Plant City Observer 11.22.12

Every Friday, a row of bikes is parked alongside the play-ground fence at First United Methodist Church’s Wesley Center off West Reynolds Street. A sign posted at the front doors reads: “No weapons.”

There, a tattooed man in a leather vest greets visitors. His

name is Muff McLeod. He’s not a bouncer. He’s the host who leads you to your table at Christ’s Community Café.

Once a week, the Wesley Center opens its doors to din-ers seeking a warm meal or fel-lowship. Numerous tables are spread throughout the space.

The church’s nurse offers free checkups. A speaker talks about salvation.

McLeod escorts people to their seats, while volunteers stay busy in the kitchen prepar-ing meals. A maître d’ directs

FREE • thuRsday, NOVEMBER 22, 2012

EXCLUSIVEin focusThousands delightin 10th annualPlant City Pig Jam.PAGE 3

PLANT CITYObserveryOu. yOuR NEighBORs. yOuR NEighBORhOOd.

Plant City Highthespians deliverhumor, horror.PAGE 9

Cops ....................6 Crossword ......... 15 Obituaries ......... 10 Sports ............... 11Vol. 1, no. 21 | one section

PlantCityObserver.com

+ optimist clubhonors students

The Plant City Optimist Club recognized eight Plant City High School seniors for their outstanding accom-plishments during its annual Youth Appreciation Ceremony Oct. 29, at the Plant City Recreation & Parks Department administrative office conference room.

The students include taylor adams, sara Brummer, Jacob goad, Casey hamilton, Robby Knox, Morgan Moody, Nick Rodriguez and sarah Winter.

For more, visit plantcityopti-mistclub.org.

+ calling allstudent chefs!

The Hillsborough County School District is looking for participants for its Cook It Up! Student Recipe Challenge.

The contest is open to third- through eighth-graders. Participants must submit a healthy entrée recipe along with an essay explaining what makes their recipe nutritious and why it’s important to establish healthful eating habits. Deadline is Dec. 12.

Entries can be submitted on the Student Nutrition Services website, sdhc.k12.fl.us/sns. The top five finalists will be announced by Dec. 19, and will be invited to participate in a School Lunch Cook-Off.

+ Every rosehas its thorn

Bret Michaels, former front-man of the 1980s rockers Poison, is coming to Plant City! Michaels will perform at 7:30 p.m. March 9, on the Wish Farms Soundstage, at the 2013 Florida Strawberry Festival.

OUR TOWN

inDEX

ANY GIVEN FRIDAY by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

sEE cAfE / PAGE 4

Church dishes out food, faithThe holiday season is known as the time ofgiving, but first united Methodist church’s christ community café offers fellowship all year long.

The children and staff of the First Baptist Learning and Preschool Center celebrated Thanksgiving Nov. 15, with an early holiday meal.

Dressed in American Indian

and pilgrim costumes, the stu-dents filed into the fellowship hall to enjoy their feast. After of-fering prayers of gratitude, the children dined on turkey, corn, green beans, rolls and cookies.

United Healthcare terminates BayCarecontracts

INSURANCE by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Unable to reach an agree-ment for a new contract, Bay-Care Health System, which includes South Florida Bap-tist Hospital, no longer will be a participating provider with United Healthcare plans that include commercial, Medicare, Medicaid and Florida Healthy Kids.

According to BayCare, United terminated BayCare physi-cian groups from participation in United’s commercial and Medicaid networks on Oct. 24. BayCare’s hospitals, facilities, home-care services and labo-ratories no longer will be a par-ticipating provider in United’s provider network for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and com-mercial products.

The changes will begin Nov. 26.

However, officials from Unit-ed said BayCare came to United

Starting Nov. 26, certain United Healthcare plans no longer will be accepted at South Florida Baptist Hospital.

sEE uniTED / PAGE 4

Turkey Time

Casey Jarrett was all smiles at the Thanksgiving feast.

Kate solomon loves the holiday season.

Luke Cipriano gobbled up his dinner roll.

Kamdyn Mosley was just big enough to peek over the Thanksgiving table.

Riley and tabitha hansen shared a special moment together at the feast.HOLIDAY HOOPLA by Jessica Eng

Amber Jurgensen

Muff McLeod and his wife, Marvena, are also part of the Christian Motorcycle Association.

Happy Thanksgiving!

sPoRTsDurant Cougarsface familiar foein next round.PAGE 11

Courtesy photo

From left: Plant City High School College Career Counselor sherrie Mueller, sara Brummer, Nick Rodriguez, Morgan Moody, Robby Knox, taylor adams, Casey hamilton, sarah Winter, Jacob goad and Principal Colleen Richardson.

Plant city observerTHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 20122 PlantCityObserver.com

CHOICE MEATSPRODUCEGROCERIES

FARM FRESH PRODUCE

SMOKERWhole Slab BBQ Ribs �� $15.99 eachFresh Smoked Beef Brisket �� $3.99 lb.8 Piece Fried Chicken �� $5.99 each

Deli Ham �� $1.69 lb.Spiced Luncheon Meat �� $1.99 lb.Deli Bologna �� $1.39 lb.White Turkey & Smoked Turkey �� $3.79 lb.

COLD DELI

GROCERy

WALKER PLAZA • 617 N� Maryland Ave�, Plant City • (813) 752-1548Mon�– Sat� 7am – 9pm Sun� 7am – 8pm • www.FeltonsMarket.com • Prices Valid November 21, 2012 - November 27, 2012 96

561

We have available for you all year round Paradise Candied Fruit * Dixie Lilly Flour * Meal-Grits Dry Beans * Hoover Flour * Carvel Ice Cream Cakes

Russett & Yukon Gold Potatoes 5 lb. Bag ��$1.29 eachFresh Bananas ��.49¢ lb.Collard Greens ��$2.99 bunchAll Purpose Onions 3 lb. Bag �� .99¢ eachMississippi Sweet Potatoes ��.49¢ lb.Mushrooms 8 oz. Pkg. �� .99¢ eachHaas Avocado �� $.79 each

Merita Bread 20 oz. loaf ��$1.69 each

Land O Lakes Butter (1/4 sticks) 1 lb. Pkg. ��$2.99 each

Philadelphia Cream Cheese 8 oz. Pkg. ��BUy 1 GET ONE FREE

Cool Whip 8 oz. Pkg. ��BUy 1 GET ONE FREE

Pillsbury Flour (All Purpose or Self-Rising) 5 lb. Bag ��2 for $5.00

Maxwell House Coffee (Regular or Master Blend) 28 oz Pkg. ��$7.99 each

Lean Assorted

Pork ChoPs$1.49 lb.

Whole

Danish ribs10 lb. Box $19.99

Whole Fresh Lean

Pork PiCniCCut Free s$1.19 lb.

ChiCken DruMstiCks & thighs $.99 lb.

Smoked

turkey Wings $1.49 lb.

Fresh Lean

Pork neCk bones$.89 lb.

Boneless Skinless

ChiCken breast$1.69 lb.

Beef Honeycomb

triPe10 lb. Box $18.99

Fresh Lean Whole

neW york striPs$4.79 lb.

Excel Pork

sPare ribs (Box Weight) $1.79 lb.

Porterhouse steaks$5.99 lb.

FeLton’sgiFt CarDsaVaiLabLe

Smoked

Pork neCk bones$1.49 lb.

Fresh Frozen

tiLaPia2 lb. Pkg. $6.99

Fresh Whole

MuLLet (Never Frozen)

$1.39 lb.

Uncle Johns

sMokeD sausageHot or Mild 10 lb. Box $29.99

Bar-S

Meat Franks12 oz. Pkg. $1.09

Chicken

Leg Quarters(40 lb. Box $22.99) $.57 lb.

Whole

ChiCken Fryers$1.19 lb.

For the holidays We have: Standing Rib Roast, Crown Pork Roast, Fresh Or Frozen Turkeys, Smoked Turkeys (12-14 lb. Pre-Cooked Wt.) orDer earLy!!

