The Redman Cup rivalry even means something to Sports Editor Justin Kline.
The theme of this week's Game of the Week section can be summed up with one question: "What does this game mean to you?"
You'll read what some Durant and Plant City seniors have to say about it, and I'm sure that fans of both programs have answers of their own. But, even though there's "no cheering in the press box," the Redman Cup game is special for me, too.
Three years ago last month, it was my first Friday night football game as a full-time journalist. I remember it pretty well: quarterback Landon Galloway led the Raiders to a 14-13 win with touchdown passes to Hassan Bailey and T.J. Chase. The Cougars nearly tied things up in the fourth quarter with a Trey Van De Grift touchdown pass to Garrett Rentz, but couldn't convert after the touchdown, and that came back to haunt them when a late Van De Grift interception sealed the win for the home team.
I had gotten used to covering the action from the press box at previous stops – Lakeland and Naples – so this was the first time I ventured onto the sidelines for an entire game. Although it's not as easy to see all of the action, since you don't have the bird's eye view the box provides, it's a thousand times better. I saw firsthand the emotions on display that so often come with a good crosstown rivalry, and being able to hear how the players and coaches are pumping each other up gets you that much more immersed in the moment.
Just try not to be distracted and get hit out there. As the coaches say: "Eyes up, head on a swivel."
It was my first time taking action photos, too. I'll be the first person to admit that, coming out of college, I wanted to stick to the written word and let someone with a real passion for photography handle the visual stuff for me. I didn't complain when the Times & Observer put a Nikon D7000 in my hand, and that night showed me how satisfying it is to take (or, for the first few months, try to take) the perfect shot to tell the story. While I'm still nowhere near as good as former Managing Editor Mike Eng, who helped me tremendously in the early days, I credit that Redman Cup game with lighting that fire for me.
This year, the stakes are about as high as ever. This is most likely a "win and in" game, in terms of securing a playoff spot, so you and I all know that both Durant and Plant City are going to put everything they have into this one. These two teams always play each other well and, with their recent results in mind, I'm expecting to go home afterward and write about another great installment of the Plant City area's most fun rivalry game.
Both teams are coming off of not-so-close wins, with Durant shutting out Strawberry Crest, 49-0, and Plant City outmatching Bloomingdale, 45-21. The offenses are tuned up, the defenses are ready to go and the coaches know the drill. I have a pretty good idea of who could come up big in this game for either team but, to hear my full thoughts and predictions, you'll have to tune in to this week's Gridiron Report.
As I do every year, I've got a good feeling about this one. And no matter what happens – even if it's a blowout finish or a 2-0 final, I'll still be just as excited to be covering the Redman Cup rivalry as I was when I did it on my third full day in Plant City.
