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Cross-Town School Rivalry Resumes Friday

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By DAREK SHARP

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 3, 2008

PLANT CITY - The cross-town high school football rivalry resumes Friday, with Plant City and Durant opening their regular seasons against each other for a fourth straight year.

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Durant. The Cougars won the first two season-opening games against the Raiders, in 2005 and 2006, but last year Plant City edged Durant 14-13.

New Raider head coach Jason Strunk has only been around a few months but understands the emphasis on this game.

"I am learning that it is an intense rivalry," Strunk said. "We are excited to play them. Hopefully all the players from both sides get to play in front of a huge crowd ... they deserve a large audience."

Durant is eager to avenge the 2007 loss to the Raiders.

"They're our arch rival, and it's always an exciting game. We've got a bad taste in our mouths from last year, that's for sure," Cougars head coach Mike Gottman said.

The participants now have a trophy at stake. The Redman Cup, first presented last year and named for former state lawmaker James L. Redman, is awarded to each year's winner.

Adding to the intrigue is the presence of two former Raider head coaches at Durant, including the most recent one, Kevin Kelley, on the Cougars sidelines as an assistant. Strunk took Kelley's place after Kelley resigned for personal reasons following last season.

The other former Raider coach, Todd Long, is an administrator for Durant.

Strunk said Long has helped him ease into the community.

"He has been terrific to me since I arrived. I really appreciate the time Todd spent talking with me," Strunk said. "No matter the outcome, I hope at the end of the game, those coaches who have switched schools get a chance to talk to the players they coached previously. The players here have a tremendous amount of respect for their former coaches."

Strunk said the Raiders have been coming together "pretty nicely" as far as picking up his new schemes.

Reporter Darek Sharp can be reached at dsharp@tampa

trib.com.

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