Fresh Lean Boneless

Pork ChoPs $2.99 lb.

Whole

roasting hens $1.09 lb.

Whole Fresh Lean Boneless

Pork Loins Cut Free $2.19 lb.

Heavy Western Beef Boneless

shoulder roast $2.69 lb.

Heavy Western Beef Boneless

shoulder steak $2.99 lb.

Fresh Lean Whole Beef

short Loins $3.99 lb. (Cut Free)

Happy Thanksgiving

FOR THE BEST QUALITy WITH THE BEST PRICES! View Our Weekly Ad On Our Websitewww.feltonsmarket.com

PlantCityObserver.com 3 Plant city observerTHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2012

Internet cafés have been going bust after city and county officials throughout the country, who have likened the establishments to ca-sinos, have placed bans in their respective communities.

The Plant City Commission is scheduled to consider a similar ban. The first of two public hear-ings will take place at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26, in the Sadye Gibbs Mar-tin Auditorium of the Nettie Berry Draughon Municipal Building, 302 W. Reynolds St.

Walking into any of Plant City’s three Internet cafés, it’s easy to see the similarities between the cafés and casinos. Rows of com-puter monitors display brightly colored games that resemble slot machines.

There also are some differenc-es. Other than the volume of the games, the cafés are quiet, non-smoking rooms that resemble a computer lab in a public library.

And according to some attor-neys, there are more differences between the cafés and casinos.

“It’s not gambling,” attorney Lawrence Walters said. “There’s no chance for people to pay to win a prize.”

Walters, of Walters Law Group

— a Longwood-based law group that specializes in free speech, gambling and gaming law — has represented many Internet cafés in Hillsborough County, including You Lucky Dog and Five Star En-tertainment, in Plant City.

“This is a very successful and popular business model in the state of Florida,” Walters said.

Walters and other Internet café supporters liken the cafés to sweepstakes. They say it’s no dif-ferent than buying a Coke and seeing if the bottle cap has a prize printed on it.

“These businesses are doing it in a more effective and entertain-ing fashion than just using bottle caps or scratch-offs on McDon-ald’s products,” Walters said. “No money is wagered.”

Customers of Internet cafés pay for Internet or phone time. At many cafés, customers can go to any website they want and call any number they like. Along with their purchase, they receive a sweepstakes card that already is predetermined to be a winning or losing card. There are two ways to reveal the status of the card. Cus-tomers can play one of the games, or they can choose to automati-

cally reveal the status of the card without play. The game has noth-ing to do with the outcome of the card.

“That’s where some of the city officials get confused,” Walters said. “You’re just playing a video game to see if your card was a winner.”

In Hillsborough, four Inter-net sweepstakes companies that filed a lawsuit challenging the ban have dropped the case after county commissioners amended language in the ordinate to outlaw “simulated gambling devices.”

In Seminole County, the county has banned simulated gambling devices, but the ordinance has been challenged in federal court. Litigation is pending.

“It’s probably considered the lead case in the legality of ban-ning these establishments,” Wal-ters said.

Café opponents say there is no regulation of the integrity of the games. Furthermore, they say the games take away revenue from li-censed gambling businesses that go to public education, health and social programs.

City commissioners have sev-eral options to consider at next

week’s meeting: Call for an or-dinance to completely ban In-ternet cafés; adopt a regulatory ordinance; adopt a temporary moratorium on Internet cafés; or it could do nothing.

Jacksonville adopted a regula-tory ordinance earlier this year that limits the number of permits it will issue for Internet cafés, re-quires security cameras and bans alcohol and minors from the ca-fés. You Lucky Dog and Five Star Entertainment does not serve al-cohol, but the Lucky Tee Sweep-stakes at the Walden Lake Golf and Country Club has a full bar.

Tampa has enacted a six-month moratorium or ban on new Inter-net cafés. According to a Plant City agenda report, it is recommended that the city adopt a moratorium that would last until July 1, 2013.

“That would give the city man-ager and myself some time to make some recommendations to the commission,” City Attorney Kenneth Buchman said. “We’re just trying to uphold the status quo until we can reach a conclu-sion.”

The moratorium would not shut down already existing Inter-net cafés but rather prevent new ones from opening.

Contact Amber Jurgensen at [email protected].

Through the end of the year, Mendonsa Road is only open to local traffic.

Construction began in September on the roadway, which has a history of flood-ing and a number of prob-lems with drainage.

In the next month, crews will tear out the existing bed, replace it and then repave over it.

So far, construction on the road has gone smoothly, ac-cording to City Manager Greg Horwedel, but roads such as Mendonsa, which are 50 to 60 years old, can have areas of “muck,” the product of the builders using old logs and pine tar as the road base. If “muck” is found under Men-donsa, it could delay the completion date.

“I’m sure that the folks that live there, it is an inconve-nience, but there is no other way to repair the road,” Hor-wedel said.

Realtor Ken Gibbs and his family live off Mendonsa. He said with shuffling his children between home and school and extracurricular activities, the road construc-tion can be an inconve-nience, but it is absolutely necessary.

“It will be a good thing,” Gibbs said. “Looks like they’re doing a good job on it.”

Gibbs is happy the road is being repaired, because flooding from its poor drain-age caused water flow to sit in his front yard. He also said the construction has redi-rected the amount of traffic that goes through Mendonsa and decreased the speed of the cars.

In addition to the drain-age correction, the city has obtained a $62,000 Safe Routes to School grant from the Florida Department of Transportation. That money will used to build a sidewalk along the south side of Men-donsa Road.

Because the grant would require that the entire con-struction project be federal-ized if the sidewalk project was included in the Mendon-sa construction project, the city decided to separate the two projects. Sidewalk con-struction will begin some-time in January, after the road construction project ends.

The sidewalk will be about three-tenths of a mile and take about two to three weeks to complete.

“It won’t be nearly as dis-ruptive or time-consuming at Mendonsa,” Horwedel said of the sidewalk.

An engineer from Applied Sciences Consulting Inc. has been contracted by the city to design the sidewalk. The bid should not exceed $30,500.


Mendonsa roadworkcontinuesThe next stages of construction will have the road closed until the end of the year.

UpDATE by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

city to consider internet café banAfter Hillsborough County adopted an ordinance to ban Internet cafés, Plant City is evaluating how to regulate the three in town.

all in by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Plant City sizzles at 10th Pig JamThousands of barbecue en-

thusiasts came hungry and left happy following the 10th annu-al Pig Jam Nov. 17, at the Randy Larson Four-Plex.

This year’s barbecue festi-val and competition featured about 80 teams from through-

out the country. Attendees enjoyed sampling ribs, pulled pork, brisket and more. Young-er guests had a blast traversing inflatable obstacle courses, rid-ing a mechanical bull and tak-ing to the skies at the bungee challenge.

photo by Amber Jurgensen

ben copeland, Jady Hill and Mark Poppell

elizabeth st. John, 8, tried to make it eight seconds on this mechanical bull.

Paul Woods performed with Ace Jackson and the Jump Kings.

Gordon rego, of World’s Smokin’ Que, demonstrated his special sauce application technique.

This exotic bird kept an eye on pig Jam attendees from atop its perch.

HOT Off THE gRill by Michael eng | Managing Editor

‘Grandpa’ sweeney just moved to plant City from Kentucky to spend more time with his children and grandchildren, including ian, 5.

Joshua Delp, 11, made it all the way to the top of the rock-climb-ing challenge.


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C a l l t h e S O D M a N TODAY (813) 431 - 9636

to terminate the plans a year earlier than scheduled. The current contract includes a three-year agreement on payment rates, which was effective through May 2013.

Contract negotiations could not be reached, because BayCare is requesting a 22% rate increase for hospital services on employer-sponsored plans — 8% above what Medicare pays for United’s Medi-care customers in the Medicare Advantage plans and 5.5% above what Medicaid pays for United’s Medicaid customers, according to United. United spends about $330 mil-lion annually with BayCare. The proposed measures from BayCare comes to about a $50 million increase by the end of 2013.

