The top five athletes and teams of 2018
Top 5 Athletes of 2018
- Ashley Blessin, Plant City softball
You’d be hard-pressed to find an athlete with a better resume than Plant City softball’s ace. Three Hillsborough County Pitcher of the Year awards in three seasons. Current school record-holder for wins and ERA and, more likely than not, future record-holder for strikeouts. A 5.7 GPA in the classroom and a volunteer in the community. Blessin went 21-6 in 2018 with eight shutout wins and a whopping 245 strikeouts, and has one season left to go before heading to Marshall University. - Braxton Plunk, Plant City football
Though no player in Hillsborough County was as exciting to watch as teammate Mario Williams, Braxton Plunk’s play at quarterback was the driving force for the Plant City Raiders’ district championship. The young man referenced on the “Plunk City” shirts threw for 2,602 yards and 26 touchdowns against just five interceptions in 2018. Plunk arguably cemented himself as Hillsborough County’s best quarterback in 2018. - Rob Haywood, Strawberry Crest swimming
How many athletes can say they’ve gone to a state championship nearly every year of their high school careers? At least one of them is Strawberry Crest’s Rob Haywood, who appeared in his third event in four seasons in 2018. He placed sixth in the state in the 100-yard breaststroke in a season where he also had to win a battle against Vocal Cord Dysfunction. - Mario Williams, Plant City football
When your team has an athlete like Mario Williams, you’re never out of the game. Plant City’s game-breaking sophomore was a terror for opposing defenses and special teams units in 2018, scoring 16 total touchdowns at wide receiver and return man (and would have had more if not for penalties). Williams is also a threat on the base paths for the school’s baseball team and is racking up plenty of NCAA Division I offers from Power Five schools this offseason. - C.J. Barnes, Durant football
Any time a defensive player finishes a season at or near the 100-tackle mark, it’s a great personal achievement. What makes C.J. Barnes’s 107-tackle season more special is that he isn’t a linebacker — Barnes did it at the safety position, which is an even more difficult task. Barnes was one of the bright spots for the Cougars in 2018 and, fortunately for the team, will be back next season.
Top 5 Teams of 2018
- Plant City High School Boys Soccer
The Raiders brought a state championship trophy to PCHS for the first time since 1982 this year, but their accomplishments go deeper than that. Plant City finished the 2017-18 season with a 19-1 (5-0 district) overall record and was ranked first in Florida and 10th in the nation by MaxPreps.com after beating Miami Beach for all the marbles. That team is a hard act to follow but, with a 5-0-1 (3-0 district) record to start the 2018-19 season, Caleb Roberts’ boys are off to a good start. - Strawberry Crest High School Cheer
When Kaitlyn Kubecka, Quinn Hyde and Amber Farmer graduated in the summer, they joined an elite club: athletes who won four state championships in a row. Strawberry Crest is the first program in Florida history to four-peat in the state’s Small Co-Ed division, beating out runner-up Winter Park by 0.7 points in February. The team also won Western Conference in a clean sweep during a year when low turnout and new faces meant Crest succeeding on this level did not look like a sure bet at first. - Strawberry Crest High School Baseball
Winning the first district and regional championships in program history led to Strawberry Crest’s baseball team playing in the state Final Four in Fort Myers in early June. The Chargers put up a 19-9 (3-2 district) record in 2018 with solid play in all areas of the game. Their secret weapons, though, were their heart and chemistry — the boys kept the faith all season long, no matter what, and persevered in close games other teams would likely have lost. - Plant City Dolphins Midgets
Two words — “Purple Reign” — have helped the Plant City Dolphins to 29 consecutive league wins and three consecutive championships. John Broome’s squad got the job done once again in 2018 with an undefeated TCYFCC season topped with a 22-16 Superbowl win over the East Bay Bucs. The Dolphins will look to keep the streak alive in 2019, adding to the wins records they’ve already set. - Plant City High School Softball
Ashley Bullion guided the Raiders to their fourth district title in as many seasons and Plant City once again made it to the end of the regional bracket in 2018. With strong pitching from Ashley Blessin and the bats of Lexi Moore, Abbie DeWeese and Beka Schulte burning red-hot all season, the Raiders won 22 games in a year where the roster consisted of more freshmen than any other grade level. The young team set the tone for what could be another successful season in 2019, so all eyes will be on the girls in the orange and teal this spring.
