1. Markese Hargrove
The best running back in the district improved upon his breakout junior campaign, playing in every single game and finishing his high school career in the record books.
Hargrove ran for 1,731 yards in 2015, scoring 13 touchdowns, eclipsing 200 yards in three games and 100 yards in eight, and averaged exactly seven yards per carry. He had a habit of making the big plays when the Raiders needed them most, helping the team to an 11-game win streak and a regional championship appearance.
He was the first athlete to receive the Bill Minahan Award, which offers a $1,500 scholarship for an athlete with notable leadership skills. His 4.3 GPA and teammate-tutoring habits, as well as his willingness to help his teammates get to and from practice and improve on the field, netted him the award in January.
He finished his career as the Raiders’ all-time leading rusher, passing former head coach Wayne Ward with 3,261 yards on 440 carries — good for 7.4 yards per attempt.
Although the Raiders’ offensive line deserves some credit for opening up the holes for Hargrove to run through, the elusive back’s ability to slip through tackles and make defenders miss was unrivaled in the area and ended up being the most consistent facet of the Plant City offense. He’ll be a tough guy to replace.
2. Kendall Johnson
Plant City’s girls golf team went undefeated in the 2015 regular season, and senior star Kendall Johnson led the way.
Johnson, a top-10 finisher in the 2014 state championship tournament, spent the offseason improving her weaknesses: her short game and putting. All the hard work resulted in a fantastic final season, which vaulted her into the school record books as one of the best to ever come through the program.
She averaged a 36 throughout the regular season, leading both the boys and girls programs. She became the individual district and regional champion for the second consecutive season, shooting a 70 in districts and a 71 in regionals. At the state championship tournament in November, she ended up placing a respectable 13th overall.
She joined her coach, Meg Jordan, and alumna Kelsey Jensen in the Plant City record books for shooting the lowest round in school history — a 34.
Johnson committed to play for Daytona State College in the 2014 offseason and plans to honor that commitment upon graduating this summer.
3. Terra Brooks
There may not be a better pure athlete in Strawberry Crest High than three-sport standout Terra Brooks.
Brooks, a senior, plays volleyball and basketball and runs track for Crest. Her play on the volleyball court in 2015 led her to become the only three-time Plant City Times & Observer Athlete of the Week ever, after getting it for track several years ago and for basketball in 2014.
Although her skills are respected in all sports, it’s on the volleyball court that she feels most comfortable. Brooks won first-team all-Western Conference honors for her play this season, which included 232 kills, 38 aces and 90 blocks — all of which led the Lady Chargers by a considerable margin. Near the end of the 2015 season, she told the Times & Observer that she plans to play volleyball at Alabama A&M University upon graduating.
On the basketball court, Brooks in currently averaging 10.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, helping the Lady Chargers to their current 15-0 (7-0 district) record. She is expected to run one last season of track for Crest when that season begins in the spring.
4. Jonah Scolaro
Durant’s baseball team and was full of seniors that carried the team in big moments.
But the team’s best player was one of its youngest. Jonah Scolaro, in his sophomore season, excelled for the Cougars both on the pitching mound and in the batter’s box. He also became a Plant City Times & Observer Athlete of the Week for his versatile play.
At the plate, Scolaro led the team with 105 plate appearances and 99 at-bats, 16 runs, 34 hits and nine doubles. He finished with a .343 average in 30 games played, as well as 13 RBI. He had the second-highest batting average of all Cougars with at least 20 games played, trailing only Zach Barfield (.345.)
On the mound, Scolaro led the team with a 1.24 ERA and a 9-1 record in 14 appearances. He struck out a team-leading 92 batters and allowed 12 runs (11 earned) and gave up no homers.
Durant will have to recover from losing so many important seniors, but having a player like Scolaro on the roster makes it much easier for any team to do such a thing.
5. Steven Ogletree
Of all the Raiders to have a breakout season in 2015, Steven Ogletree may have the most potential of the bunch.
The junior linebacker established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the defense, racking up big-time numbers and landing his first NCAA Division I offer from the University of Wisconsin.
Ogletree finished with 138 total tackles (83 solo, 55 assisted), nine sacks, eight passes defensed, a blocked punt and a 96-yard pick six. He also got a few looks as a kick returner, usually when Plant City was ahead on the scoreboard.
With fellow productive linebacker Cory Cotnoir set to graduate in the summer, Ogletree will be looking to lead the 2016 defense in the wake of this upcoming mass exodus of graduating seniors.
Ogletree is still mulling that offer from Wisconsin and, with the upcoming slew of offseason summer football camps impending, is expected to get a lot of attention from the big-time D-I schools should he continue improving his game. He’s helped prove that Montel McBride and T.J. Chase aren’t the only guys who can pull the brightest recruiting spotlights onto the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.