BayCare and United have had contract agreements since 1999.

“Despite our attempts to negotiate, Bay-Care’s demands have remained unchanged since Oct. 11,” United Healthcare officials said in a statement. “We are hopeful, how-ever, that they will reconsider their posi-tion. United Healthcare stands ready to ne-gotiate terms of a new agreement that are fair, reasonable and based upon the provi-sion of quality care to our customers.”

BayCare representatives would not com-ment on the negotiations.

“We cannot get into the specifics of our negotiations, because of a confidentiality agreement, but we can say that we expect fair treatment and payment for the care we provide,” BayCare System Communication Manager Dena Brannen said. “Further, we do not condone involving the community as part of a negotiation strategy.”

Under emergency medical conditions, United customers still can access care at

BayCare hospitals’ emergency depart-ments, and United customers who have out-of-network benefits or qualify for a continuity-of-care provision can continue to access BayCare facilities and physicians for non-emergency services.

Continuity of care applies to newly en-rolled customers who were receiving a par-ticular service before having United.

“If you are currently under a course of treatment, as of Nov. 26, BayCare will con-tinue to provide care to you for the longer of the period required under continuing-care obligations previously agreed upon between United Healthcare and BayCare in our agreement or the timeframe required under applicable law,” BayCare officials said in a prepared statement.

BayCare sent 127,748 letters to patients with those plans who have been treated in the past year at a BayCare facility.

“We’re still hoping it’s going to be re-solved,” said Nancy Hamilton, who works in pediatrician Dr. John Aime’s Plant City office. “We’ve had several situations like this happen before, but they always come to their senses and strike a deal.”

A similar situation occurred in 2002 be-tween BayCare and Blue Cross and Blue Shield. The companies took three months to reach an agreement.

Without a contract agreement, local doc-tors will not be able to refer United patients to South Florida Baptist Hospital.

“That would cut down on new patients coming to South Florida,” Hamilton said.

Surrounding hospitals that accept Unit-ed include Brandon Regional Hospital and Lakeland Regional Medical Center.


servers emerging from the kitchen with heaping piles of food on their trays.

To an outsider, this is the busiest restau-rant in town. It’s hard to believe Christ’s Community Café started from a failure.

Two years ago, First United Methodist Church wanted to have a Thanksgiving meal for families in need. Volunteers gath-ered and roasted more than 20 turkeys and made enough side dishes and desserts to serve 200 people. On the day of the feast, only one family showed up.

The church suspected a lack of trans-portation might have led to the lack of at-tendance — but mostly that people liked to eat in their homes with their families on Thanksgiving. So, the church donated the food to the United Food Bank of Plant City and to migrant camps in rural areas.

Shortly after Thanksgiving, a group of women from the church began to collect bagged lunches for those in need, inspired by the effort and spirit of the Thanksgiving feast.

“We gathered a few brains together and people who wanted to do it,” said Nancy Chaney, who leads the café. “We prayed, ‘Lord, we want to do something with our kitchen and this space.’”

So, bagged lunches turned into Christ’s Community Café. On any give Friday, the café serves 60 to 80 people. And it’s not just sandwiches and soups. Hearty meals, such as lasagna, corned beef and cabbage, fried chicken and turkey, are common staples on the menu. The minimal leftovers can be bagged and taken, but otherwise, the café is a dine-in experience.

The food is donated by members and churches in the community, including Forbes Road Produce, which donates all the fresh fruit. Volunteers include people from different churches and ministries.

Every first Friday, the café celebrates birthdays with cake and ice cream, and every last Friday, guests can take commu-nion.

The café is open to the homeless, those in need, the elderly and those who need fel-lowship.

“We want to give them a hand up,” Chaney said. “This is God’s plan and a way for us to help the community.”

Most known for dancing with promo-tional signs at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Collins Street, Nata-lie Rebel comes to the café every Friday for fellowship. Sitting with a group from St. Clement Catholic Church, Rebel chats and laughs with her fellow diners.

“I come for the people,” Rebel said. “And I’m glad there’s a place for the elderly and the homeless and the needy. I don’t need to come, but I come for the fellowship.”

Across the room is a table of seven men who sit together every week. They each have special nicknames for each other — Grave Digger, Gopher, Black Elvis and more.

“It’s just like a restaurant — except you don’t have to pay the bill,” James Turney said.

“It’s all pretty good,” Vince Sayer, who rides a bicycle around town, said. “It’s something I look forward to.”

“I love the meals that they have,” Floyd Hughs said. “They bring it right to us.”

In addition to the meals, a speaker comes to share a Christian message.

“I like the sermons that they do, too,” Rebel said. “I don’t go to church, but this is where I get my time and my communion.”


CHRiST’S COMMUNiTY CAféWHen: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. fridaysWHere: first United Methodist Church, Wesley Center, 303 N. Evers St., Plant CityinForMation: Nancy, (813) 754-3519

UniteD/PaGe 1

caFe/PaGe 1


t takes more than luckto become Plant City’soldest and largesthometown financial

institution...

...It also takes hard work and a steadfast commitment to

the people of Plant City who make this such a great place to

live, work and play.

We’ve had over 58 years to perfect our hometown

approach to financial services. Visit us and see how easy and

friendly hometown banking can be.

“Banking on a First Name Basis”

PLANT CITY – Main Office, 102 W. Baker Street, 752-6193 • WALDEN WOODS – 2400 Jim Redman Parkway, 754-1844

Also offices in: BRANDON, RIVERVIEW and ZEPHYRHILLS

I96

587

A U.S. military soldier — dressed completely in cam-ouflage — rested outside his tent Nov. 15, in a mock campsite on the grounds of Trapnell Elemen-tary School.

He was visiting Trapnell for the Great American Teach-In, a pro-gram in which parents and com-

munity leaders come to elemen-tary, middle and high schools to speak about their careers.

In addition to the veteran, Trapnell’s guests included a zumba instructor, firefighter, banker and a guitarist. Plant City Observer Managing Editor Mi-chael Eng and Associate Editor

Amber Jurgensen discussed their jobs in the newspaper industry.

Fourth-grader Jaylen Wharton’s favorite speaker was the zumba instructor.

“I like basketball, and I want to go to the NBA, and some NBA players do zumba,” Wharton said. “I was confused the whole time,

though, with the dance moves.”Fifth-grader Keilah Gadson

liked the veteran.“He used a lot of words I didn’t

know, so it was neat to find out what they mean,” Gadson said.

Gadson wants to be a hydrolo-gist and hopes next year some-one will come to talk from the math and science field.

“I think it’s a really interesting job, and they help the commu-nity because they have to make sure the water is pure,” Gadson said about hydrologists.

The students said they enjoyed learning about so many different career paths in a single day.

“It was cool to see all the differ-ent careers,” fifth-grader Vincen-zo Interdonato said.

Interdonato’s favorite speaker was an architect who showed the students two hotels he helped de-sign.

During the Plant City Observ-er’s sessions, Jurgensen not only showed students how she inter-views sources but also had a cou-ple interview each other.


Plant City leaders share careersat 2012 Great American Teach-In

SHOW AND TELL by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Employees from the Plant City Observer discussed writing, photography and more at Trapnell Elementary School.

Photos by Amber Jurgensen

Fourth- and fifth-graders from Trapnell Elementary School learned all about the newspaper business from representatives from the Plant City Observer.

The representative from the military took a break from presentations at lunchtime.

aislinn labarbera said she wants to be an anesthesiologist.

abraham rodriguez enjoyed being interviewed by the Observer.


TheLight of Christmas Beautiful decorations,

rich orchestration and a choir and cast of

over 300 will help you make this Christmas...

the best ever.

Come join us to see a magnificent dramatic musical presentation

of the Christmas story... Bring the

whole family to celebrate with Angels, Shepherds and Kings.

Share the song

Presented by the Combined Choirs, Orchestra and Drama Team of...

