After the Armwood game, Plant City has done nothing but pass its tests.
Could the Raiders overcome a notably athletic defense? Sure — they beat Brandon, 21-13, on the road.
Could the Raiders beat a team with three or four of the top playmakers in the district, let alone Hillsborough County? Sure — they beat East Bay, 22-7, on the road.
Could the Raiders beat a team with a hard-hitting defense and a couple of explosive athletes? Sure — they beat Tampa Bay Tech twice, 19-3 and 35-15.
Could the Raiders beat a surging rival in a game with district championship implications? Sure — they beat Durant, 21-16, on the road.
If there’s a trend here, it’s that each test has been tougher than the last. And the trend will continue Friday, Nov. 27.
Can the Raiders beat undefeated county juggernaut Braden River?
NOT YOUR AVERAGE BUCS
There may not be a better team in Manatee County than the Braden River Pirates. This season, those guys never came close to taking a loss: the Pirates have scored about 36 points per game, allowed about eight and only once (in a 27-17 win over Sarasota) had something close to a fourth-quarter meltdown. (Seventeen points allowed.)
Offensively, this team does just about everything well. Senior quarterback Jacob Huesman has completed 66% of his passes for 1,593 yards and 14 touchdowns against three interceptions. Although none of his wideouts have more than three touchdown catches or Travis Williams’s 308 total yards, seven have touchdown catches, and all average over 21 yards per game.
The Pirates run for almost 210 yards per game, mostly with the dynamic duo of Raymond Thomas and Deshaun Fenwick. Thomas, a junior, has 794 yards and 15 touchdowns on 95 carries. Fenwick, a sophomore, has 630 yards and nine touchdowns on 98 carries.
Defensively, this team knows how to get to the ball. The Pirates have 20 interceptions — five more than the Raiders — and average two picks per game to the Raiders’ clip of 1.3.
Team leader Demetrius Lawson, a junior, has six picks and 93 total yards, while runner-up Tyrone Collins has three picks and 11 passes defensed.
Last week, Braden River picked up a 17-0 win over Venice. The Pirates only managed to score in the first half, but the box score can only say so much. Braden River was in control from start to finish. Sophomore quarterback Bryce Carpenter, clearly rattled, completed nine of 17 pass attempts for 127 yards and threw two picks.
THE OUTLOOK
The thing is, Venice — a team Braden River had faced before in the season — does a lot of the same things that Plant City does well.
Venice has a QB in Carpenter that can be dangerous when flushed out of the pocket, but Venice’s passing stats are a great deal better than Plant City’s.
Venice also has an RB with over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns.
And it has a third player, Court Doss, who has picked up 700-plus yards and seven touchdowns.
Venice’s stout defense has a penchant for getting tackles, sacks and picks — 21 picks, three kids with 100-plus tackles and one with double-digit sacks.
Plant City fans may be wondering if Venice and Braden River are all that good or, as they may have decided after the East Lake game, football is a lot easier in most places outside of Hillsborough County. It’s a fair question to ask at this point, as Hillsborough teams have looked good throughout the playoffs.
What’s important to note is that the Pirates will be on the road for the first time in the playoffs. Plant City has built up a ton of momentum with its recent home wins, and have thus far shown the ability to adapt to whatever sticky situation it can fall into.
Beating Braden River would be an enormous confidence-booster for the Raiders, which they would absolutely need: their next game would be in Orlando against the winner of Ft. Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas and Hialeah Gardens-Mater Academy.
All Plant City has to do is exactly what it’s done for most of the season: hold the line.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
IF YOU GO
Where: 1 Raider Place, Plant City
When: 7:30 p.m.