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These Panthers Never Stopped Trying

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By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 20, 2008

ORLANDO - There was no nail biting, no relentless tension this time, no last-minute miracle drive to come from behind. There was no behind.

In the end, there was only out front. There was only on top.

And so Plant High School has itself a regular football dynasty now, in case you didn't know. Make it two state 4A championships in three seasons. Make the kings of Hillsborough County kings of Florida, too, after beating Tallahassee Lincoln 34-14 in the championship game Saturday at the Citrus Bowl.

In the end, no obstacle mattered. Not that season-opening loss to Armwood. Not the in-season loss of quarterback Aaron Murray to a broken leg. And not Lincoln, buried as it was -- sort of -- by 28 first-half points.

It took everything Robert Marve and the Panthers had to win Plant's first state title two years ago.

Aaron Murray and these Panthers simply came and conquered, then held on and on before 3,000 or so Plant fans who'd convoyed over on I-4.

Leading the way was that road block -- that Plant defense, which never did get enough ink, not all season. It held Lincoln to six yards in the first quarter and 45 in the first half. Again and again, it told Lincoln not today, not on their watch.

Understand: Plant played 15 football games this season, won its last 14 and allowed just 110 points across all of them.

Understand that Plant senior linebacker Beau Hume went positively out of his mind in the first half, first with two sacks, then with an interception return for a touchdown. Hume only had a single sack in the second half. Slacker.

By the way, that score helped make it it 21-0 just eight seconds after wunderkinds Murray and Orson Charles played catch for 72 yards to help make it 14-0.

Did we mention that Murray, who only returned to the lineup for the state semifinals, threw for 260 yards in the first half?

Did we mention that this storybook will soon be available on DVD?

Did we mention Plant, Plant, Planted?

It didn't matter that Lincoln got the game's first big scoring chance when a muffed Plant punt snap set the Trojans up at the Plant 8-yard line.

The Panthers stuffed them.

Hume made a sack.

Panthers cornerback Mandale Jackson then blocked the field-goal try.

It didn't matter that there were only a few seconds left before halftime when Tallahassee went deep. Plant's Javonte Martin went up and intercepted the pass. Yawn. The next play, Murray and receiver Nathan Marvel found the end zone for another 72-yard touchdown. It was 28-0.

Actually, that's deceiving -- and what really happened sums up this Plant season, when you come right down to it. Murray zipped the ball to Marvel at about the Lincoln 40-yard line. Marvel was wrapped up by a Trojans defender, but refused to go down. Five yards later, he was still refusing, then six yards, seven yards … and finally he pulled away and ran the ball into the end zone with three seconds left in the half.

"I just kept on trying," Marvel said.

He corrected himself.

"We kept on trying."

That was Plant.

Refusing to be stopped.

Like always under head coach Robert Weiner, these Panthers came out for and left the pregame workouts marching two by two, holding hands for good measure. It feeds into a constant Plant theme:

"Always a Link."

And now there is.

These 2008 Panthers will walk together forever.

Out front. On top.

Forever.

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