard enough to send the ball airborne — and into the hands of linebacker Kobe Panier, who then ran about 50 yards for the score.

Down 28-0, the Cougars finally found success on the next drive. A slew of penalties on the Raiders gave Durant 30 bonus yards on one play and Tyrhon Brooks was then able to run the ball to the goal line. A loose ball scooped by the Raiders was waved off after PCHS got hit with a delay of game call, and Donnald Williams took advantage of the Cougars’ good luck with a quick punch through the defensive line. Plant City did, however, block the PAT attempt. The Cougars called for a squib on the kickoff and their own Joey Spitler managed to recover it, but their drive stalled out and Plant City got the ball back shortly afterward.

Mario Williams caught the final touchdown pass of the game with 25 seconds left in the third quarter on the exact same play that was called when he caught his first score of the evening. Neither team found much success driving in the fourth quarter, though it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Durant did force Zamir’ Knighten to fumble the ball and scooped it up at its own 30-yard line with seven minutes left to play, and Brooks was able to pick up a first down on the run, but the Raiders shut the drive down from there and their next attempt to score after driving to Durant’s goal line was nixed by a good defensive effort from the Cougars.

Friday’s rivalry game was also notable for being Pam Bowden’s last as Durant's principal. Bowden, who plans to retire after the 2018-19 school year, was honored after the first quarter in a small ceremony at midfield where she was presented with a bouquet of flowers and a green No. 12 Durant jersey. Bowden and PCHS principal Susan Sullivan are sisters and two of the daughters of Redman Cup namesake James L. Redman.