By Matt Mauney | Associate Editor
There was no shortage of highlights this past high school football season in the Plant City area.
There were notable moments, great plays and thrilling games throughout the season. The team achievements and great moments wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the talented athletes themselves. All the football players deserve recognition in their own right, but the Plant City Observer has narrowed down a select few that meant a great deal to their team’s success.
Categories include Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year (honoring the area’s top underclassman, freshman or sophomore, playing and/or starting on varsity for the first time.
Our top award, Player of the Year, honors an area player who not only put up impressive stats but also served as the most valuable player on his team.
Congratulations to all our winners — and all of their teammates, as well. We look forward to a new season in 2013 full of great plays and highlights.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Karel Hamilton
SCHOOL: Strawberry Crest
HEIGHT: 6-1
WEIGHT: 190
CLASS: Senior
POSITIONS: WR/S/KR/PR
STAT LINE: 1,629 all-purpose yards, 13 total TD, 21 tackles, 1 INT, 2 FF
After a tough 1-9 season in 2011, the Strawberry Crest football team was looking for answers. Because he had taught at the school since it opened in 2009, new head coach John Kelly already was familiar with many of the players.
And before the season even began, he knew who his playmaker was going to be.
“We know that we have to find ways to get his hands on the football as much as possible,” Kelly said about senior Karel Hamilton.
To say Hamilton did it all for the Chargers this year would be a gross understatement. A natural wide receiver, Hamilton shined at that position, bringing down big catch after big catch all season long.
The senior finished with 948 receiving yards and 10 touchdown grabs. He was the favorite target for sophomore quarterback Tristan Hyde, who connected with him 59 times and helped catapult the young QB to a breakout season.
“He can make a good quarterback look great,” Hyde said after one of the games this season. “If you can find a way to throw it in his direction, he’s going to come down with it.”
But it didn’t stop there.
As the most talented athlete on this year’s Chargers team, Kelly put Hamilton in as many positions to succeed as possible — and he didn’t disappoint.
As a student of the game, Hamilton used his knowledge of route running to lock down the Chargers secondary as a safety, rotating in and out on defense when opponents faced passing situations. Hamilton finished the year with 21 total tackles and had an interception in a close 32-24 loss to perennial power Hillsborough and two forced fumbles Sept. 7, against Bloomingdale.
Hamilton also was a standout on the third phase of the game, special teams, as a punt and kickoff returner. He used his speed and vision to accumulate 140 yards in punt returns, for nearly an 11-yard average.
Hamilton was even more brilliant on kickoffs, as he averaged nearly 30 yards per return for a total of 445 yards.
In a 76-7 blowout of Leto, Hamilton returned a kick 98 yards for a score and also had a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown — all in the first half.
Perhaps Hamilton’s shining moment came during an away game against a good Sickles team. After Hyde left the game with a concussion at the end of the first half, Kelly looked to Hamilton to lead his team. Playing quarterback, Hamilton ran a wildcat-style offense and drove the Chargers down the field to pulled his team within three points with a 13-yard run. Hamilton had 50 yards rushing and 32 receiving yards in what became a 38-17 loss, but it showcased a remarkable talent for Strawberry Crest.
“What more can you say about him?” Kelly asked after that game. “You can put him at any position, and he’s the best athlete on the field.”
Hamilton finished his final year with the Chargers with 1,629 all-purpose yards and 13 total touchdowns, but more than that, he helped start a new era at Strawberry Crest. The Chargers went 4-6 and went toe-to-toe with district powers Armwood, Sickles and Hillsborough for the first time in program history.
Considered one of the most underrated and under-recruited players in the Tampa Bay area, Hamilton got his first offer Oct. 25, from Samford University, in Birmingham, Ala. He has since received offers from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Coastal Carolina University and Jacksonville University.
Honorable mention: Jamarlon Hamilton, Durant High
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jamarlon Hamilton
SCHOOL: Durant High
HEIGHT: 5-10
WEIGHT: 235
CLASS: Senior
POSITION: FB
STAT LINE: 1,340 rushing yards, 20 TD
It’s rare to find a fullback who puts up big offensive numbers. Then again, it’s rare for a team to have a player like Durant’s Jamarlon Hamilton.
It’s interesting to think that just a few years ago, when Hamilton was a freshman, he was considered a defensive lineman.
Coaches described him as a pudgy, out-of-shape kid, and when he was moved to fullback, he often would get confused on which direction to run.
“He didn’t know his right from his left,” head coach Mike Gottman said. “We had to put ‘R’ and ‘L’ on his shoes.”
Hamilton is worlds apart from that now. He became a breakout star his sophomore season, had an even better year in 2011 and capped off his high school career with his best season yet.
Hamilton carried the ball 191 times for 1,350 yards and accounted for 20 touchdowns this season in what was the most successful season to date for the Durant program.
