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Jefferson Gets Plant Rematch

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By KATHERINE SMITH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 23, 2007

Updated: 11/22/2007 11:56 pm

Video: Dragons Talk About Facing Plant Again

TAMPA - Jefferson coach Mike Fenton wasn't on the sideline when his team fell to Plant earlier this season.

He didn't need to be to know what went so horribly wrong for his Dragons.

"People didn't have a chance to get their peanut bags open and we were down 19-0," Fenton said.

Fenton, who was serving a one-game suspension in that Nov. 2 contest, will be on the sideline this time when Jefferson meets up with Plant again tonight in the Class 4A-Region 3 semifinal game at Dad's Stadium. That won't be the only difference when the district rivals face off for the second time in three weeks.

"Our feeling now is we have nothing to lose and everything to gain," Fenton said. "I don't think anybody in the state, probably in the country, is expecting us to win this game."

That mind-set can give losing teams entering a rematch game somewhat of an advantage.

"It's definitely tougher being on the winning side," Plant coach Robert Weiner said. "When you play a team that you know has talent and for whatever reason, at that moment, didn't put it together, you know they could at any moment. Jefferson looks to be one of those teams."

Jefferson and Plant are one of several rematch games scheduled for tonight. Four other Hillsborough County teams square off again, with Plant, Armwood and Hillsborough owning the winning edge in the previous meetings.

•Nov. 2 - Plant 54, Jefferson 21: Panthers quarterback Aaron Murray threw for 374 yards and five touchdowns as Plant racked up 541 yards of offense. The Panthers put up 26 points before Jefferson answered on the scoreboard.

•Oct. 18 - Armwood 17, Hillsborough 0: The Hawks and Terriers were scoreless until Armwood's Wesley Skiffington nailed a 32-yard field goal with 5:48 left in the third quarter.

•Aug. 31 - Chamberlain 41, Gaither 17: The Chiefs were up 34-0 in the fourth quarter before the Cowboys scored. Chamberlain's Dontae Aycock threw for two touchdowns, ran for three more and helped the Chiefs put up 341 yards of offense.

•Nov. 2 - Kissimmee Osceola 25, Lakeland 21: The Kowboys ended Lakeland's state-record winning streak at 53 and forced the Dreadnaughts on the road for the playoffs.

•Sept. 28 - Largo 37, Dunedin 31: Brynn Harvey rushed for only 76 yards but scored the winning touchdown in double overtime. Dunedin's 31 points were the most the undefeated Packers gave up this season.

•Oct. 19 - Frostproof 47, Clearwater Central Catholic 7: Carlton Thomas scored three touchdowns in the lopsided 2B-District 6 contest.

•Oct. 19 - Keswick Christian 21, Bradenton Prep 0: This was Keswick's closest and lowest-scoring game and one of two games in which the Crusaders scored less than 30 points.

The teams that lost the earlier game against their playoff opponent have been on the other side of rematches in recent years.

In 2004, en route to a state runner-up finish, Jefferson barely survived a regional final contest against Jesuit. The Dragons won 25-18, a much closer game than the regular-season rout when they defeated Jesuit 51-14.

A touchdown is all that separated Gaither from Alonso in the first round of last year's 5A playoffs. The Cowboys shut out Alonso 31-0 in the regular season and escaped with a 17-0 victory in the postseason.

"The team that won earlier, I'll say it's tougher the next time," Gaither coach Mark Kantor said. "I think the advantage goes to the team that lost the first time."

Don't tell that to Hillsborough. The Terriers have lost four of the past five meetings with Armwood; the lone Hillsborough victory was a 2005 regular-season shutout. It was Armwood's only regular-season loss that year.

Last season, Armwood defeated Hillsborough 19-9 in the regular season, then knocked the Terriers out of the playoffs with a 32-7 win.

For the victorious teams, combating players' overconfidence is half the battle when preparing to face a team for the second time in one season. Perception is those teams that won before should win again. Reality is a different matter.

"For Jefferson, a season that's had its disappointments, it could all change tonight and I'm sure that's what they're preaching over there," Weiner said. "That's different motivation than ours. We want to keep our thing going. It's different motivation to say after everything that's happened, we have a chance to make it all good. It's harder preparation, motivation-wise for us."

That Jefferson has developed into Plant's main district rival during the years adds intrigue to the rematch. Rivalries provide added intensity in a rematch.

Chamberlain assistant coach Brian Turner brought up an earlier scuffle between Gaither and Chamberlain junior varsity players in his postgame speech to the Chiefs following their first-round playoff victory against Wharton.

"I think it makes it more heated," Kantor said. "But I think in every stage, as you get closer to that championship game, it becomes more important on how well you're playing and staying injury-free and getting through all the small little battles throughout the game. I think in a regular-season game, there are not too many small battles.

"In a playoff atmosphere, there are small battles all the time and you've just got to work through it."

Reporter Katherine Smith can be reached at (813) 259-7860 or ksmith@tampatrib.com.

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