“Thunder and Lightning” came straight from Plant City head coach Wayne Ward’s mouth, brought up during an interview before last week’s Durant game.
He might not have meant for that to describe the styles of his two primary running backs, Markese Hargrove and Sterling Day, but it’s certainly accurate. And, much like real thunder and lightning, these two can change the course of a football game in no time.
It’s been a weird start to the 2014 season for the Raiders (1-1-1; 0-1 district), but it hasn’t been one without its bright spots. For the offense, it’s been this dynamic duo.
THUNDER
Of the two backs, Day is definitely the “Thunder.” Although most standout Plant City running backs have been known for their speed, Day isn’t exactly a burner on that level. Instead, he prides himself on being able to play a solid all-around game.
“I try to do my best and always make that first man miss,” he says. “I just try to be a complete back — blocking, catching, running outside, running inside.”
But, at a shade under six feet and weighing 185 pounds, he’s used more like a power back in this offense. Day is a good one-cut running back. He has that ability to make the first guy miss before going full-steam ahead — whether he has to absorb a lot of contact or not. He hasn’t gotten as many touches as Hargrove, but he’s averaging about seven yards per carry.
Day spent the 2013 season backing up Hassan Bailey, but the coaches’ propensity to line Bailey up all over the field meant that the sophomore saw plenty of snaps with the first-team offense. In fact, according to MaxPreps.com, he got more touches than anyone on the team and scored more rushing touchdowns (seven) than everyone but quarterback Landon Galloway (nine).
Averaging just under five yards per carry isn’t always mind-blowing by high school standards but, with the 2013 team’s pass-happy offense and Galloway’s tendency to tuck it and run, Day got much of his work done in and near the red zone.
With Hargrove spending more time at running back than wideout, Day hasn’t seen as many carries as he did at this point last season. But, Plant City fans can rest easy knowing Day is a threat to score whenever the Raiders have a short field to work with.
LIGHTNING
It seems as though the Raiders have always been known to have some serious speed guys on the roster. In 2014, that role is reserved for Hargrove.
Watching him work on the field, it’s easy to peg Hargrove with the “Lightning” moniker. All three of his sports — football, basketball and track — involve a ton of running, and he says that his 40-yard dash time is in the low 4.5s.
He hardly saw any action at running back last season but won the starting job this year with an offseason that impressed Ward and all of the coaches.
“It feels great, being able to actually play and show what I’m capable of,” Hargrove says. “Every day, somebody tells me, ‘You were very impressive out there, for a little guy.’ I kind of enjoy hearing that.”
When he did play last season, he lined up at wideout. Hargrove is listed at 5-foot-8, which may be a little generous. But despite being on the smaller side of many wideout-cornerback match ups, he hauled in 25 catches at almost 11 yards per catch. For comparison’s sake, T.J. Chase led the team with 28 receptions. Hargrove didn’t have nearly as many yards (270 to Chase’s 562), but was still a major contributor.
This season, he’s been the Raiders’ best offensive player so far. He’s gained 178 yards on 33 carries and scored three times, leading the team. The receiving numbers haven’t been as high as last year’s, but that’s not necessarily his fault.
Essentially, Hargrove’s being utilized in the Raiders’ offense like a Danny Woodhead or Darren Sproles. He thinks this could be his breakout year, and he definitely has the tools to make that happen.
“I did pretty good last year, but I feel like this could be my turnaround year,” he says.
BATTLING BLOOMINGDALE
Day, Hargrove and the Raiders are getting ready to take on Bloomingdale, a team that’s currently undefeated when playing teams (Strawberry Crest, Brandon) in Plant City’s district. The Bulls (2-1; 0-1 district) are, however, coming off of a 20-6 loss to Plant.
The Raiders have to be happy about the fact that Plant (3-1; 1-0 district) just crushed Bloomingdale on the ground, to the tune of 239 yards and two touchdowns. Sure, 195 of those yards came from senior Patrick Brooks, but that’s still a bad day for that defense.
Raider fans can expect to see a whole lot of Thunder and Lightning in this game and, with what he did last week, it wouldn’t be surprising to see sophomore Ge’Shawn Parker get his number called more than usual. And, of course, quarterback Austin Carswell has a much better set of wheels than Plant’s Rex Culpepper.
Bloomingdale quarterback Isaiah McIntyre has the misfortune of facing yet another solid defense this week and, with Plant City’s linebackers playing phenomenal football right now, will probably be forced to scramble quite often. If the Raiders’ defensive backs can play well enough, the team will likely run its way to victory.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
All games begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted:
SEPT. 26
Durant at Gaither, 16200 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa
Bloomingdale at Plant City, 1 Raider Place, Plant City
Strawberry Crest at Freedom, 17410 Commerce Park Blvd., Tampa
OCT. 3
Durant at Strawberry Crest, 4691 Gallagher Road, Dover, 7 p.m.
East Bay at Plant City, 1 Raider Place, Plant City
MATCHUPS
DURANT
Don’t assume that last week’s 9-7 final score meant that the Battle for the Redman Cup was a close game. For the vast majority of it, Durant (3-1; 1-0 district) looked superior in every way.
There may not be any torrential downpours in the area this week (knocking on wood), and that would be perfect for a Cougar team that’s been playing lights-out defense and running the read-option offense so well lately.
The Cougars travel to Gaither (2-2; 0-1 district) to face a Cowboys team that has many similarities to their NFL counterparts in Dallas. There are times when this team’s offense looks great and carries Gaither to a win (the first two weeks of 2014), and there are times when the defense melts down and the offense can’t do enough to stop the bleeding (the past two weeks).
It’s also worth noting that Durant has not lost a game at the end of September for a very long time and that the Cougars have typically blown their opponents out in these games.
STRAWBERRY CREST
The rain also had a big effect on Strawberry Crest’s (1-3; 1-0 district) last game, a 9-6 win over Brandon (2-2; 0-1 district). But, hey — a win’s a win, especially after an 0-3 start to the season.
The Chargers will travel to Freedom (3-1; 1-0 district) to face former coach Todd Donohoe and a Patriots team that just beat Gaither, 15-10.
It’s certainly been a hot start for Freedom, aside from that 19-17 loss to Wharton on Sept. 12, but it’s also worth noting that the Patriots’ schedule has been soft so far.
Crest is hoping to keep the momentum going with a win, which would be ideal — especially considering next week’s matchup with Durant.