NOVEMBER 18, 2004 THE COURIER 19


Hallback Races To Rushing Title


 ROBERT CONE/Staff file photo
Plant City High School senior running back Derrick Hallback set
a school single-season rushing record of 2,249 yards this season.
Hallback helped lead the Raiders to a winning record, 6-4,


 10 AREA FOOTBALL PLAYERS

 HEAD TO ALL-STAR GAME
 By DAREK SHARP
 dsharp@mediageneral.com
 The schedule could not have fallen more
perfectly for Derrick Hallback in his attempt to
win the county rushing title. Plant City's fan-
tastic senior could have failed to reach his per-
game average last Wednesday against King and
still won the crown.
 But against the county's worst defense Hal-
lback did not slack, not by a long shot. He
would run for 331 yards as the Raiders crushed
King, 54-7, last Wednesday to finish the year at
6-4.
 Hallback set the Plant City High School
single-season rushing record with 2,249 yards.
He also ran for 28 touchdowns this season, five
in the game against King, and also topped
3,100 rushing yards for his career, another
Raider record.
 Ironically, both the single-season and career
marks Hallback broke were held by Wayne
Ward, who was Hallback's running backs
coach this season.
 Hallback gets yet another chance to impress
college recruits on Dec. 11 in the Hillsborough
vs. Orange County all-star game. Other Raider
players who will be in the county all-star game
are Jordan Strawn, Austin Knipp, Scott


Williams and Kalif Sheppard
 Durant had five players invited to the game,
one of them the guy who came in second place
to Hallback in the county. Matt Stwan carried
the ball 40 times last week as the Cougars
pulled away from a scrappy Plant team to win,
30-6. Stwan also set his school's single-season
mark, finishing with 1,853 yards as Durant fin-
sihed the year 7-3.
 Stwan closed out his regular-season career
with one of his most workmanlike perform-
ances. Plant caught him in the backfield on
several occasions, but he popped back up and
eventually wore the Panthers down.
 "We wanted him to get the ball as much as
possible and try and stay with Hallback, but
obviously that was a tough chore," said Durant
head coach Mike Gottman.
 Center Jason Fox, tight end Chris Thompson
and defensive linemen Mark Hughes and
Frank D' Amico will also represent Durant in
the Dec. 11 game at Raymond James Stadium.
 Though not happy the season is over, espe-
cially considering Durant played in four play-
off games in 2003, Gottman felt some sense of
accomplishment.
 "I just got through watching the tape of the
Lakeland game," he said Tuesday. "And I'm
proud of how we went over there and battled.
Had we just made a couple more plays we
would have won that game, which would have
just been outstanding. I like the way we were
diligent and never gave up."


New Coaches Lead Area Hoop Squads SHARP CUTS


SOLID PLAYERS RETURN
 By DAREK SHARP
 dsharp@mediageneral.com
 Not that they celebrated the
fact, but the- new head boys
basketball coaches at Plant
City and Durant both gained
some key players last week. Of
course, that came because the
schools' football seasons have
come to an end.
 Jeff Shotwell, who coached
the Raiders last year after
being Durant's girls coach
before that gained three-
fifths of his Durant starting
lineup. Last year, Durant did
not see its football season
conclude until several weeks
into the hoops schedule.
 And Gary Meyer, who, after
substantially more time away
is now back at Plant City, now
has last year's leading scorer
at his disposal.
- Jason Brown, who will for
the third year in a row be the
Raiders' point guard on the
court after quarterbacking the
football team, joined the Raid-
ers for practice late last week
along with Dane Jones.
 "The football guys have
added some more intensity,"
Meyer said. "If you don't push
the ball up the court with


SPORTS SHORTS

BASFBAI I
 PCLL registration
 The Plant City Little League
will hold early registration
Nov. 30 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
and Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to noon
at Mike Sansone Park.
 Cost is $80 for first child;
$70 for siblings.
 A copy of child's birth certif-
icate and proof of residency
are required. League play
begins in mid-February and
runs through May.
 Call: 752-8941.