First Baptist Church503 North Palmer Street • Plant City, FL

December 14, 15 & 16, 2012Free Tickets for Each Performance Available in the Church Office or from Members - 813.752.4104 9688

0

MEET AND gREET by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Chamber rolls at Ford dealershipThe Greater Plant City Cham-

ber of Commerce hosted its Business After Hours Nov. 16, at Jarrett-Scott Ford. The night coincided with Go Further with Ford Night, which features every Ford dealership in the country

hosting a party for their commu-nity on the same night.

Attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and wine and had a chance to enter to win a 2013 Ford Fusion or two tickets to an “American Idol” concert.

benny lubrano, tom Daramus and bruce rodwell

Maryann Paris and verna McKelvin

Chamber Chairman Matt buzza and Phil Waldron

amity Kokochak, christine Miller and cassandra banning Maribel lorenzo, chuck sullivan and Donna Driggers

The following information was gathered from in-cident and arrest reports obtained from the Plant City Police Department.

OCT. 31 SUgAR HIgH?

intersection of east calhoun street and north Penn-sylvania avenue. Battery/Domestic Violence. The sus-pect was arrested for domestic battery. The suspect was trick-or-treating with the victim when he became upset with her and punched her in the face, causing a black eye and bruising to her cheek. The suspect and the victim have been together as a couple for eight years and have a child in common.

NOV. 2 ALL ABOUT THE JACKSONS

1300 block of east calhoun street. Burglary. Un-known suspect(s) stole $20 from petty cash.

COULDN’T WAIT FOR BLACK FRIDAY2000 block of south Frontage road. Grand Theft.

Unknown suspect(s) stole four 37-inch LG TVs, val-ued at $350 each.

CRACK IS WHACKintersection of West Washington and south em-

pire streets. Drug Investigation/Arrest. Officers ap-proached the area on foot and observed the suspect drop a white bottle on the ground and walk to a nearby stump. Officers observed several individual bags containing a white rock-like substance that re-sembled crack cocaine inside the bottle. They took possession of the bottle, field-tested the substance to confirm its identity and arrested the suspect for pos-session of the crack when he returned to the location.

MAYBE SHE’S BORN WITH IT2600 block of James l. redman Parkway. Retail

Theft. The suspect was detained for the theft of cos-metic items, valued at $12.91.

COpS PLANT CITY

OCT. 31NOT THE BRIgHTEST BULB ...

2500 block of James l. redman Park-way. Counterfeit Currency. The suspect tried to pass two counterfeit $5 bills for merchandise. The two bills had the same serial number. The suspect left the store af-ter being questioned about the bills.

See more Cops Corner reports online.www.PlantCityObserver.com

CORNER


Thanksgiving is both a national holiday and a cherished

tradition for families across America, including the Mosaic

family. So as we give thanks for our many blessings, we

salute the farmers who produce the bountiful harvest.

Mosaic is proud to provide crop nutrients that help

American farmers grow the food we need. On

Thanksgiving Day — and every day — we are committed

to a healthy future for all of us. That’s our promise. www.mosaicco.com/fl orida

®

Thanksgiving traditions start from the ground up.

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“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding

principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly

progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944

ObserverPLANT CITY

Publisher / Felix Haynes, [email protected]

Managing Editor / Michael Eng, [email protected]

Assistant Managing Editor / Jess Eng, [email protected]

Associate Editors / (Community) Amber Jurgensen, [email protected]; (Sports) Matt Mauney, [email protected] Advertising Executives / Veronica Prostko, [email protected]; Ronda Kyler, [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator / Linda Lancaster, [email protected]

Accounting Manager / Petra Kirkland, [email protected]

Advertising-Production Operations Manager / Kathy Payne, [email protected]

Advertising-Production Coordinator / Brooke Schultheis, [email protected]

Advertising Graphic Designers / Monica DiMattei, [email protected]; Marjorie Holloway, [email protected]; Luis Trujillo, [email protected]; Chris Stolz, [email protected]

President / Felix HaynesDirectors / Nate Kilton, Ed Verner,

Matt Walsh110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100A

Plant City, Fla. 813-704-6850

www.PlantCityObserver.com

The Plant CityObserver LLC

Locally OwnedPublisher of the Plant City Observer and

PlantCityObserver.com

©Copyright Plant City Observer LLC 2012 All Rights Reserved

to aDvertiseCall veronica Prostko or ronda Kyler at 704-6850.

senD Us yoUr neWsWe want to hear from

you. Let us know about your community events, celebrations and family member achievements. To contact us, send your information via: Email: Michael Eng, [email protected]

Mail: The Plant City Observer, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A, Plant City, FL 33563

contact UsThe Plant City Observer is published once weekly,

on Thursdays. It provides free home delivery to several neighborhoods in Plant City. The Plant City Observer also can be found in many commercial locations throughout Plant City and at our office, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A.

If you wish to discontinue home delivery or if you wish to suspend home delivery temporarily, call linda lancaster at 704-6850.

When my wife and I decided we would leave our posts at Ob-server Media Group headquarters to open the Plant City Observer earlier this year, we knew not every piece of an extremely com-plex puzzle would fall into place at the same time.

Not only were we charged with launching and operating a new publication, website and social-media campaign, but also we faced moving our entire lives — and our two children — to a new com-munity. Where would the kids go to school? What do we do with our old home? What do we do for a new home? What about our doc-tors, mechanic, pest control guy, etc.?

But one-by-one, all of those pieces snapped into place, and today, as you read this, we are celebrating our first Thanksgiv-ing as Plant City residents. We are blessed to be part of such a loving community — and so thankful you have opened your lives to us.

I am so very thankful to our owners, Ed Verner, Felix Haynes and Nate Kilton, for their com-mitment to bringing hometown news back to Plant City — and for inviting me to be part of that commitment. I also want to thank all of our in-house staff — Sales Manager Rosemary Felton, ad executives Ronda Kyler and Veronica Prostko, associate edi-tors Amber Jurgensen and Matt Mauney, Accounting Manager Petra Kirkland and Administra-tive Assistant Linda Lancaster — as well as all our circulation folks, contributing writers and remote support staff. Without you, this would not be possible.

And most of all, thank you to all of our business partners and readers. You’re the reason why we are doing this.

As editor of our sister paper, the East County Observer, my Thanksgiving tradition was to offer 50 reasons why I, as a father, am thankful for my children and

family. This year, our son, Lyric, is 4, and our daughter, Aria, is 2, and I hope these little morsels of parental trials, tribulations and triumphs help to remind you and yours what truly is important.

1. How Lyric still believes Daddy can fix anything.

2. The way Aria has placed a timetable on her potty-training. Not now, she tells us. But when she’s 3, look out, toilet!

3. Goldfish crackers!4. The way both kids

still look so tiny from just a few feet away.

5. When Aria touches my face after I come home from a late night at work. “You here now?” she asks,

amazed, in her half-asleep state.6. Watching Lyric absolutely

dominate a jigsaw puzzle.7. Aria’s adopted name for

Whoppers, those chocolate-cov-ered malt balls: “coconuts” — or, rather — “coke-ee-nuts.”

8. The way Lyric dots the “I” in his name with a circle.

9. Finding one of them chew-ing on something — when I know we haven’t given them anything to eat.

10. How Lyric has developed an entire backstory for his family of stuffed-animal monkeys.

11. When Aria wraps her hand around my finger to go on a walk.

12. The way both kids can watch the same episode of “Team Umizoomi” over and over again. And over. And over!

13. Lyric’s version of the Aveng-ers: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Credible Hulk. Hey, he’s great if you need a wit-ness in court.

14. That the entire house must be silent if the kids’ stuffed ani-mals are sleeping. That rule does not apply if Mommy or Daddy are sleeping.

15. Watching the kids play when they don’t know we’re look-ing.

16. Babysitters! 17. Dual sinks in the family

bathroom. Translation: One less thing to fight over.

