Plant City High running back Markese Hargrove won the county's most prestigious football award.
By Scott Purks | Tampa Bay Times
A week ago, Kenyatta Shaw went out and bought a brand new outfit for her son, Markese Hargrove.
A suit.
Hmmm. What could this be for?
“I had no idea,” said Hargrove, a senior at Plant City High School. “I figured it was for some banquets and maybe some graduation things coming up. But then mom buys all my clothes, so I didn’t think much more about it.”
On Thursday, Hargrove was told to put on his new suit and hop in the car because he and Shaw were taking a trip to downtown Tampa. No need to worry about school.
But why?
“Still no idea,” Hargrove said. “She said it might be for some academic award or something.”
Hargrove owns a 4.8 grade-point average. But when Hargrove walked into the Hillsborough County School Board building and saw the trophies on the table, including one featuring a large gold football, he started to wonder: “Is this something big?”
Was it ever.
A few minutes later, Hargrove was presented the Guy Toph trophy, given every year since 1939 to Hillsborough County’s top football player. Looking sharp in his new suit, he held the trophy tight, smiled a thousand-watt smile and posed for photos.
“Wow,” Hargrove said. “When they told me what it was, it was overwhelming. There was a rush through my body.”
Before the season, Hargrove said he could have never imagined the Guy Toph award was possible because he said there are so many great players in this county.
In the end, Hargrove had one of the best seasons in county history, rushing for 1,731 yards and 13 touchdowns and leading Plant City to an 11-2 record for the most wins in school history.
“This award caps off the season we had because the award is going to the young man that we built our program around,” first-year Plant City coach Greg Meyer said. “He’s a little undersized (5-foot-9, 170 pounds) so he’s had to fight for everything he’s earned. His work ethic and determination was contagious. His attitude spread through the team.”
