This certainly hasn’t been the kind of season John Kelly and the Strawberry Crest Chargers were hoping to have.
Now, with only a few games left to play, it’s visible out on the practice field. Even Kelly, who is normally as upbeat as they come, sounds tired. Last week’s loss to East Bay hurt the Chargers, who are now unlikely to make it into a district tiebreaker.
“At times, we did show great effort,” Kelly says. “It just hasn’t been consistent. That’s kind of been our M.O. this year, unfortunately.”
A successful example of that effort was, most noticeably, senior running back Arjay Smith, who gained 115 yards on 18 carries and scored the team’s lone touchdown of the night.
Stopping the run has been a thorn in the side of Crest’s defensive efforts as evidenced by the 241 rush yards and two touchdowns by East Bay sophomore Anthony Hollingshed last week. The defense did force Hollingshed to fumble twice — both turnovers — but much of the damage was already done.
“Obviously, we were disappointed with our own play,” Kelly says. “Everything needed to get better — our coaching, our playing.”
Prior to this season, few expected Crest to repeat last year’s success. The 2013 team was loaded with senior leadership; the 2014 team has, by Kelly’s estimation, seven seniors who play. There’s talent on this team, just as there was last year, but the difference — from this outside perspective — is that last year’s senior-loaded team had the experience to maximize its talents, while this year’s team, which has more sophomores than seniors, is still raw.
But, that’s just what happens when a huge chunk of the team is lost to graduation, and many of those who step in to fill the shoes are getting their first experience playing varsity football.
“When you have that amount of youth, and that little of senior leadership experience, I’m not saying you can’t be successful — I’m not trying to sit here and make excuses — it’s that we’re trying to build,” Kelly says. “A relatively young program, a six-year school, is gonna have growing pains. I still feel strongly about this program, and the future success that is possible here.”
It’s also important to remember that, along with all of the fresh faces on the roster, Kelly is working with a new offensive and defensive coordinator this season. It’s been a time of learning for everyone involved, and the Chargers hope to rebound next year as talents like Bryce and Chase Blackmon, Jordan Zilbar and others develop.
“I’m not disappointed in the development, both on the field and off the field, of our kids and our program this year,” Kelly says.
HOMECOMING
It’s been a little while since the Chargers have last won a football game, so they’re definitely looking to turn things around for tonight’s Homecoming crowd.
They’ll host Plant City, another team that’s been on a cold streak lately, albeit a shorter one.
The Raiders (2-4-1, 1-1 district) came one blocked extra-point attempt short of taking Spoto to overtime last Friday, instead taking a 28-27 loss at their Homecoming game.
On the bright side, junior running back Markese Hargrove had himself a great game — 179 rushing yards and all three of the team’s offensive touchdowns. Linebacker Steven Ogletree scored the first, scooping up a Spoto fumble and taking it 55 yards to the end zone.
It was the second week in a row in which the Raiders lost by two points or fewer, and this loss especially stung the senior class — who have not won a Homecoming game — afterward. Those Plant City boys are not happy about that, and they’re not going to take this game lightly.
“There’s some things that we think we can do well against them, but they’re still a dangerous team,” Kelly says. “They have good athletes in certain positions that they rely upon to make plays. We’re gonna have to contain those guys as good as possible, and play with tenacity to overcome some hard-nosed kids on the defensive side, as well.”
Perhaps most importantly, the Chargers will need to feed off the energy of the Homecoming crowd — which could be the most energetic of the season, given the circumstances — and use everything they’ve learned this year to hold off the Raiders. Otherwise, Hargrove and his teammates will celebrate a different kind of Homecoming win after the final buzzer sounds.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
MATCHUPS
DURANT
From a sports writer’s perspective, the surest way to tell that a team took a tough loss is when it’s a Tuesday, and the coaches still haven’t published the stats online.
Brandon was not expected to beat Durant on Friday night but didn’t trail during the game. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles managed to pull ahead for good and shock the Cougars with a 21-18 win.
Durant running back Crispian Atkins led the team with 158 yards and a touchdown.
It won’t get any easier for Durant this week, as they’ll host a 6-1 Hillsborough Terriers team that hasn’t lost since Sept. 12, at Armwood. Not counting that loss, a 26-0 shutout, the Terriers have scored an average of about 32 points per game.
Durant does have experience beating formidable teams this season, such as Sickles, so it’s not like a Cougar win is out of the question tonight. It’s just going to come down to how prepared the home team will be, and how well it can limit mistakes.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
All games begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted:
OCT. 24
Hillsborough at Durant; 4748 Cougar Path, Plant City
Plant City at Strawberry Crest; 4691 Gallagher Road, Dover
OCT. 31
East Bay at Durant; 4748 Cougar Path, Plant City
Brandon at Plant City; 1 Raider Place, Plant City
Strawberry Crest; BYE