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A Rivalry Unrivaled

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By KATHERINE SMITH | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 10, 2008

TAMPA - During a recent trip down West Bay to Bay Boulevard in South Tampa, something caught Plant coach Robert Weiner's eye.

A former church, on the corner of South Himes Avenue and West Bay to Bay, has housed a congratulatory sign since Plant won the 2006 Class 4A state championship. Weiner noticed the sign had been altered with a spray painted "AHS" over the front.

"I was surprised that Auburndale even cared about us," Weiner joked. "And then someone told me they saw another one in blue, so it had to be the Apopka Blue Darters. We don't know who it is."

A good guess would be that the "AHS" stands for Armwood High School, a team that has its own congratulatory signs, having won two state championships in the past five years.

An Armwood-Plant rivalry seems to be on the verge of becoming one of the biggest in Hillsborough County. Or is it?

"Not yet," Armwood coach Sean Callahan said. "I respect what they're doing over there, but I think it's something that is budding. But has it been established yet? I'd say no."

Try telling that to the fans. On TBO.com message boards, the back-and-forth trash talking between Plant and Armwood fans is as intense as any other involving high school athletics in the county.

If a true gauge of a good rivalry is fan interest, Armwood-Plant has the makings of a Florida-Florida State.

Back in the day, Plant-Hillsborough was the biggest ticket in town. The two oldest high schools in Tampa would battle for city bragging rights on Thanksgiving Day. Fans would pack the sold-out stands at Phillips Field, planning their holiday dinner around the game.

The emergence of Robinson, with future NFL players Larry Smith and John Reaves, and the school's proximity to Plant lent itself to a natural rivalry. At one time, Armwood-Brandon was a big rivalry, mainly because of the schools' close geographical locations.

"Our county has gotten so big that it's kind of diluted the neighborhood rivalries," Callahan said.

Neighborhood bragging rights are still important, but the stakes are higher for Armwood and Plant in Class 4A.

Armwood defeated Plant twice last season - in the regular-season opener and in the regional final - by a combined score of 62-14. On the way to the 2006 state title, Plant defeated Armwood 38-20 in the regional final.

Unless either school changes classifications, they'll likely have to go through each other in the postseason to get out of the region. Both teams are aware of that fact.

Walk into Plant's fieldhouse and you are immediately greeted with the team's summer focus. On a grease board just inside the locker room is a countdown to the Panthers' regular-season opener against Armwood on Sept. 5.

"What Armwood is and what we are in the present day, obviously there would not be so much interest if there wasn't a rivalry to it," Weiner said. "It's a great game and it gets our kids focused."

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