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High Schools August 17, 2018 9:52 pm

Raiders run over Spartans in preseason game

By Justin Kline

  • The Raiders returned to the field with plenty of energy Friday night.

  • D.J. Gordon IV pumps himself up after the coin toss.

  • Ashton Mincey shows off the Raiders' new "turnover belt," awarded to players who come up with defensive turnovers.

  • The Raiders had to run all over the field to catch Spoto quarterback Marwan Gilmore Jr.

  • Spoto wideout Eric Lee and Plant City defensive back Jaquez Green fight for a ball in the end zone. Green was able to deflect the pass.

  • A helmet coming off of a player's head was a recurring event in Friday's game.

  • Spoto tried pushing through the Plant City defense in the first quarter, but had no luck.

  • Plant City was fired up throughout Friday's preseason game.

  • The Raiders and Spartans also met in the 2017 preseason. Plant City also won that game, 21-0.

  • D.J. Gordon IV flexes to celebrate after making a tackle.

  • Spoto had trouble guarding Plant City's Demario Williams.

  • Braxton Plunk pump fakes to Reagan Ealy.

  • Zamir' Knighten spins around a Spoto defender's tackle attempt.

  • Michael Coton and D.J. Gordon IV celebrate in the end zone after Gordon completed a two-point conversion.

  • Plant City defensive back Tyreke Harrison gets some hang time and deflects a pass thrown by Spoto quarterback Jordan Guerad.

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Plant City took a little while to find a rhythm in Friday's preseason game against Spoto but, once the Raiders found it, they were nearly unstoppable.

The Spartans managed to have possession of the ball for the entire first quarter, marching all the way down to the goal line just before time expired. Plant City sent the game into the second quarter by completing a goal line stand on fourth down. When the Raiders finally got the ball, they were quick to hit paydirt.

Running back Zamir' Knighten carved up Spoto's defense to keep the chains moving and wideout Demario Williams showed his connection with quarterback Braxton Plunk is as strong as ever. Williams burned the Spoto defense on a 35-yard touchdown catch shortly into the Raiders' first drive on offense and, a few minutes after Michael Coton scored a catch-and-run touchdown of his own, made his second scoring play of the night catching a pass deep in the left corner of the end zone. Plant City's 35-yard field goal attempt with three seconds left in the quarter was no good, but they went into the locker room with a 21-0 lead and would start the second half receiving the ball.

Plant City's defense continued to force the Spartans to punt or turn the ball over on downs and Williams continued to make big plays all over the field. After D.J. Gordon IV scored a rushing touchdown to cap off the first drive of the second half, the Raiders again shut down Spoto's offense and got the ball back in Plunk's hands. When the senior signal-caller cramped up in the third quarter the team experimented with Williams and Gordon taking direct snaps. With two minutes left in the quarter, Knighten broke off several defenders on a 22-yard run to put the score at 35-0 and cue the running clock.

Spoto scored in the fourth quarter after blocking a punt firmly in Plant City territory and scooping up the ball for a quick score. But with a 35-7 lead and a running clock, Plant City just had to kill time. The Raiders ran down the clock until there was 1:25 left to go, when Williams scored his third and final touchdown of the night on a rushing play.

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