In last week’s Game of the Week review, I posed the question: Have the tables turned in the outskirts of Plant City?
After Friday night’s action at Durant High School, I’d say they have.
Strawberry Crest (5-2) came into this one wanting to prove that it belonged in the conversation with any team, and the Chargers made good progress, with an 11-10 win. And, this one was just about as intense as I expected it to be.
It was by no means a pretty game, but sometimes, these grinders are the most memorable games of anybody’s season. The Cougars (1-5) really did look like a new team — or at least a rejuvenated one. They came out of the tunnel with chips on their shoulders and plenty of swagger, and they played hard. They knew they had something to prove, and they almost did.
Although the offense wasn’t really clicking as well as Durant coach Mike Gottman would have liked, hats off to the defense for keeping things interesting. Crest has the tools to beat Durant in a number of ways, especially on the ground, but the Cougars kept the game within reach all night and, for the most part, prevented the big play.
I specifically kept an eye on Gabe Brown for much of the night. He was a total ballhawk out there, picking off Crest’s Austin Carswell more than once. It was like he turned his awareness up to 11 for this one, especially after grabbing a leaping interception along the sideline and using great footwork to stay in bounds.
But, this was the Chargers’ night. Crest’s defense also played well, with the only major flaw coming in the form of an 82-yard touchdown run by John Hendricks in the third quarter that made the home crowd explode with delight.
Things got a little heated between the two teams in the third quarter, as tempers flared, words were said, and Chris Perez got ejected. I can’t fault the kids for getting so passionate about this game. It was pretty important — especially for Durant, given the postseason implications. But, temper control is undoubtedly something Kelly and Gottman have been working on in the practices since then, and Crest will need to keep this from happening again if they play in the postseason.
The win means the Chargers are still on pace to post their best record ever, needing two more wins to surpass their 6-5 2010 season.
With four games left on the schedule, two of which are district games, the Chargers will need to stay as focused as possible to make the postseason. They’re in good shape right now, as one of the two undefeated teams in district play, but a matchup with East Bay is just two weeks into the future.
We’ll have more — much more — on that matchup next week.