Jason Brown and try to get the
transition game going, you're
missing the boat."
 During Meyer's very
successful stays at Lake
Gibson and George Jenkins,
defense and transition basket-
ball were big parts of the phi-
losophy. Starting up the
Jenkins program in 1993 when
the school opened, Meyer
eventually worked the Eagles
into a semi-regular postsea-
son presence, including three
trips to the region finals.
 Plant City hasn't been to the
playoffs since 1997, and if the
Raiders are to make them this
year Meyer will need some
solid depth in order to run his
style.
 "We really want to get after
it on defense, play a full-court
game. We feel like we've got
some players, including some
ninth-graders."
 Cody Elliott and Jeff Knight
are a couple of the upperclass-
men expected to get heavy
minutes.
 Meyer will get two good
looks at his roster against
some strong competition next
week in a preseason tourna-
ment at his old stomping
grounds. Jenkins will play the
Raiders Monday night at 7:30


SOFTBALL
 Pride players wanted
 The Plant City Pride 16-
and-under travel softball team
seeks talented players.
 Tryouts: Ken, 967-7886, or
e-mail Carl,
demuth2@aol.com.

SOCCER
 Lancers players sought
 The Plant City Lancers
under-12 travel soccer team
seeks two experienced players


and then Plant City plays
Auburndale Tuesday at 6.
 The Raiders are also sched-
uled to play a holiday tourna-
ment atAuburndale Christmas
week.
 For Durant, three members
of the football team hit the
hardwood last week, including
last year's leading scorer and
rebounder, Josh Fussell.
Fussell held those titles as a
sophomore, and he returns
with point guard Pedro Coro-
nado and Clint McKay. Mark
Hughes, a lineman for the
football team, is also looked
upon as a contributor.
 "We're looking for some
leadership from those guys.
They come from a winning
program," Shotwell said. "I
think we're a little more ath-
letic. I know we're more expe-
rienced than what I had at
Plant City last year, though of
course they get those guys
back. So far, the intensity in
practice has been great."
 Durant opens Nov. 29
against Chamberlain.
 Both girls teams begin their
seasons next week. The Lady
Raiders host Armwood on
Monday then go to Newsome
the following day. Durant is at
Wharton on Tuesday.


who were born between Aug.
1,1992, and July 31, 1993.
 Call: Chris Black, 299-2449.

 Valrico Soccer Club
 The Valrico Soccer Club
seeks enthusiastic and com-
mitted players for its under-10
girls and under-10 boys
teams.
 For girls team, call Karl or
Sharon Becker, 671-0344, or
e-mail vscgirlssoccer@ao-
l.com. For boys, -call Dan
Chappell, 677-5746.


'E d~Y


Durant Girls soccer

 Team Rebuilds


 Following up a year where
the team went all the way to
the state finals is difficult
enough. But doing it without
the bulk of the team doesn't
help.
 That's the situation facing
new Durant girls soccer
coach Ron Evans, whose
Cougars got to a 2-0 start last
week in spite of the missing
pieces from last year's
squad.
 Of course it's not like'
Evans has no talent to work
with. For instance, Gabi
Rivera, last year's leading
scorer, is back as well as
goaltender Megan Bowers,
but a tremendous group of
seniors is gone.
 "Yeah, pretty much
everybody's gone. It's going
to take a little while for us to
gel," Evans said. "We have
about 9 or 10 players who
are starters, it's just a matter
of getting the last couple of
pieces of the puzzle in order.
This is a team that will
progress as the season goes
along."
 Evans takes over for Dick
Sheffield, who has been with
the Cougar girls since the
program's inception. "Shef"
will be still on the sideline as
an assistant to Evans.
 "I think Shef's enjoying
not having to make as many
decisions. We kind of agreed
when I joined the program
last year that we would
switch roles," said Evans,
whose daughter Kellie was
one of the stalwarts of the
Durant team that made it to
the state semis in 1997.
Kellie Evans just finished up
a great playing career at'
Auburn. In four years, Evans
said he only missed about a


 DAREK
 SHARP

half dozen of her games.
 And on the subject of
family ties, Durant has
plenty. In fact, three sets of
sisters populate the roster.
Rivera's younger sister Dani
joins the Cougars from
Newsome, where she played
as a freshman. Bowers'
younger sister Kelcie is a
freshman and so is Amy
Marsh, the sister of starter
Staci.
 Durant beat Plant, 3-0,
last Tuesday and then
defeated Newsome, 2-0.
Durant hosts Riverview
Friday at 6 p.m., with the
boys game starting at 8.
Plant City is at Sarasota
Riverview on Friday, then is
off until after Thanksgiving.
 Best of luck to Gary Meyer,
who, like yours truly,
remembers the glory days of
high school basketball in the
area, specifically at Plant
City. While Meyer is not
making any big promises,
his return to the school is
creating a sense of excite-
ment. He senses it in the
support he's getting in the
Plant City community and
the communication he's had
 See SHARP, Page 20