Photos courtesy of Glen Ryan
In 2023, Terrence Hicks-led Plant City beat Durant to claim their first Redman Rivalry win since 2020. The Raiders found themselves in Ron Frost Stadium once again to attempt to keep the cup in their trophy case. Both sides had momentum coming off big wins against lower-tier opponents. This time, the challenge proved too much for Plant City as Durant bested the Raiders 28-21 in a tight match.
Fans coated the stands on either side of the field. Both schools came in full force to push their team through their bitter rivals. Cheers rose and stock cougar sound effects echoed throughout the arena as they kicked off the latest entry in the cross-city rivalry.
After a short drive by the Cougars, the Plant City offense took the field for their first snap of the game. Quarterback Chris Denson called for the snap and watched the ball sail miles over his head. The senior chased the ball down and completed a miraculous on-the-run strike while being harassed by oncoming defenders.
Poor snapping proved to be a problem for both teams. These issues led to eight broken plays with Plant City accounting for the bulk of these slip-ups, ending with six plays disrupted due to poor snaps. Outside these eight plays, the two signal callers often caught the ball off the grass or needed to leap for the snap. The theme was reinforced only a few plays later for the Raiders when, on third down, a snap flew past Denson who escaped the play with just an incompletion after, once again, needing to turn and run to chase down the loose ball.
As the Raiders stumbled, however, Durant got into a rhythm. Running back Emmanuel Lee set up a field goal after he pinballed off multiple Plant City defenders for a 35-yard catch-and-run. The halfback contributed multiple big plays enroute to 129 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground and 36 yards through the air. When Lee got into open space, his head coach Clayton “Claybo” Varnum could count on the senior to force a missed tackle or two before going down.
As the first quarter turned to the second, Durant pulled away from their rivals. The Cougar offense hit multiple big plays including a deep connection between quarterback Michael Ryan and receiver Jayden Cornelius. Cornelius torched the outside corner and adjusted well to make the grab before the high safety could bring help, setting up a first and goal at the five. A few plays later, Lee ran in his first touchdown to put Durant up 10-0.
People say games are won in the trenches. At this point in the game, Varnum’s offensive and defensive line units dominated Plant City. His front seven consistently stuffed runs and came away with multiple drive-crushing sacks. Plant City faced third and long often, which made building momentum an uphill battle for the offense.
Another flamed-out possession for the Raiders brought the Cougar rushing attack back on the field. After a few plays, Lee burst through a big hole opened by his o-line and outraced the Plant City secondary for a long touchdown. A successful two-point conversion put Durant up 18 to zip and another punt on Plant City’s next drive gave little hope for Raiders faithful with time running out in the first half.
Then Hicks’ side got a gift. The Cougars dialed up a screen to the right side of the formation, but a hoard of Raiders immediately crashed in on Ryan before the play could develop. The quarterback hoisted the ball up into the air only for it to fall blindly into the waiting arms of a Plant City defensive lineman. Suddenly, the away team reached the red zone for the first time.
The Raiders capitalized quickly as two effective runs set up a Denson touchdown scramble. Durant’s final drive of the half was threatening (including a gutsy fourth down conversion off a fake punt) but an unlucky drop in the endzone forced a field goal for the home team. Against all odds, Plant City escaped down only 21-7 with points and momentum to build on.
The second half started with matching punts from the rivals. In Plant City’s second drive of the half, however, they found a rhythm. Hicks switched his offense from long-developing pass plays to quick throws, screens, and inside runs. The combination of plays close to the line of scrimmage set up a red zone post for a 25-yard touchdown, bringing the Raiders within a score of their opponents.
Durant muffed the following kickoff in their territory and Plant City recovered. Luckily for the Cougars, they broke up a fourth-down pass into the endzone and escaped punishment for their error.
They did not hold onto the lead much longer as Plant City followed the Durant punt with an almost identical possession to their last scoring drive. Once again, Denson capped the drive with a downfield touchdown to a wideout. Durant and Plant City were level. 21-21.
Before you knew it, Durant reclaimed the lead. On the first play of the drive, Ryan targeted senior receiver Ajani Peavy on an out route. The Raider defender laid out for the deflection but came up empty-handed. With his man on the ground, Peavy turned up-field and sprinted to the endzone for the score.
After another round of punts for both teams, Plant City failed to capitalize on their last chance to score. A sack and another poor snap stopped the drive before it started. After a year apart, the Durant Cougars took to the field for a team picture with the Redman Cup before they welcomed it back into their trophy case. Plant City left the stadium wondering what might have been if their offense got out of its own way.