As far as regular-season games go, there’s nothing in the Plant City area more reliable than the Battle for the Redman Cup.
This is where the guys step up and make plays or turn in performances they’ll remember for a long time. I know I’ve seen some things Durant and Plant City players should be proud to have done.
Remember that 14-13 Plant City win in 2013? When the Raiders put the kibosh on the Cougars’ two-point conversion attempt, which would have given Durant a 15-14 lead late in the game, 1 Raider Place went nuts. As it was my first game with the Observer, I was and still am glad I got to start things off with such a moment.
Remember the 2014 game where Durant won, 9-7, in a heavy downpour? That weather made things quite complicated for everyone involved, but Cougars running back Crispian Atkins put the offense on his back and finished with 121 rushing yards and the team’s only touchdown. Plant City linebacker Patrick Colleran played one of the best games I’ve seen at the position around here, with 18 total tackles (11 solo) and three forced fumbles. The ending of that game was possibly the most dramatic of any Redman Cup match I’ve covered, starting with Kijafi Coney’s fumble recovery and ending with Durant’s successful icing of two Plant City kickers.
Remember Plant City’s 21-16 win in 2015? That one told us a lot about the Raiders, who finished that season better than the program ever had. Down 16-7, it could have been an upset loss for them if not for some creative play calling. Antoine Thompson’s 80-yard run to get Plant City within two points was a thing of beauty. Markese Hargrove’s 49-yard touchdown run after a fourth-quarter catch was the kind of effort that gets discussed when you’re selecting Guy Toph Award winners. After that game, I was convinced Plant City could go far in the postseason — which it did.
Remember when Durant got revenge in a 16-6 win on the road last year? Brandon Myers nearly had a hat trick in the first half, scoring on a touchdown catch and a kick return to put Durant ahead for good before he got hurt. Chris Gay drove the Raiders crazy with two picks in the second half, which helped wipe out their chances to score. It may not have been a high-scoring affair, but the Cougars went out there and did things any team should do when you have a win-and-in situation for the playoffs.
What happens this year? Will there be a repeat winner for the first time since I’ve been here, or will Plant City snag a win and continue the pattern? Which players are going to step up and make their marks on the game this time around? I can’t wait to see.