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94-Yard Drive Propels Durant Past Plant City

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By SCOTT PURKS

Tribune correspondent

Published: September 6, 2008

PLANT CITY - It was pretty much back and forth in a tight game between Plant City and Durant, until, that is, Durant took over on its 6-yard line with just more than a minute to go in the third quarter.

What followed was a 94-yard, 18-play touchdown drive that stretched nine minutes and 31 seconds. The final play was a 1-yard dive by Ryan Rice, which seemed appropriate considering he was dishing out most of the punishment, finishing with 30 carries for 165 yards and three touchdowns.

His last touchdown, a few minutes later, sealed a 25-6 victory.

"I have to give Durant and Rice a lot of credit," Plant City coach Jason Strunk said. "I never would have thought in a million years they would have pulled off that 94-yard drive in that situation. No way. But hey, they did."

Before the fateful 94-yarder, the score was Durant 11, Plant City 6 and the Raiders were feeling pretty good about pinning the Cougars deep.

Durant (1-0) was thinking something different.

"I told the guys before the 94-yard drive that if we can put together a long drive right here that we will demoralize Plant City," Durant coach Mike Gottman said. "I told them this drive was key."

A big part of the trouble for Plant City actually started on its fourth offensive play, a sweep right that Duran Lowe carried 34 yards to Durant's 9-yard line.

That's where the Cougars wrestled down Lowe - a rumbling 6-foot, 220-pound Division I prospect. Unfortunately for the Raiders, that's where Lowe severely sprained his left ankle and was gone for the rest of the night.

"I have to say that hurt a lot," Strunk said. "He's a dominant player."

Gottman concurred.

"Losing a guy like that makes a huge difference," he said. "No doubt."

Without Lowe, Plant City tried to make it work with freshman back Dasmond Patterson and Sharod Hartnett, but things just didn't seem to click the same without Lowe, who Strunk said might be able to come back in a week or so.

On Durant's side, sophomore quarterback Je'Twan Smith and wing John Hicks mixed in enough flair with Rice's hard-nosed running to keep the Raiders (0-1) off-balance. Smith ended up with 34 yards passing and 31 yards rushing.

"One of the best things was we had no turnovers," Gottman said. "We still need to cut down on some mistakes, but all in all we did a pretty good job."

D - Rice 3 run (Van Vaerenbergh run)

D - FG Bass 24

D - Rice 1 run (Bass kick)

D - Rice 3 run (Bass kick)

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