#3 PLANT PANTHERS (11-1) at #2 LAKELAND DREADNAUGHTS (10-0)
When: Friday, November 24, 2017, 7:30 P.M.
Where: Bryant Stadium, 1125 North Florida Avenue, Lakeland, FL 33805
TV: Spectrum Sports (Channel 47 and HD 1147)
Coaches: PLANT- Robert Weiner (155-29-1, 14th Season) LAKELAND- Bill Castle (417-90, 42nd Season)
How They Match Up:
For the third consecutive season, Plant and Lakeland will go head-to-head in the playoffs in another showdown between two of the elite high school football programs in the state of Florida. The Panthers (four) and Dreadnaughts (six) have combined for ten state championships, and whoever wins this game will be two wins away from adding another title to the trophy case. The two teams have split all six of their postseason meetings, and they'll meet in round three of the playoffs Friday at Bryant Stadium after playing in round two the past two seasons. Lakeland is coming off the 15th undefeated regular season of Bill Castle's legendary career, and the Dreadnaughts are out for revenge after having a playoff win over the Panthers slip through their fingers in a second round game at Dad's Stadium in Tampa one year ago. Lakeland's starting quarterback, Kevaris Thomas (1,033 passing yards, 21 total TD, 1 INT), was part of a magical run to the state finals last year as a member of the Lake Gibson Braves and could be the maestro to guide the Dreadnaughts to the promised land. He has one of the top junior tight ends in the nation at his fingertips with Keon Zipperer (13 receptions, 296 yards, 4 TD) and a pair of skilled wideouts in Kathleen transfers Antonio Whitehead (664 yards from scrimmage, 9 total TD) and Daikwon Lawson (16 receptions, 250 yards, 3 TD). Sophomore tailback Demarkus Bowman (911 rushing yards, 10 TD) had a tremendous start to the season and is a game breaking speedster. Senior linebackers Robert Madden (112 tackles, 26.5 tackles for a loss, 3 INT) and Syracuse commit Jack Smith (80 tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss) are the leaders of a defense that's giving up just 10.4 points per game. Junior defensive end A.J. Thomas (11.5 sacks, 25 tackles for a loss) is the Dreadnaughts' top pass rusher, while senior safety Carlos Best (4 INT) and sophomore cornerback Fenley Graham (3 INT) will make you pay if you throw in their direction.
Plant used the momentum from it's come-from-behind win over Lakeland last year (thanks to a blocked punt in the final minutes) to reach the Class 7A state final. The Panthers have a different-looking cast of characters for this new playoff ride, but their dominance throughout most of the season has been quite similar. New starting quarterback Jordan McCloud (1,992 yards, 24 TD, 10 INT) came over from Sickles High School with a strong arm and the ability to make plays downfield. His go-to receiver for the big play has been sophomore Frank Murphy (33 receptions, 647 yards, 12 TD), the son of a former Tampa Bay Bucs receiver of the same name who has been a breakout star. Junior running back Walter Wilbon III (394 rushing yards, 5 TD) has blown up since the end of the season, and junior Jesuit transfer Leonard Parker (528 yards from scrimmage, 7 TD) is effective via air or land mail. The Carvajal brothers Alex (41 receptions, 434 yards, 2 TD) and Christian (378 rushing yards, TD) have been key contributors, and senior offensive linemen Scotty Rogers (6'2, 285 pounds) and Will Putnam (ranked the 64th best junior tackle in the nation by Rivals) are skilled up front and tough as nails. Senior linebacker Micah McFadden (177 tackles, 36 tackles for a loss, 6 sacks, 2 interceptions) has been one of the best defensive players in the state and is committed to Indiana. He anchors the Panthers' stingy defense that also includes Penn State commit Judge Culpepper (71 tackles, 7 sacks) at defensive end, seniors Brandon Brooks (97 tackles) and Nico Azpeitia (97 tackles) at linebacker, and Derrick Powell (3 INT) and Smoke Mungin (67 tackles, 2 INT) in the secondary.
Three Facts to Know:
1. DAYS OF THE WEEK- Every day at Plant football high school practice is special, not just figuratively, but literally. Panthers head coach Robert Weiner has a theme for each weekday: "Magis Monday" (magis is loosely translated as "a desire for more" in Latin), "Turnover Tuesday", "Warrior Wednesday", and "Thoughtful Thursday". And then there's Friday, which usually revolves around celebrating another Plant victory.
2. SECRET TO SUCCESS- How has Coach Castle won 417 games at an 82 percent clip? We may have finally found his secret weapon! Castle joked that he tells visiting coaches to check out the buffet at Fred’s Southern Kitchen on their way to Bryant Stadium. Maybe having too much good food before the game has slowed down the Dreadnaughts’ competition over the years!
3. DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE- Lakeland is giving up just 10.4 points per game and holding opponents to just 212.4 yards per game (95.4 rushing, 117.0 passing). Think that sounds good? Plant’s numbers are even more impressive! The Panthers are allowing just 119.3 yards per game- 58.6 rushing yards and 60.7 passing yards. And their scoring defense is top notch, too, with opponents scoring just under ten points per game.