The Cougars went a perfect 10-0 in the regular season for the first time in school history. They would finish the year 11-1 after losing a hard-fought game against district rival Newsome in the region semifinals.
Hamilton defined the term workhorse this season for Durant. When the Cougars needed some hard yards or a big play, the 5-10, 235-pound bruiser was likely to get the ball.
“He’s the guy we called on when we needed to put a drive together,” Gottman said.
Hamilton had more than 100 yards rushing in eight of the 11 games he played in this season, including 112 yards in an impressive 34-7 win against Tampa Bay Tech in the region quarterfinals. His most impressive game came in the season opener, when he carried the ball 14 times for 187 yards and five touchdowns in a 57-7 win against Freedom.
Just ask anyone involved with the Durant program, and they will tell you what sets him apart.
“He’s just a great kid,” running backs coach Matt Stwan said. “He’s one of those guys that you would want your daughter to date.”
Hamilton was a leader for Durant both on and off the football field. He was just as much the team’s biggest fan and mascot as he was its best player.
Like Strawberry Crest’s Hamilton, Jamarlon also is revered as one of the most under-recruited players in the region. In three seasons at the position, Hamilton rushed for 2,963 yards and 38 touchdowns.
According to Gottman, Hamilton has no offers as of Dec. 17, but Southern University in Louisiana is interested in the fullback.
Honorable mention: Karel Hamilton, Strawberry Crest
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Randy Baker
SCHOOL: Durant High
HEIGHT: 5-9
WEIGHT: 155
CLASS: Senior
POSITION: DB
STAT LINE: 100 tackles, 2 INT, 5 FR
Coming into the season, there were some questions regarding Durant’s defense. The Cougars lost several key players to graduation, and head coach Mike Gottman was given the task of filling those voids.
Several guys were switched around, asked to play both sides of the ball and given more playing time on defense.
A few of the key defensive guys returning for Durant — Tyler Moody and Zach Hoffman — along with newcomer Dontriel Perry, all were expected to have big years and all lived up to those expectations.
But it was a 5-foot-9 senior defensive back that helped set the tone all season for a devastating Durant defense.
Randy Baker led the Cougars this season with 100 total tackles (54 solo, 46 assists). He also had two interceptions on the year to go along with five fumble recoveries, which led his team. Those two interceptions came in key wins over Wharton and rival Plant City.
Baker solidified an athletic secondary that also featured J.J. Garrett, Terry Grimsley and Paxton Sims, along with others. That secondary was supposed to be a strong point of the Durant defense this year, but it’s safe to say Baker’s performance exceeded expectations.
His 8.3 tackles per game led a Cougars defense that allowed under 10 points per contest.
“He’s just a hard-nosed football player,” Gottman said of Baker earlier this season. “He has the ability to fly to the ball and make plays.”
Baker was one of those players that moved positions this season, switching from cornerback to strong safety. After only 34 tackles last year, the senior nearly tripled that in his final run with the Cougars.
“He did a great job for us,” Gottman said.
Honorable mentions: Andrew Zuluaga, Strawberry Crest; Micheal Mitchell, Strawberry Crest; Dylan Johnson, Plant City; Matt Chaney, Plant City; Devyn Salmon, Plant City; Tyler Moody, Durant; Zach Hoffman, Durant; Dontriel Perry, Durant
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Tavares Chase
SCHOOL: Plant City
HEIGHT: 6-1
WEIGHT: 160
CLASS: Freshman
POSITION: WR
STAT LINE: 466 receiving yards, 2 total TD
In what became a rebuilding year for the Plant City Raiders, a host of future stars emerged.
The one that seemed to standout the most, a freshman, didn’t look like a freshman at all. Tavares Chase came on the scene and made an immediate impact in the Raiders passing game.
The 6-foot-1, 160-pound receiver led all Plant City wideouts with 466 yards on just 19 catches. That’s a 24.5 yard average per catch, which also ranks the highest on the team, ahead of senior Joe Davis (374 yards), who had 28 catches, and junior Landon Galloway (360 yards), who had 32 grabs this season.
Chase’s biggest game came in a 34-14 win against Riverview where he had three catches for 105 yards, including a 73-yard reception that went for a touchdown.
The Raiders went 4-6 this season after a 7-3 campaign a year earlier. After losing 22 seniors to graduation, including key skill position players, head coach Wayne Ward was looking for answers.
“For a first-year player, he had a tremendous year,” Ward said of Chase. “He’s the type of athlete who wants the ball in his hands.”
Ward said he has seen Chase’s growth as a player.
“As the year went on, he began to ask questions about how to improve, and that’s something you want to see in a young player,” he said. “He’s in position to be a big-time guy to come out of Plant City in a few years.”
Honorable mention: Tristan Hyde, Strawberry Crest
Editor’s note: Durant sophomore Crispian Atkins was not eligible, because it was his second year playing on varsity.