Plant City High School’s football team wasn’t big on special Homecoming traditions when Todd Long coached there. He’s the athletic director at Durant now, though, where the football team does do something different for the occasion. Most people probably think of Durant as a strictly navy blue-and-gold program. After all, those are two colors that […]
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Dawson Traffanstedt
The Plant City Dolphins’ Midgets team is in good standing right now, sitting at a 7-2 record going into the final game of the TCYFCC regular season. The boys just came up with a 30-6 win over the Brandon Lions on Saturday, Oct. 18, and head coach Eric Lawson credits middle linebacker Dawson Traffanstedt as […]
Continue ReadingStrawberry Crest, Plant City Renew Rivalry
This certainly hasn’t been the kind of season John Kelly and the Strawberry Crest Chargers were hoping to have. Now, with only a few games left to play, it’s visible out on the practice field. Even Kelly, who is normally as upbeat as they come, sounds tired. Last week’s loss to East Bay hurt the […]
Continue ReadingTrojans Doing Big Things With Small Roster
Playing football is a grind, even for athletes who only play on offense or defense. That’s why youth rosters usually have around 30 kids and why higher levels add more players. So, imagine how the Turkey Creek Trojans’ Varsity team feels about having 12 players in an 11-man game. These kids are on the field […]
Continue ReadingPHOTO GALLERY: 7A-7 District Volleyball Tournament
Durant has done it again. The Lady Cougars clinched another district championship win Thursday night, beating runner-up Strawberry Crest in three sets. “It’s amazing,” head coach Brittany Wilson says. “And, doing it in three (sets) is even better. They beat us in three the last time they came to Durant, so this was huge.” After […]
Continue Reading2014 Gridiron Report: Week 9
The Plant City Times & Observer brings you another installment of our 2014 weekly podcast, the Plant City Times & Observer Gridiron Report, breaking down high school football match-ups in the Plant City area for the entire 2014 season. Staff Writer Justin Kline is the host of the podcast, which features a weekly “Game of […]
Continue ReadingWEEK 8: Spoto at Plant City
Patrick Colleran and those Plant City seniors were so close to getting their first Homecoming win, they could almost taste it. Spoto, however, had other ideas. The Spartans blocked a Plant City PAT that would have tied the game at 28, and held on for a 28-27 final score on the road. Things got off […]
Continue ReadingSidelines 10.17.14
Do you have a good sports scoop for us? Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com. GOLF + Lady Raiders repeat as champs Stop us if you’ve heard this before: The Plant City Lady Raiders are going on a playoff run. They won the Class 3A District 13 championship again Oct. 13, posting a score of 339. […]
Continue ReadingATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Lindsey Robinson
Durant and Plant City played a classic of a game Oct. 9, and Lady Cougars senior Lindsey Robinson led the team in kills en route to the home team’s 3-2 win over the Lady Raiders. That Plant City game was nuts. What was it like, on the court? We had some players out. … Trying […]
Continue ReadingWHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND? Raider Football Focused on Winning over Homecoming
If the atmosphere around town seems a little different, that’s because Homecoming season is upon us. Plant City High School will be batting leadoff, holding their festivities this weekend, and both Durant and Strawberry Crest are scheduled to go next weekend. Rather than my usual Friday night notes, I’m going to take a look at […]
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