Game of the Week: Lennard at Strawberry Crest

Justin Kline

7 years ago

This week, the Strawberry Crest Chargers might find exactly what they’ve spent much of the 2017 season looking for.

Though Crest snapped its years-long winless streak in September, it still hasn’t won a regular-season home game since 2013. The Chargers will have their best chance yet to change that tonight when the team hosts the winless Lennard Longhorns in the last 7A-District 9 matchup of the season.

But a home win over the Longhorns would mean much more to Crest than just the end of one extended streak. In fact, the Chargers stand to end a few droughts if they come out ahead tonight.

THE OTHER GUYS

PLANT CITY

The Raiders will travel to Tampa Bay Tech for a tough matchup against the district’s best offense.

Last week, Plant City running back Zamir’ Knighten stole the show with 132 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. The Raiders ran for 239 total yards and two scores on 37 carries while quarterback Braxton Plunk completed 11 of 23 pass attempts for 178 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Mario Williams Jr. (49 yards) was held to under 100 receiving yards for the first time since Sept. 28 and scoreless for the first time since Sept. 1.

Meanwhile, Penix threw for 222 yards and four touchdowns to guide Tech past Durant at Cougar Path. The Titans’ offense performed well across the board and the defense found a way to keep Cameron Myers off the scoreboard in the second half, preserving the team’s lead through the end of the game. Tonight’s game will be especially notable for Tech running back Treshaun Ward, as it will be his first against his former Plant City teammates.

DURANT

The Cougars are set to host Bloomingdale in the last week of 7A-District 9 action.

Last week, Durant hosted Tampa Bay Tech in a live television broadcast but was outmatched in a 55-28 loss. The Titans’ win, plus Bloomingdale’s win against Plant City, handed them the 7A-9 championship and guaranteed them a playoff spot come November. Tech’s offense hurt Durant both through the air and on the ground, but the team was led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s four-touchdown performance.

Meanwhile, Bloomingdale picked up a 36-29 road win over the Raiders that saw both teams come alive in the second half. After holding a 7-0 lead at halftime, the Bulls found themselves ahead by just one point — 22-21 — going into the fourth quarter. They were able to hold Plant City to eight points in the fourth quarter and prevent the team from stealing away the win.

Crest has not won a game since Sept. 1, when the team ran all over King for a 23-6 victory. The team picked up 280 yards and all three scores on the ground, and both stand as season-high marks. The schedule didn’t do the Chargers many favors, especially with a run of Durant, Plant City, Tampa Bay Tech and Bloomingdale in consecutive weeks.

Crest has only scored nine points since Sept. 1, seven of which came from the offense against Plant City on Sept. 28. The team has not scored a single point in the month of October and will now face a defense allowing an average of 31.6 points per game. Lennard’s defense has allowed 253 points this season, including 189 in district play — both totals are the second-highest among 7A-9 teams.

Crest’s defense has given up 288 points, an average of 36 per game, this season. In the first two weeks of October, against Tech and Bloomingdale, the Chargers allowed 106 of those points to be scored. While Lennard’s offense has been more productive than Crest’s — the Longhorns have scored 78 total points to Crest’s 45 — it still hasn’t found a way to win games.

To help secure a win, the Chargers will look to create turnover opportunities whenever they can. Lennard’s offense has lost nine of its 10 fumbles in eight games and the quarterbacking duo of Justin Dixon and Justice Martin have combined to throw seven picks against two touchdowns (both Dixon’s) in 2017. The Chargers will also look to find a spark in the rushing attack against a defense that has allowed over 230 yards on the ground in each of its last three outings.

Though things have rarely gone the Chargers’ way this season, they’re hoping to use any chance they have to give the students in Dover an experience they haven’t had since middle school: a district win at home.