18. That the color of the sun still is pronounced, “Lellow.”

19. The tiny freckle right next to Aria’s belly button.

20. How counting slowly from one to five in my best, authori-tative-Dad voice can get Lyric to obey. I still have no idea what I’d do if I ever got to five.

21. How that same counting has absolutely no effect on Aria.

22. When either kid comes home from school singing a new song.

23. Potty humor! Gets ‘em every time!

24. Those rare occasions when we know both kids are together — and uncharacteristically quiet.

25. And, of course, the inevi-table destruction that follows that hurricane’s eye.

26. How Aria places her hands together to pray before every meal.

27. Teaching Lyric some rudi-ments on the drums. He may be the only 4-year-old in Plant City who can play a paradiddle.

28. When Aria jumps up out of her chair and exclaims, “Watch me, Daddy!” Then, she proceeds to hop about, limbs flailing, dancing as only she can.

29. How both kids have claimed their own colors of the spectrum. Everything orange rightfully belongs to Lyric. Every-thing blue goes to Aria.

30. How any illness that requires a pick-up from school inexplicably occurs on deadline day. How do they know?

31. Receiving a group hug that is so genuine, so full of love, that it literally knocks me off my feet.

32. Lyric’s love affair with donuts.

33. Hearing Aria snoring through the baby monitor.

34. How the kids know “Dad-dy’s Work” is the building with the strawberry sign. (Let’s hope they don’t get too lost in Plant City!)

35. How my daughter is turn-ing out to be a carbon copy of me — personality and all. (Yikes!)

36. How one finger, strategi-cally placed, can send either child into hysterics.

37. Trying to explain to Lyric the difference between “C” and “K” — and why we need both.

38. That no matter how tough work may be (missed deadlines, angry calls, circulation snafus), there’s always time at the end of the day to discuss the finer points of zoo animals with Aria.

39. Speaking of animals, according to Aria, a dog says, “Woof!” A cat says, “Meow!” And a giraffe ... Well, a giraffe says, “Giraffe!”

40. How Lyric has my wife’s smile.

41. That in our house, the remote control is called “Daddy’s Buttons.”

42. How, even at the old age of 4, Lyric still sometimes wants to be rocked by his Mommy.

43. That for Lyric, purchasing a giant container of cheese balls from Sam’s Club is cause for top-of-his-lungs celebration — right there in the store.

44. How both of them auto-matically assume a new food is something they won’t like. (You should have seen us trying to get them to take a bite of our Pig Jam pulled-pork sandwiches!)

45. How Lyric challenged unsuccessfully a much older kid to a foot race at the park. After his defeat, Lyric collapsed next to us, and with his head hanging low, he muttered, “I lost all my power.”

46. Chocolate milk!47. That the default parent at 5

a.m. is Mommy.48. That the default parent for

boogers is also Mommy.49. How their very existence

has put into perspective every-thing else in our lives.

50. That I have my wife to help me both enjoy and endure these two blessings.

From all of us, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Fifty reasons this dad is thankful todayobserved | Thanksgiving

MICHAELENG

There’s nothing more precious to me than seeing my children sing about God.

Joyful Hearts Preschool has taught both of my chil-dren about Jesus and has given them the platform to sing His praises.

On the last day before Thanksgiving, it was Coo-per’s turn to perform as an American Indian and retell the Thanksgiving story with his classmates.

His class performed an American Indian call as they marched around a make-shift teepee, while another class portrayed the Pilgrims and rode in on their own homemade Mayflower. The American Indi-

ans taught the Pilgrims to grow their own food, and in exchange,

the two different groups became friends.

They sang and did hand motions to tunes about turkeys, Indians, Thanksgiving dinner and giving thanks in every-thing, which came from 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Cooper’s tiny little hands were hard at work and brought joy to my heart as he folded them in prayer at the conclu-

sion of their production.I couldn’t help but remember

that, only days ago, those same sweet hands got ahold of a red permanent marker and drew a Ms. Pac Man ghost, among other scribbles, on the footstool to my rocking chair.

At the time, my face was as red as those marks. My husband even took him and his sister for a trip to the store to give mom a much-needed breather and also to buy Lift-Off in hopes that it would remove the markings. (Luckily, the footstool is good as new.)

As I watched my son say, “In everything, give thanks,” I won-dered if it is really possible to give thanks in everything? Really, God? Everything?

I wasn’t giving thanks for the picture my son had drawn me on my $200 rocking chair. That rocking chair is the same one that I used to rock both of my babies. It is more than just a chair. It is a sentimental piece of my life.

After much thought, I realize now that even those permanent marks could have given me a reason to be thankful.

Cooper is a perfectly healthy child with the use of his hands. There are some children without

the ability to draw. He has an amazing imagination and creativ-ity that shined in that Ms. Pac Man ghost that will one day serve him well in life. Some children aren’t born with such powerful thinking.

One day, I will turn around, and that little boy will be all grown up. On a particularly lonely day, I may even wish I could wake up to those pen marks just to have him by my side.

Too many times, I have wiped handprints off my windows without a heart of Thanksgiving. I see stains on the carpets and furniture daily and grumble to myself.

I am so thankful for the lessons that Cooper taught me on this day. That precious angel, who waved from the stage and said, “Hi Mom,” opened my eyes and heart to what really matters.

He drew permanent marks on my heart that will never fade.

Emilie Plants, a Plant City na-tive, is a stay-at-home mother of two, freelance journalist and a former Florida Strawberry Festival Queens Court member.

A Thanksgiving lesson from my 4-year-oldPAJAMA MAMA

EMILIEPLANTS

cooper’s original piece of art.

cooper performed as an American Indian this year.


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Shifts needed are 2nd shift weekdays, 1st and 2nd shifts weekends.Compensation based on experience.

To set an appointment please contact Nikki 863-815-6000

We are looking for Certified Nursing Assistants that are responsible and compassionate to join our Coventry Care Team in Plant City.

center state By Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

HEAD:

Plant City High School’s thespians en-tertained an audience with their performance of “Little Shop of Hor-rors.”

The musical comedy is about a nerdy florist shop worker who raises an exotic man-eating plant that is l i ter-ally blood-thirsty.

Thespians deliver humor, horror at fall musicalcenter stage by amber Jurgensen | Staff Writer

yannick Fritche and rachel rodriguez

casey Hamilton, who played Audrey II, the killer plant, kept the cast loose before showtime.

charizma Dunphy

Morgan lewis helped other actors with their makeup.

tychina bush showed off her freshly applied makeup before the play. cole arn

aeriel beveard, sam Davis, naheeda ahmadzai and bertha Muratalla practiced lines backstage with a comical flair.


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Join Haught Funeral Home during the month of December as we remember those we have lost. Stop by during regular business hours and place a personalized Angel on our Angel Tree. There is no cost for the angel. This is our way of remember-ing our loved ones during the holiday season. This service is available to everyone in our community. Also plan on joining us Tuesday December 18 at 7:00pm for

our Service of Remembrance. Our address is 708 W. Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd.

Please Join us as we remember.

Join Haught Funeral Home during the month of December as we remember those we have lost. Stop by during regular business hours and place a personalized Angel on our Angel Tree. There is no cost for the angel. This is our way of remember-ing our loved ones during the holiday season. This service is available to everyone in our community. Also plan on joining us Tuesday December 18 at 7:00pm for

our Service of Remembrance. Our address is 708 W. Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd.

Please Join us as we remember.

Join Haught Funeral Home during the month of December as we remember those we have lost.

Stop by during regular business hours and place a personalized Angel on our Angel Tree.

There is no cost for the angel. This is our way of remembering

our loved ones during the holiday season. This service is available to everyone in our community.

Also plan on joining us Tuesday December 18 at 7:00pm for our Service of Remembrance.

Our address is 708 W. Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd.Please Join us as we remember.

HAUGHT FUNERAL HOME(813) 717-9300

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Happy Thanksgivingfrom our Family to Yours!

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Evangelical students focus on the one Book that speaks to all nations and generations. Join the adventure. Register now. Classes begin January 7th for New Testament Survey and Old Testament Prophecy.

