For the Plant City Dolphins, it looked like the past week was just business as usual.
They fielded four teams in the United Youth Football League National Championships, and two of the teams left with some shiny new hardware. The Superbowl in Brandon was a few weeks ago, but the transition was smooth.
The 12U Dolphins, known as the Junior Varsity squad, couldn’t have cruised through their bracket more easily. They got things started Dec. 9, with a 46-0 blowout of the MOT Cowboys, about two hours before their next opponents, the Naperville Patriots, picked up a 40-0 win over the Lakeland Storm. Naturally, this semifinal matchup got some hype.
But, that wasn’t the case. Plant City smacked Naperville around Dec. 11, putting up a 31-0 win over the Chicago-based squad. This put the Dolphins in a championship game against a CRA Cowboys team that made it with a nail-biter of a win, 19-18 over the CFAA Mustangs.
The Dec. 13 championship game was somewhat different from the last two. The Cowboys actually scored some points: two touchdowns and one PAT, to be exact. But, unfortunately for them, Plant City’s offense didn’t slow down one bit and helped the team run away with a 33-13 win.
Outscoring all opponents 110-13 was definitely a good look for head coach Steve Gude’s team, especially after missing out on the Superbowl.
For the Varsity team, however, going through the bracket wasn’t such a breeze.
The 14U Dolphins’ final test came in the form of the Brooklyn Renegades, which already had played in three games en route to the final round. And, because Brooklyn had just come off of a 25-6 semifinal win, Plant City knew this one would be close.
Indeed, it was. The fans got a low-scoring game, marked by big defensive plays, turnovers and penalties on both ends. It was, perhaps, a little sloppy on the offensive side, but not without its moments.
One of those big moments came late in the second quarter, while the game was still scoreless. After Chase Oliver’s long interception return was mostly negated with an unnecessary roughness penalty, Plant City drove down to the red zone and found itself stuck around the 12-yard line. The call was for a play-action pass, and quarterback Tate Whatley sold the fake perfectly. He found Tyler Hood in the end zone and rifled off a pass, giving Plant City its easiest six points of the night.
Brooklyn found the end zone in the fourth quarter, thanks to a particularly sneaky wideout. The Renegades lined up in a tight formation, which the Dolphins matched, but some creative blocking opened a hole for the receiver to sneak through. Plant City blocked the PAT, though, and put the game out of reach at 16-6 with four minutes left after a long drive. Although the sweeps weren’t working for much of the game, Gerrod McGee made the last one count with a 10-yard scoring run to the right side of the field.
Though these were the only two Plant City teams that won their brackets, one team got a takeaway that was just as good.
LITTLE GIANTS: THE SEQUEL
Plant City Colts coach Curt Brooks likes to compare his team to the “Little Giants,” from the movie of the same name.
Although the Colts lost every game by a score of 32-0, they’re taking this tournament as a moral victory: All of their opponents were massive by comparison.
“They’re looking at these big guys, and they still want to get on the field and play,” Brooks says. “Some of these kids on the other teams are 14, 15 years old and weigh 265 pounds, but (the Colts) aren’t scared at all.”
They were just happy to play football, as outmatched as they may have been. Brooks said the entire week was a learning experience, not only for the kids but also for himself and his fellow coaches.
“I learned a lot as a coach,” he says. “I learned that it ain’t the size of the dog in the fight — it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
That was the Colts’ story through two different brackets in the tournament — starting off outmuscled in the wrong bracket and ending the same way in the correct one. Although there are instances in which a smaller player may be able to use his speed and footwork to his advantage against a bigger player, it doesn’t work every time — especially when the guy across the line is bigger by at least six inches and 100 pounds.
But, that never-quit attitude the boys had will get them far. Such as, for example, whenever they get to play teams in their age group and weight class.
Also during the tournament, Brooks was selected to coach one of the teams in the Mid-Florida Football and Cheer Conference All-Star Game.
Going forward, Brooks now knows to never underestimate the heart of his players, even going against kids twice their size.
“The kids gave me courage,” he says. “They got me hyped up. I was scared they’d get hurt, (because) all of those kids were so much bigger than them, but they kept telling me, ‘Coach, we’re going to finish this!’”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
HOW PLANT CITY TEAMS FARED
Mighty Mites: Consolation Semifinals — Bristol Wardogs 13, Plant City Eagles 12; Lakeland Destroyers 26, Plant City Dolphins 0
Junior Pee Wee: Semifinals — East Boynton Wildcats 14, Plant City Dolphins 6
12U: Finals — Plant City Dolphins 33, CRA Cowboys 13. Won championship.
14U: Finals — Plant City Dolphins 16, Brooklyn Renegades 6. Won championship.
All-Star: Consolation Runner-Up Game — Northeast Rattlers 32, Plant City Colts 0