Every summer, the local Martin Luther King Jr. and Planteen Recreation centers get together for a friendly game of kickball. With bragging rights, a trophy and a pie to the face on the line, this is a battle that both teams come prepared for.
This year, both sides have something new to prove.
The Planteen Center is coming off of back-to-back losses, including last year’s 2-1, walk-off heartbreaker at the hands — actually, feet — of Keyshawn Green. The MLK Center, which went into last year’s game with a boatload of confidence, wants to prove that it can win by more than one run. With the game day fast approaching, both teams have something to say before it’s all said and done.
PLANTEEN
If things weren’t going as well on the field as the Planteen Center hoped, that team was at least able to play with the lead for almost all of the game. Last year’s team had only two players with prior rec center showdown experience, but the 2015 team will have more returners. Those returners do like what they’ve been seeing in practices with returning coach Shawn Lake.
“We’ve been working on kicking and catching,” athlete Joshua Schoch says. “We’ve gotten better at kicking. The balls are lower instead of being high enough that the other team could catch it. I feel we have a stronger chance of winning because I think our team is more athletic.”
First-timers, like Chris Ramirez, are also excited to join this team.
“I like the way they think about it before they plan it,” Ramirez says. “They plan to get to a certain point instead of winging it.”
With improved kicking and a desire to even the score again, the Planteen team is ready to get out there and play some ball. It’s even bringing back some familiar faces from teams of the past, who want to see Planteen get back in the winners’ column.
“Last year, we lost by one point and I’m thinking that, if I join this year, we might win,” Trace Thomas, who last played in 2013, says.
MLK
The atmosphere at the MLK Center before last year’s game was energetic, to say the least. All of the players were confident that, not only would they win the game, but they would win by a lot with their athleticism and power at the plate. They ended up batting .500 for predictions, but were at least correct about getting the win. The team celebrated joyfully after the win, and Parks & Recreation supervisor Lillie Brown enjoyed every minute of shoving a lukewarm pie in fellow supervisor Jason Hargrove’s face.
“Best game ever,” Christian Bisono says.
But this year, things were a little different at the rec center. Athletes were still confident, but certainly quieter and more cautious. The Planteen team performed better in 2014 than MLK had expected and are not to be taken lightly.
Head coach Ja’Vae Ingram, along with about half of last year’s team, will be back. The team’s returners believe that the losses won’t affect the bottom line, as the lineup is still solid.
“We’ve lost a few players, but we’re still a really strong team,” Bisono says. “That’s how we are. We always play hard. We’ve got this.”
Like the Planteen team, the MLK kids have been fine-tuning their kicking and fundamentals in practice recently. The athleticism the team showed last year should still be there, but MLK fans can expect to see more line drives. The floaters, for the most part, have been phased out.
While the team’s predictions may not be as loud or bold as last season’s, they’re the same in principle: Every player on this team believes that they are going to win this game and put Planteen on a three-year cold streak.
“I’m looking forward to winning,” Tah’nodd Miller says. “We’ll be working together. We’re going to try to score more points and just win.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
IF YOU GO
Where: MLK Rec Center, 1601 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
When: 12 p.m. Friday, July 24.
Record: MLK Center leads series, 2-1. Planteen last won in 2012.