Visit www.Evangelical-University.orgfor information on Evangelical’s unique program for the Plant City area.

Evangelical Univeristy & Seminary105 East Baker Street, Plant City. 813.645.1903

Give Thanks

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It was a proud day for Marshall Middle School Nov. 6, when Hillsborough County Superintendent MaryEllen Elia and AVID coordinators came to a special presenta-tion at the school to revalidate the AVID program until 2016.

The AVID program, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is an academ-ic elective that supports kids who may be the first in their families to go to college or who have a desire to go to college. The program offers rigorous classes and sup-port.

Marshall is one of five AVID demon-stration schools in Florida. There are fewer than 150 demonstration schools nationwide.

The revalidation brought tears to the eyes of Marshall’s AVID Implementation Specialist Elisa Humphrey.

“AVID is huge in our county,” Hum-phrey said. “It is at every middle and high

school. Marshall works hard to do what’s right for kids.”

Parents, teachers, students and even the Marshall’s dragon mascot gathered to celebrate the revalidation.

“I had to cut off how many students could attend, because all the AVID stu-dents wanted to come,” Humphrey said.

OBSERVEROBITUARIESGerald Gregory Bryan

Gerald Gregory Bryan, 48, of Plant City, died Nov. 13, at home.

Born Oct. 11, 1964, in Florala, Ala., he was the son of Gerald Bryan and Patsy Jackson Bryan (William Pipkin).

Survivor includes his brother, Marcus Bryan.

The family will be having private ser-vices.

Online condolences may be made at haughtfuneralhome.com.

Pat Crews DowdellPat Crews Dowdell (Hattie Ruth), 101,

died Nov. 15.She was born Nov. 22, 1910. She grew up

in Plant City, graduated from Florida State College for Women in 1933 and taught in Hillsborough County and in Miami after her marriage in 1937.

She was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta, for which she served as a national officer for more than 10 years, and of Coral Gables First United Methodist Church.

She is survived by a daughter, Caroline (Milner) Irvin; granddaughter Susan (Mat-thew) Clark; grandson Jim (Dania) Irvin; six great-grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren; and caretaker, Eve Wright.

She was predeceased by her husband of nearly 70 years, S. H. “Happy” Dowdell; and daughter, Virginia.

Barbara Ann KentBarbara Ann Kent, 81, of Plant City, died

Nov. 14, from cancer. She was born on June 31,1931, in Bartow,

as the only child to Mary and Carl Bailey. The family moved to Plant City in 1944. During her years at Plant City High School, Ms. Kent was an officer in the band, a member of the glee club, a member of the National Honor Society and a member of Future Homemakers of America.

Following high school, Ms. Kent studied

journalism at the University of Florida. She worked at the Gainesville Sun, Homestead News, Homestead News Leader, The In-dian Town Press, the Miami Review and the Plant City Courier. Kent rose to the position of editor in both the Indian Town Press and the Plant City Courier.

When Kent retired in 1996, the mayor of Plant City declared it “Barbara Kent Day” and presented her with a key to the city.

In addition to her active professional life, Ms. Kent was civically involved in the com-munity. She was a member of the Plant City Business and Professional Women’s Club, the Plant City Chapter of Pilot In-ternational and the Raiders Booster Club. The Plant City Business and Professional Women’s Club recognized her with the 1990 Woman of Achievement award.

She was one of the founding members of the Plant City Community Theatre, now known as Plant City Entertainment.

Ms. Kent is survived by her eight sons, David Kent, of Sioux Falls, S.D., Stephen Kent, of Lakeland, Timothy Kent, of Bar-tow, Patrick Kent, of Frostproof, Chris-topher Kent, of Glenmore, Pa., Matthew Kent, of Titusville, Mark Kent, of Atlanta, and William Kent, of Plant City. She also is survived by four daughters-in-law; one son-in-law; 20 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1, at Plant City Entertainment, 101 Thomas St.

Thelma H. TatumThelma H. Tatum, 101, died Nov. 13. Mrs. Tatum was born on Oct. 27, 1911, in

Mt. Berry (Rome), Ga., and was a member of First United Methodist Church in Plant City.

She is predeceased by her husband, the Rev. Hoyt Tatum.

She is survived by her son, William; and other family members.

EDUCATION by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Givvonna Jackson, Francisco alejo, breana Huffman, antoine thompson, Grant rhodes, Gabby Wilson and brittney eichorn

Avid program revalidated

The revalidation brought tears to elisa Humphrey’s eyes.

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for what you have in life and a chance to spend some quality time with family.

With the Durant football team’s win over Tampa Bay Tech last week, the Cou-

gars season continues and ensures at least one more game this Friday.

That means practice all week — early in the morn-ing when schools are out for fall break. There

will even be practice on Thanksgiving Day.

But the players and coaches wouldn’t want it any other way.

After all, the meaning and purpose of Thanksgiving applies just as strongly to the Durant football program as it does from a personal stand-point for each player and coach.

That’s because this Cou-gars team is a family — in ev-ery sense of the word. Being around them all season, I’ve seen it first-hand. Cliches such as “brotherhood” and “family” are thrown around a lot in sports, but with Durant, it’s reality. It doesn’t take long to notice the play-ers truly depend on one another. They all get along and support one another — something you don’t always

Y O U T H | H I G H S C H O O L | G O L F | S E N I O R S | C O M M U N I T Y | T E N N I S

SportsATHLETE OF

THE WEEKDontriel Perryleads Durant

with six sacks. 13

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2012PLANTCITYObserver.COm

SEE MAUNEY / PAGE 12

GAME OF THE WEEKNewsome at DuraNt | Class 7a regioN 2 semifiNals | 7:30 p.m. Nov. 23

SHOW ME THE MAUNEY

MATTMAUNEY

The tape was studied on a Monday-morning film session as players listened carefully to coaches breaking down what they watched on the screen.

It’s an opening-week ritual that will never change, but if there was ever a week where the tape isn’t that necessary, it would be this one for Durant.

The Cougars will host district

rival Newsome Friday night in the Class 7A Region 2 semifi-nals. It will be the second meet-ing between the two teams this year, with Durant coming out on top 38-28 Oct. 18, at home.

Sure, there’s plenty more to learn, as coaches search for weak points and prepare the best possible game plan, but these two teams know each

other, and both teams know what to expect Friday.

The earlier meeting came down to turnovers, an area in which Durant has been stellar in this season, with a plus-23 differential. Durant, a primar-ily run-based team, only has lost two fumbles this year, to go

Not many people will argue that every high school sport takes a back seat to football in Plant City.

But area high school bas-ketball coaches are looking to change that perception.

Plant City High School recent-ly hosted the Raider Preseason

Classic, a boys preseason tour-nament that celebrated its fifth year last week. The tournament is just one example and one ef-fort in the movement to expand exposure and popularity of the sport in this area.

“The whole idea of the tour-nament is getting two Plant City

schools in with two schools from Polk County,” Plant City head coach Dale Chambers said.

This year, Durant rounded out local teams, while Tampa’s King and Robinson also participated. Chambers said he would like to

Cougarswelcomeholidaypractice

by matt mauney | Associate Editor

FAmILIAr FOe

Preseason tournament builds exposure for Plant city teamsThe Raider Classic is one of the efforts to help expose talent and promote the game of basketball in Plant City.

basketball by matt mauney | Associate Editor

Matt Mauney

Durant faced Plant City in this year’s Raiders Classic Nov. 15. The Cougars won the preseason game 57-44.

Durant was impressive in its 34-7 win over Tampa Bay Tech, but district rival Newsome stands in the way for a trip to the region championship game.

SEE GAME / PAGE 12

SEE BASKETBALL / PAGE 13

Photos by Matt Mauney

Jamarlon Hamilton (10) had another big night last week against Tampa Bay Tech, along with back Crispian Atkins and Zach Hooper. Below: Quarterback Trey vanDeGrift has emerged as a leader for the Cougars’ offense.


