Throughout a cold January week in Florida, district tournaments brought the fire of competition for Plant City area teams.
Durant:
On the heels of a great season in which Durant’s girls finished with a 14-3-2 record, they earned the 7A District 7’s second seed and a bye directly through to the semifinal where they would face off against local rival Newsome. In two contests against Newsome during the regular season, Durant had split the series with a 4-2 win over the Wolves in November and a 3-1 loss in late December.
Durant battled for 80 minutes but Newsome was able score early, finding the back of the net in the 11th minute and taking a 1-0 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Despite pressure, the Cougars were unable to break through as Newsome added one more second half goal in the 57th minute to secure a 2-0 victory and a spot in the district finals.
Third seed Newsome later claimed the district title in a 1-0 victory over Lakewood Ranch.
Durant’s boys saw their bracket fall together much like the girls bracket did, earning the district’s third seed with an 8-4-1 record and a bye through to the semifinal, matching up with Newsome as well. In what turned out to be a thrilling contest, Durant and Newsome’s boys provided drama to the final minute.
After Newsome had built a 3-0 lead heading into halftime, Durant fired out of the break with three lightning quick goals from Derick Palacios, Diego Guzman and Javier Carbajal to knot the game at 3-3 just 14 minutes into the second half. The remainder of the game was a slugfest as each team found plenty of opportunities as they searched for the goal that would break the tension. Near the 70th minute, Durant had that chance as they were awarded a crucial penalty kick, but the attempt was saved by the outstretched hand of a fully-extended Newsome keeper. In the game’s final minutes, Newsome broke through with one final goal and held on to the 4-3 victory.
Top seed Lakewood Ranch and second seed Newsome played for the district title on Wednesday evening.
Plant City:
Plant City’s girls rallied to an 8-4-1 regular season record this year, earning them the fourth seed in a very tough district and a quarterfinal matchup against Riverview, a team that they had beaten 3-2 in their previous contest earlier in the year.
Plant City was able to move past Riverview without much trouble in a 3-0 victory and head to the semifinal against a top seed Lakewood Ranch team that ended the year with an 11-1-3 record. In their semifinal contest, Lakewood Ranch was able to emerge victorious with a 4-0 victory over Plant City.
Despite a tough midseason, Plant City’s boys entered their district tournament as the fifth seed off of a four game undefeated stretch to end the year, a run that included three wins and a draw. In the quarterfinal round, Plant City faced off against a Riverview team that had previously beaten them 4-0 earlier in the month. It was a tight contest for much of the first half when Riverview eventually broke the tie late in the period to take a 1-0 lead for the time being, but Plant City answered right back in a flash, knotting the game at 1-1 on a long score from midfielder Noah Defrancesco.
In the 65th minute Riverview pulled ahead again on a penalty kick, but Plant City had yet another quick answer as they battled back one more time with a goal from Julio Fuentes in the 72nd minute.
As full time neared an end and Plant City was looking to stage the upset, Riverview ultimately found the game winner off of a corner kick in the 80th minute, advancing to the district semifinal.
Strawberry Crest:
Strawberry Crest’s girls team earned the third seed in the 6A District 10 playoffs where they opened their tournament against Hillsborough last Wednesday. The Chargers cruised to victory with an 8-0 win over the Terriers, led by four goals from forward Ezra Carpenter and a goal each from Stephanie Briseno, Raegan Monroe, Arely Salgado and Nimisha Sarkar.
Moving onto the district semifinal, Strawberry Crest wasn’t able to overcome a tough Wharton team and ultimately fell in a 2-1 contest, with the Chargers’ lone goal coming from Carpenter, ending their run for a third consecutive district title.
Top seed Wiregrass Ranch later claimed the district title in a 2-1 victory over Wharton.
In the boys bracket, the Chargers were the third seed as well and opened their tournament against Armwood. Led by goals from upperclassmen Francisco Caballera and Moez Bouazizi, the Chargers were also able to move onto the semifinal with a 2-1 win over the Hawks. But in the following round, the boys met their match in Wharton as well, falling 2-1 with a goal from senior Jeramiah Medina.
Top seed Wiregrass Ranch later claimed the district title in a 2-1 victory over Wharton.