Friday night’s Cougars-Chargers showdown in Dover may be the most intriguing matchup between Durant and Strawberry Crest in five years.
Five years ago, Oct. 4, 2013, was the first (and last) time Crest came out on the winning end of a box score against Durant. That was a gutsy 11-10 win sealed in the fourth quarter by Cameron Lehtola’s 37-yard field goal. Durant has since put together a four-game winning streak where it’s vastly outscored the Chargers, 148-23, and seen its series lead extend to 5-1 all-time.
Things are different in 2018, though, and the Chargers are hoping to break yet another extended losing streak on Friday night.
The Cougars, now in full rebuild mode with perhaps the least-experienced roster in the area, have looked like a group with much to learn. Durant was outscored 95-27 in its first three games, though their first two came against current one-loss programs Jesuit and Sickles. Durant’s best player, the versatile Demarcus Governor, was injured in the opener against Jesuit and had to miss the last three weeks. It’s the worst start to a season the Cougars have had since 2013 when they lost their first four games.
Crest, meanwhile, has shown noticeable improvement from 2017. This is especially true of the defense, which held Spoto and King to a combined 18 points and shut down Tampa Bay Tech’s passing game last week. The Chargers gave up 384 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in last week’s 47-10 loss to the Titans, but Tech is also arguably the best football program in the Tampa Bay area.
It’s the most evenly-matched this series has been in some time, which leads to perhaps the best chance of winning the Chargers have had in five years. Momentum, though will be on Durant’s side: not only is Governor suiting up for the Cougars (which he announced by tweeting, “I’m baaaaccccckkkkk…..” on Sunday to the Observer), but the team is also coming off of a 10-7 win in overtime against East Bay in a matchup they weren’t expected to win.
It’s especially notable because East Bay went into Friday’s game with a 3-0 record, making the Indians one of four unbeaten teams in Class 7A-District 9 (with Tech, Plant City and Bloomingdale) and 12 around the entire Tampa Bay area. Trailing 7-0 for three-plus quarters, the Cougars were able to hit paydirt in the fourth and, after nailing a field goal to take a 10-7 lead in overtime, the defense kept East Bay at bay to lock in the first “W” of the season. The win should be a well-deserved confidence booster for the Cougars and Governor’s return will help on defense, offense and special teams.
The Chargers will have to deal with another run-heavy attack this week, though the degree of difficulty isn’t as high as it is when trying to stop Treshaun Ward and company. Sean Williams and the Cougars will have to find a way to sneak past Crest’s defense’s secondary, which has been unafraid to get physical with receivers and swat or swipe passes.
Regardless of which team wins, Friday’s game in Dover is definitely one to keep an eye on.