Prep Game of the Week: Jesuit at Plant

WHEN: Tonight, 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Dad's Stadium, Plant High Schoo, Tampa

TV: Bright House Sports Network

At Stake

Neighborhood and coaching bragging rights. These two staffs know each other very well, given the fact many of them coached together for years, first at Jesuit and then at Plant. The Plant staff features several Jesuit alumni, including head coach Robert Weiner, and the Jesuit staff features many former Panthers assistant coaches, including Tigers head coach James Harrell.

Key Stat

JESUIT: The Tigers ran the ball 45 times last week against Miami Belen Jesuit. Since he arrived at Jesuit last season, Harrell has gone with a formula of establishing the run early to open up the passing attack later in the game. Look for Jesuit to try to set the tone on the ground to set up the play-action.

PLANT: The Panthers' record in regular-season openers is 3-4 since Weiner took over the program in 2004. Plant has earned the reputation of being a slow starter before finishing the season strong. The Panthers have ended their season in the state championship final three consecutive seasons, including the 2008 and '09 seasons in which they won state titles after starting the season with a loss.

Keep An Eye On

JESUIT: Receiver Travis Johnson. A MaxPreps All-American as a sophomore, Johnson (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) gives Jesuit the option to throw the ball deep, but given his size, he can also hurt defenses with his ability to run short routes, break tackles and outrun the secondary for big plays.

PLANT: Defensive back/wideout Antonio Crawford. The senior, who verbally committed to Georgia Tech this summer, has been a standout on offense, but he will concentrate mostly on defense this season. Crawford will have a tall task, literally, against Johnson.

Key Matchups

WHEN JEUSIT HAS THE BALL: Senior quarterback Aaron Paulsen started last week against Belen Jesuit (120 passing yards, 44 rushing) and will start again tonight, but expect to see senior Tommy Eveld, arguably the stronger thrower of the two, rotate with Paulsen in the offense throughout the night. It has been running back by committee thus far for Jesuit, but Parker Clonts and Kyle Straz carried the bulk of the load in last week's game.

WHEN PLANT HAS THE BALL: Just like Jesuit, Plant has been utilizing two quarterbacks, junior Aaron Banks and senior James Few. Weiner wants to create ways to maximize both their strengths. Senior wide receiver Austin Aikens will be a nice target, especially with his vertical leap. Junior running back Wesley Bullock provides speed and versatility to help open the offense up.

 Quotable

"(If we win) I think we'll finally get respect. We're a small school and people say we can't beat this team or that team, but a win will show we're for real." — Jesuit senior defensive lineman Isaac Edwards

"I know as well as anybody that there's a little different edge to this game. I know the excitement for this game on both sides, that's going to create its own kind of atmosphere and intensity. I don't need to fire my guys up for this game." — Plant coach Robert Weiner