The Plant City Dolphins fielded three teams in the 2013 Superbowl, which they would have been proud of regardless of the outcomes. Fortunately for them, two of the teams came out with championships.
The Pee-Wees and the Varsity team picked up wins Nov. 23, at the Brandon Cowboys’ field. Dolphins fans packed the house, overflowing the bleachers and blowing into vuvuzelas to help make their presence felt. It almost seemed like a home-field advantage, and it certainly helped.
The Pee-Wees were the first of the three teams to play, and their game was arguably the most dramatic. After taking a 7-6 lead into halftime, the Dolphins took advantage of a fumble recovery and blocked well enough for running back Reggie Bush to run 45 yards for a score. Their foes, the East Bay Bucs, didn’t have an answer until the fourth quarter, when they tied it up on a 25-yard run and converted the extra point attempt. The Plant City coaches and players weren’t too happy about it, because the Bucs’ drive had eaten up most of the remaining time left.
Bush, however, flipped the game on its head immediately afterward by returning the kickoff for a touchdown. Coaches’ hats flew in the air as they ran, cheering, down the sideline to follow the running back. The Dolphins were now ahead, 19-13, and East Bay couldn’t answer back with 1:10 on the clock.
The Midgets played the Brandon Bears right afterward, but that game didn’t go as well as the team had hoped. Though Plant City scored early, the Bears answered back with two touchdowns on two consecutive drives. After taking a 14-6 lead into halftime, they allowed just one touchdown — but no extra point — to make it a 14-12 game going into the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins were able to prevent another Brandon touchdown with a late goal-line stand, but the offense couldn’t make anything happen with that field position.
For the last game of the day, the Dolphins and Bucs squared off with each other again. This time, it was a battle of the Varsity squads, and it wasn’t close. Plant City turned in a dominant performance on both sides of the ball, picking up a 34-8 win and a handful of trophies for everyone.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.