Plant Crowned 4A Champs Again

Plant coach Robert Weiner gathered his players before Saturday's Class 4A state championship game and gave them a simple directive.

"You will not allow Plant to lose under any circumstances," Weiner said.

The Panthers took that to heart - one heart, like one of their mottos, "one heartbeat." Just as it has all season, Plant used a collective effort to win its second state title in three years with a 34-14 victory against Tallahassee Lincoln at the Florida Citrus Bowl.

The offense poured on the points, and the defense limited the Trojans to 211 total yards and forced three interceptions.

Quarterback Aaron Murray set the pace for the offense, while linebacker Beau Hume's game-high nine tackles, three sacks and interception return for a touchdown set a physical tone for the defense.

Murray threw for 344 of the Panthers' 393 yards and threw three touchdowns. In doing so, he set a Hillsborough County record with 84 career touchdowns, surpassing the mark of 83 by former Jefferson quarterback Stephen Garcia.

Not bad for a guy who missed seven games with a broken leg and dislocated ankle and never dreamed he would have a shot at playing for a state title this season.

"I never thought I would put on a Plant uniform again after I got hurt," Murray said. "I had a lot of people helping me to get back, and I'm glad I did because this is special."

Orson Charles was Murray's main target, with six receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. That brought his total to 21 touchdowns on the season, breaking Derek Winter's Plant record of 20 during the Panthers' 2006 championship season.

Reserve receivers Nathan Marvel and Justin Rudolph also got involved. Marvel put the Panthers up 28-0 near the end of the first half with a 72-yard catch-and-run, fighting off a Lincoln defender to get into the end zone. Rudolph caught five passes for 85 yards.

In the second half, the Panthers dealt with the loss of a couple of starters to injury and one to ejection. But just like the adversity it faced all season, Plant was able to overcome the stumbling blocks.

"No matter what happens, there's always somebody who steps up," Murray said. "There's so many guys on this team who want to win, and they're going to do whatever it takes to do it."

Lincoln scored 14 consecutive points in the third quarter to make things interesting, but Plant countered in the fourth quarter with a 13-play, 63-yard scoring drive that ate up 7:07. Fullback Chris Hesson, the only current player who played on the 2006 championship team, pounded out 29 of those yards on the ground.

"We talked about having an attitude when we run the ball," two-way starting lineman Austin Clark said. "When it came down to that series, we knew no one was going to stop us. I've said it all along, that we're here for a reason. There was never a doubt on our sideline.

"We have the best coaches, the best players, and we were on the best stage today."