Make no mistake: though the final score of this game was just 9-7, in favor of Durant, this was a Redman Cup battle to remember.
Or, at least the final minute of it.
Mother Nature had been hinting at nasty weather for much of the week, and went all-in on Friday night. Near-torrential rainfall kept things sloppy and run-oriented on both sides for all four quarters.
The first half was all about the Cougar defense. Despite the offense’s ability to make the read-option offense work, the Cougars could only muster a 30-yard Derek Wells field goal before halftime. The defense, on the other hand, held Plant City to six total yards and one first down – which came with only a few seconds left to play.
Durant scored its only touchdown of the game with 40 seconds left in the third quarter, when Crispian Atkins punched one in from the red zone. The following conversion was no good, so Plant City faced a 9-0 deficit going into the fourth quarter.
Turnovers were prevalent, but that’s what happens when a football game is held in a monsoon. The fumbles bounced in favor of the Cougars until this quarter, when luck finally came the Raiders’ way.
After running back Ge’Shawn Parker scored on a 10-yard run, with 54 seconds to play, Kijafi Coney recovered a Durant fumble near midfield eight seconds later. The Raiders extended a drive until there were eight seconds to go and lined up for a field goal, only to have Chase Lott iced – twice – by Durant timeouts. Jorge Navarrete replaced him, but the kick fell short of the crossbar.
The win was Durant’s second in three years, and the first since 2012.
In other area action, Strawberry Crest beat Brandon for its first win of the season with a similar score: 9-6.