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see with teams full of teenag-ers. But, it’s also essential for a team looking to win a cham-pionship.

That’s exactly where the Cougars are, and they wouldn’t want to be in this situation without the guy to their left and right.

After the TBT win, you could see the joy on the players’ faces. They weren’t thinking about morning practices on non-school days or having to shuffle around any Thanksgiv-ing plans.

Head coach Mike Gottman announced Monday’s practice time that night with the team circled together, down on one knee — film was to begin at 8:30 a.m.

Another thing was an-nounced after that win. The team will have a full turkey dinner together on Thursday. Several players let out cheers and happy grunts — that meant more food — some-thing that always intrigues football players.

This time last year, the sea-son was over for Durant, after losing in the regional quar-terfinals. Players moved on to video games or winter sports, and Thanksgiving was spent with their families.

The players are happy that this year is different. Going 10-0 in the regular season has seemed to build an even stronger bond with this team. Although many of the coaches say there wasn’t pressure to prove Durant’s mettle going into last week’s game, many of the players will beg to differ.

“Every team all season

wanted to beat us,” said Don-triel Perry. “There was a lot of pressure.”

With the first playoff win in the books, the Cougars are as confident and focused as ever.

Being around the team more so than usual the last few weeks, the one thing that I hear the most is how the team constantly feels doubt-ed. Players point to regional media that regularly under-estimate the Cougars. Even Gottman brought it up during the post-game interview last week.

“The headlines are going to read ‘Durant slips by TBT,’ but (we won) 34-7, so maybe something new will come up this week,” he said. “We try to get respect every week and our kids play hard, so they deserve it.”

And they do. I like to think we at the Plant City Observer have done a good job showing them that respect, so hope-fully, those comments aren’t being directed at us.

The truth is, the Cougars are flying under the radar, and I think they kind of like it that way. They are slowly getting the respect they deserve, but that seems to be helping fuel the fire of this blue-collar gridiron team.

That has their confidence at an all-time high and, accord-ing to assistant coach and head JV coach Rich Maddock, the team is hoping to cel-ebrate more than just Thanks-giving together.

“We have a gift exchange planned Dec. 13,” he said.

That day will be the day be-fore the Class 7A state cham-pionship.

along with just five interceptions. The Cougars have come up

with 30 total turnovers this year, including two in the 34-7 win over Tampa Bay Tech in the regional quarterfinals.

“It’s just been one of those years,” said head coach Mike Gottman about the turnover game, comparing it to the year the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl with a defense that scored and set up scores with takeaways. “We stress with our of-fense to take care of the football, and with defense, we want to cre-ate opportunities for our offense.”

Durant fumbled twice against Newsome in the earlier meet-ing but recovered both, while the Cougars defense came away with two fumbles and an interception.

“I’m sure they’re addressing that,” Gottman said of Newsome. “We just have to come out and play our style of football.”

Newsome has been playing like a team on a mission after losing to Durant and missing out on a dis-trict title. The Wolves haven’t al-lowed more than seven points in each of its last four games since, including a huge 52-7 blowout at Gaither in the region quarter-finals. Newsome’s defense held Gaither to under 140 yards of total offense.

“They look more hungry since the last time we saw them,” said Durant senior running back Zach Hooper. “They are basically out for revenge, and I know that, our team knows that, and our defense knows that. Nothing will be sweet-er than to beat them twice.”

Although it seems that New-some has had a new focus the last few weeks, the key to the Wolves success hasn’t changed. That suc-

cess relies on the shoulders of se-nior quarterback Will Worth.

Worth passed and rushed for 135 yards each against Durant in the first meeting. That 135 passing yards was the most he’s thrown for this season. Worth had 181 rush-ing yards on 14 carries against Gaither last week, including two touchdowns.

“He’s a hell of a ball player,” Gottman said of Worth. “He’s very tough and physical, and we just have to get a lot of people at the point of attack and tackle lower

than we did the first time.” Durant has plenty of offensive

firepower, as well. Running back Jamarlon Hamilton rushed for more than 100 yards for the eighth time this season, while Crispian Atkins and Zach Hooper each had long touchdown runs.

“I consider both those guys my brothers,” Hooper said. “I like to think of us as like a three-headed monster in the backfield.”

Contact Matt Mauney at [email protected].

PLAYERS TO WATCHno. 15 tyler MoodyThe senior linebacker led his team in tackles (11) last week against Tampa Bay Tech. He has 65 total tackles on the year along with 3.5 sacks. Moody is one of the lead-ers for the Durant defense and will be a key in containing talented Newsome quarterback Will Worth.

DIFFERENCE-MAKERno. 5 Zach Hooper Durant running backs Jamarlon Hamilton and crispian atkins have garnered much attention this year, but it’s another option at that posi-tion who could give the Cougars offense an extra punch against Newsome. Hooper was involved in the passing and running game against Tampa Bay Tech. His 31-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave the Cougars a comfortable 27-7 lead.

FROM THE COACH “It’s going to come down to who is more physical and who can cre-ate some turnovers. We did a good job of that against them the last time.” — Mike Gottman, Durant head coach

FOCAL POINTS• How Durant’s defense contains Newsome quar-terback Will Worth. The standout senior passed for a 135 yards and a score and rushed for 135 yards against the Cougars Oct. 18. Durant did pick Worth off twice in the 38-28 win. • How many big plays Durant can accumulate. The Cougars have been passing the ball more effectively the last few weeks and have three run-ning backs — Jamarlon Hamilton, crispian atkins and Zach Hooper — who are able to make game changing plays at any moment. • Which team will win the turnover battle. This is important every week, but in a game featuring two teams that like to run the football, ball control and ball security will weigh sig-nificantly on the outcome. Durant came up with three turnovers against Newsome in their first meeting.

MaUney/PaGe 11 GaMe/PaGe 11


see the tournament build a relationship with teams in nearby Polk County.

“Ideally, that’s what we want, with Plant City playing some of the better teams out of Polk County,” he said. “It’s a nice draw, because they’re not too far from us.”

Entering his sixth year as coach of the Raiders, Chambers hopes to have the Raider Classic become a prestigious preseason tournament.

“We want to promote Plant City bas-ketball and make this tournament something that teams want to be a part of in the preseason,” he said.

Durant has participated in the tour-nament for three years, and head coach Trent Tice hopes it will continue to grow and help showcase local talent.

“Coach Chambers does a great job with this tournament, and it’s a great way to promote basketball in Plant City,” Tice said.

The tournament also gives the two ri-val schools the opportunity to play one another before the annual regular-sea-son meeting for the Ron Frost Trophy. Durant and Plant City used to be in the same region, in which they played each other at least twice a year, but after a re-classification by the Florida High School Athletic Association, the two teams rep-resent different classes.

Although Durant and Plant City did not match up in last year’s tournament, this year, the two teams met. Durant took a 57-44 win.

Chambers said in addition to expo-sure for his team and others, the tour-nament also helps from a basketball standpoint.

“We’re doing it to try to get better,” he said. “If we can bring in some schools that have a different style of play, that helps us.”

Chambers said in Hillsborough Coun-ty, teams can’t control their schedule, so playing against unfamiliar opponents in

a preseason tournament will help them prepare against familiar foes.

Tice noted the game of basketball has a rich history in the area, dating back many years. Plant City won a state championship back in 1981.

“The Plant City area knows high school basketball, and I think if you come and watch our games (Durant-Plant City), those are some of the most exciting games, and the stands are full,” Tice said. “It’s a great thing to be a part of, and I suggest people come and check it out.”

Durant will open the regular season after Thanksgiving against Riverview on Nov. 27, while Plant City will host King.

Durant will host Plant City for the Ron Frost Trophy Jan. 23.

Contact Matt Mauney at [email protected].

Have you been playing football long?Three years

What got you into football?My older brother was playing, and I

always wanted to get out there but never had a ride. My brother got me to come out.

How long have you been playing de-fense?

Just this year

What’s your favorite part of playing defensive end?

