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A Tale Of 2 Rivals: Plant Vs. Armwood

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By KATHERINE SMITH

ksmith@tampatrib.com

Published: December 5, 2008

TAMPA - Armwood High School vs. Plant. East Hillsborough vs. South Tampa. Even though some involved with the football programs don't call it a rivalry, try telling that to the fans.

Ever since Armwood and Plant became the last two teams in Hillsborough County to win state titles, Armwood in 2003 and '04 and the Panthers in 2006, supporters of both teams love to clog message boards with back-and-forth trash talk over which program is better.

Bragging rights and a lot more are on the line tonight in front of an expected sellout crowd of 5,000 at Plant's Dad's Stadium in the Class 4A regional final. The winner will be just two victories away from a state title.

Plant, the second-oldest public high school in the county, has seen its rivalries evolve over the years. The Plant-Hillsborough Turkey Day game used to be the biggest ticket in town. Armwood opened in 1984 and naturally developed a rivalry with nearby Brandon High.

At the Beef O'Brady's in Seffner, not far from Armwood, Hawks' paraphernalia shares wall space with the Bucs, the Lightning and the Rays. During football season, Armwood football dominates the conversation.

"They talk about whether this is the best team ever, or if they lost to a team, how they're going to beat them this year," restaurant server Stephanie Workman said.

And when the subject of Plant comes up?

"We don't have any Plant stuff in here," Workman said. "But the Armwood coach eats here a lot and he talks about how much he loves to beat Plant."

Things have changed since Workman graduated from Armwood in 2004. The Hawks went undefeated Workman's senior year, winning it's first of back-to-back state championships. Then Brandon High was Armwood's big rival, Workman said, but not now.

"I think Plant became the rival because of the neighborhoods," she said. "It's a South Tampa, Seffner thing. People want to root for their neighborhood."

The South Tampa community is showing its support for the Panthers. The Palm Bank on MacDill Ave., the site of the former popular Plant hangout Palios Brothers Fried Chicken and Seafood Restaurant, has a digital sign reading "Go Panthers. Beat Armwood."

The Steak 'n Shake on Dale Mabry Highway, directly across the street from Plant, boasts a "Go Panthers" sign. On Friday nights, workers keep up with how the Panthers are doing through cell phone communication and at halftime.

"We'll announce it to everyone in there," general manager Pat Daorai said. "Sometimes we get kids that come and get something to eat at halftime and they let us know how the game is going."

Daorai has a vested interest in the success of the Plant football team.

"When Plant's football team started doing really good, it helped my business," Daorai said. "A lot of alumni started coming back. The year when they won the state championship, we had a month of extra sales that we normally wouldn't have."

When Plant defeated Armwood 38-20, in the 2006 regional final, en route to the state title, Steak 'n Shake was packed before and after the game.

"It was like the Bucs winning the Super Bowl," restaurant manager Tim Fox said.

That's the last time Plant beat Armwood. The Hawks currently own a three-game winning streak over the Panthers.

From the 2006 season to the present, Armwood has lost only three games - to Winter Haven, Miami's Booker T. Washington and Plant. The Panthers have also only lost three games during that period - all to Armwood.

"It's not a rivalry," Armwood coach Sean Callahan said. "It's just two good teams playing each other. It's not a rivalry."

Unlike Callahan, Plant coach Robert Weiner embraces the rivalry aspect.

"It's always been a game that regardless of what happened the last time, it's anticipated by a lot of people and that makes it a great matchup," Weiner said. "I think any matchup that's contested like that and talked about like that is a rivalry."

Even though the Hawks had "Beat Plant" shirts made up for the first game of the season and didn't do that for any other team this season, Armwood quarterback Mywan Jackson's not sure if rivalry is the proper term.

"I know you can call it some kind of hatred," Jackson said. "One side might not like the other side because the other side got something that the other side doesn't have.

"We know that they don't like us for some reason."

Reporter Katherine Smith can be reached at (813) 259-7860.

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