There wasn’t much for Raider Nation to be happy about last Friday, when Hillsborough High School came to town for Plant City’s home opener.
Don’t get me wrong — the Raiders showed some flashes of promise at times — but I saw a team that looked very much like one in a transitional stage. That’s not always going to please the fans in the stands but, long-term, it’s no cause for concern.
There was a lot of confidence coming from Plant City’s camp before the season, which was expected. They’ve got a head coach who knows his way around an offense paired with what might be one of the county’s better defensive personnels. There are good players in place in key areas, for sure.
But they’re also young and clearly inexperienced in other key areas. Eric Wilson made some nice plays at running back and I could see exactly why James Booth was eager to tell me how much potential he has, but not every run was perfect. Not all great high school running backs have it figured out by their sophomore year, especially early on, but I’m eager to see what Wilson takes away from facing a legitimately great defense and how he can improve his game.
Ryan Overstreet played most of the game after Braxton Plunk was benched, and the sophomore quarterback did not look comfortable until late in the game and didn’t make many big plays. I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the Manatee transfer at other schools over the last few weeks and, now that I’ve seen him play, I have a better answer for every time I hear, “How do you think he’ll do in that offense?” I see a kid with good physical tools and the potential to succeed once he gets comfortable, but that’s the key — he needs to establish a rhythm and get settled in with the offense. That’s not going to be done in one week, but it is doable.
Plant City’s not going to face many defenses tougher than Hillsborough’s during the rest of the season, so I think fans can reasonably expect things to improve on that side of the ball.
The defense really does look good, though. If you root for the Raiders, you’ve got to love the way they play. Not that Hillsborough’s offense has been spectacular in 2017, but I’d say Plant City’s defense did a pretty good job limiting what the Terriers could do. Those guys will put pressure on the quarterback and are fully capable of capitalizing on throwing errors. I also thought they looked better gang-tackling than in any 2016 game I can recall.
Friday’s game was one that no one in teal and orange is going to want to remember, but it was also one the team can learn a lot from. I think it’s fair to expect the Raiders to go up from here and get on the winning side of the scoreboard at some point soon, but there’s work that needs to be done first.
This team is adjusting to life under a new coach and a new offense and, in situations like these, games like that are par for the course. This is why they say patience is a virtue.