I really like to pass rush.

What’s your progression been like in the adjustment to the position?

First, I started off not good at all. I was at tight end at first and then moved to defensive end. The coaches told me that if I did well, that this would be my position, and I showed out.

What was the hardest adjustment for you?

Getting blocked. I wasn’t used to that.

This defense has been really strong this year. What do you credit to the success of this defense?

We play as one. You can’t go without heart, and that’s what

defense is all about.

In your first year playing varsity ball, what was it like going 10-0 in the regular season?

I went undefeated JV year, but going undefeated with varsity is something. When we beat King in the final regular-season game, I was shocked to think, “Wow, we’re 10-0.”

After getting your first playoff win last week, what was that like?

It gave us more confidence, because not everyone thought we would beat Tampa Bay Tech, and we did.

What’s it going to take moving forward to continue succeeding?

Just hard work and dedication. That’s what it’s all about.

What did you take from the Newsome game earlier this season, and what will it take to get another win this Friday?

I have to watch out for Will Worth. He’s a great athlete. He’s one

of the main people I’m focused on.

I know you play basketball, as well.

How long have you been playing?

I played freshman year but didn’t play last year.

Outside of sports, what do you like to do?

I really like video games. I’m playing “Call of Duty Black Ops II” a lot now.

Dontriel PerryDurant High defensive end Dontriel Perry is quickly establishing himself as a domi-

nant force on the Cougars’ defense. The junior has 49 tackles on the year and leads the team with six sacks, including one to end the game last week against Tampa Bay Tech.

ATHlETE Of THE wEEk by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor

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The coaches at Plant City and Durant high schools say they want to see the sport grow locally.


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Advantage Academy’s olivia iglesias received some last-minute tips from head coach chris Doucette before the race began.

The race featured several charter schools from throughout the area.

Charter school athletes lace upfor cross country championships

Make way for Plant City’s next crop of athletes.

Charter schools from around the area gathered Nov. 9, at Ellis Methvin Park, for the Charter School Cross Country Championships. The event featured third- through eighth-graders from Shiloh Charter School, Advantage Academy, Val-rico Academy and Winthorp Charter School.

Two races took place —

one featuring older runners and a second for the younger students. Boys and girls ran together, but awards were given accordingly.

Shiloh’s Abigail Devane placed first in her division, while Advantage Academy Olivia Iglesias finished sec-ond. Shiloh’s Cody Cribbs had a good day as well, plac-ing second overall in the boys division, while Luke Baden-horst finished in sixth place.

Shiloh’s abigail Devane placed first in her division at the Charter School Cross Country Championships.

Shiloh’s virginia Wallnofer competed hard.

Dillion Patrick and cameron turley had some fun before the start of their race.


O B S E RV E R C RO S S WO R DEdited by Timothy E. Parker

CRYPTOGRAMS

1. R K D E A Y N F E Y U Z Z I , B S Y P R D P Y G A Z R R Z Y W I Y I M D P F Q Z S

K Y B B V G D M D W U : D Q V Z L I Z T K Y R V Z L G Z M F Y W I G Z M F T K Y R

V Z L ’ S F I Z D W U , V Z L ’ G G W F M F S T Z S N Y W Z R K F S I Y V D W V Z L S

G D Q F .

2. U B J O L B K J T C D W B H B H M D W B H O L B K J T C U B J . A C K R K ’ U

D W B H B H M A B M K T U B J R K R H B D W B H O B J !

ACROSS 1 Treats with

contempt 7 People work for

them 12 Candied tuber 15 Regular boyfriend 19 They’ve got your

back 20 Degrade 21 Perceives

incorrectly, in a way

23 Certain pageant 25 What some dreams

do 26 Smile of contempt 27 Where people pick

lox 28 Having magnitude,

but no direction 30 Tony Blair and

Gordon Brown, briefly

31 Infuriate 33 Ayatollah’s

predecessor 35 Munsters’ bat 37 Camera type,

briefly 38 Interjected

disapprovingly 41 Sun-dried bricks 45 Treadmill site 48 Computer letters 50 Alka-Seltzer sound 52 The “S” in CBS

(Abbr.) 53 Be human, so they

say 54 Like a cloudless

night 55 Miss Piggy’s

pronoun 56 “I could ___ horse!” 57 Corn unit 58 Chocolate-yielding

tree 59 Veggie discard 62 Makes possible 64 Sound of a perfect

jump shot

66 Menu mollusk 69 School, at the

Sorbonne 70 Golf bag item 71 TV series featuring

a robotic dog named K-9

73 Welsh valley 74 Famed folklorist 76 Wrench,

sometimes 77 Student at

69-Across 80 Apparel with

insignias 82 Undercover worker 83 Elaborate yarns 85 Grant money86 Bigfoot’s Himalayan

cousin 87 Catch some rays 89 Climbing spikes 90 Carp repeatedly 91 Very dark black 92 Cat call 94 Feel sorry about 95 Weaselly 96 Fedorov of the NHL 98 Even more see-

through 100 Minimum borders? 103 Belt one out 105 Leave 106 White, rye and

whole wheat 109 Current or former

court org. 112 What pupils do in

the dark 114 Minute quantity 117 End run 119 Takes over for 121 Product pitched by

Joe DiMaggio 124 Popular street

liners 125 Speak without

thinking 126 Puzzling situation 127 Part of aka 128 JFK debater in ‘60 129 Mortise’s partner

130 Biblical book between Nehemiah and Job

dOwn 1 Actors Neill and

Waterston 2 “Crazy” singer

Patsy 3 “Superman”

character Jimmy 4 Tiered stage

platforms 5 Affecting the brain

and spinal cord 6 W-2 info (Abbr.) 7 Gestured greeting 8 Early Genesis

victim 9 In a tasteless way 10 Count conclusion? 11 Playground lever 12 Song title spelled

out with the arms 13 Garlic mayonnaise 14 Publication

co-founded by Gloria Steinem

15 Vegas action 16 O.K. Corral fighter 17 Calla lily, e.g. 18 Plays for a sap 22 He ordered the

execution of John the Baptist

24 “Ox” or “cyan” ending

29 Restaurant meal maker

32 TV reporter Van Susteren

34 Possesses 36 Big game in college

football 38 Sun screen, of a

kind 39 Windstorms that

lift up clouds of dust or sand

40 Lower, as lights 42 “Absolutely!” 43 Lipstick lady

Lauder 44 RR stops 45 Min. segments 46 Boat front 47 Judge of a sort

49 Used pepper spray on

51 Orange “Sesame Street” Muppet

54 Nefarious plan 59 Matter-of-fact, as

text 60 Shrek, for one 61 Unproductive

period 63 Get to, as the Web 65 DEA activities 67 Mounted on 68 Obies’ milieu 72 DuPont’s acrylic

fiber 74 Church land 75 Title housewife in

an Oscar-winning film

78 Perfume bottle 79 Antsy 80 Parting words 81 Litigate 84 Maze word 88 One rejection after

another 89 Biased 93 Stimulate, as the

appetite 94 Hilo souvenir 97 Duck down 99 Free, as from taxes 101 Quark/antiquark

pairs 102 Felt it appropriate 104 Crest alternative 106 You might stand a

round here 107 ABC followers 108 Summons from

your boss, perhaps 109 Word with

“disaster” 110 School sound 111 Gifts to the poor 113 The “A” in many

bus. names 115 NFL legend

Graham 116 High schooler 118 Edible fruit 120 “What was ___

think?” 122 Blind rage 123 It’s average for

students

wHAT dId YOU CALL ME by Kathy Islund

2

CROSSWORD_112212

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110 West Reynolds St. #217

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PROVISION CLEANING SERVICECommercial Only

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LV41

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CITYPROPERTIESCOMPANY

MANAGEMENT • SALES • RENTALSYour Hometown Property Management Company

40 years in Plant City • Philip Balliet - Manager

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Drive-Thru

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813-764-9811LIVE MUSIC

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Documents

Plant City Observer 11.22.12