Comrades In Arms
TAMPA - It's almost like a Hatfield befriending a McCoy.
At a University of Florida football camp, two unlikely players became fast friends. Unlikely because they played for teams that are bitter rivals. Unlikely because their predecessors didn't get along, so why should they.
Jefferson's Zack Grossi and Plant's Aaron Murray decided they would be different.
There was no love lost between former Jefferson standout Stephen Garcia and Plant uberquarterback Robert Marve. Stephen Garcia claimed county bragging rights with his Hillsborough County-best 8,081 career passing yards and 83 touchdowns, while Marve was selected as Florida's Mr. Football last year when he set the state single-season records for passing yards (4,380), completions (280) and touchdowns (48).
En route to enjoying two of the greatest seasons any quarterback has ever played in Florida high school history, the two talents soured on each other.
Grossi and Murray vowed that wouldn't happen to them.
Hillsborough County's top two leading passers this season met during the summer at the University of Florida's football camp. Paired together, the two bonded over football and similar situations.
"We were both trying to feel each other out, see who was throwing good," Grossi said. "When we talked afterward, we decided we weren't going to get into all the negative stuff like last year with Marve and Stephen Garcia."
Both agreed to not let rivalry or pettiness get in the way of a friendship.
"We were like, 'Let's not be like Marve and Stephen Garcia,'" Murray said. "'Let's not hate each other. Let's have a fun relationship.' It's a football game and once we get on the field, it's going to be a battle out there. But once we get off the field, there's no reason we can't be friends."
From that point on, both quarterbacks have kept up with each other's seasons. They telephone and text message with inquiries on how their games went.
Seasons Vastly Different
Their seasons have been vastly different. Murray has emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in Florida, leading the county with 2,313 passing yards and 29 touchdowns. He has helped lead the defending state champions to a 7-1 record and a spot in the playoffs.
Grossi's Jefferson team, with inexperience on both sides of the ball, has stumbled into the playoffs, though lately has been performing better. Second only to Murray, Grossi has thrown for 1,390 yards and 16 TDs.
In Plant's come-from-behind victory against Chamberlain last week, Murray didn't need to look much farther than his sideline for guidance. There standing among his teammates and coaches was Marve offering advice.
Grossi gets regular text messages during games from Stephen Garcia. He checks them during halftime for any morsel of advice.
But one thing Marve and can't help their successors with or relate to is how to deal with replacing greatness. That's one of the reasons Murray and Grossi bonded so quickly. They just get each other.
"We both respect what the other one is going through and what the other one does on Friday nights," Grossi said. "We're both pretty much in the same situation, so it's nice to know that someone else is going through it. We talk about all the people in the stands, the armchair quarterbacks, stuff like that."
In a defining game for Murray, the junior captain helped the Panthers defeat unbeaten Hillsborough 35-16. Murray accounted for four of Plant's five touchdowns, including a 5-yard run.
Once inside the end zone, Murray could be heard squealing like a little kid.
"We talk about it all the time that we want to play like kids and focus like men," Plant coach Robert Weiner said. "Aaron's at that perfect balance right now. He loves the game.
"I think that day that you lose the joy of just playing and that it becomes like a business, it's a day you're not at your best. He is at his best when he's just having fun and playing like a kid."
Grossi Passionate As Well
Grossi is just as passionate about football. He injured his throwing shoulder in the first game of the season, a loss to Hillsborough, but battled back to put his team in contention for the district title. His defining moment came after the Dragons lost 26-9 to Armwood.
In an offensive players only meeting, Grossi made it clear the team wasn't accomplishing its goals, but they were still attainable.
"We weren't where we wanted to be," he said. "We talked about how we had a lot of young guys who were great players, but who didn't have a lot of playing experience and that's why now we're starting to click.
"The guys told me that we're going to go as far as I can take them and we just talked about putting this thing in the right direction."
That direction leads Jefferson to Dad's Stadium on Friday night with the Class 4A-District 10 title up for grabs. Plant has won it the past two seasons.
The two with so much in common want bragging rights, but they won't let the quest for that prize get in the way of a good friendship.
"I've been rooting for him all year and he's been doing the same for me," Grossi said. "But after the opening kickoff, he's no longer my friend and we're the biggest enemies in the world. But as soon as the gun goes off, I'll shake his hand and tell him, 'You played good, but it wasn't good enough.'"
COMING NEXT WEEK: Throughout most of the season, Jefferson coach Mike Fenton has felt like a fighter up against the ropes. Dealing with the murder of star linebacker C.J. Mills and a season that hasn't gone according to plans, it looked as if the Dragons had recently righted the ship. That is until Fenton was ejected from last week's game for cursing, an infraction that threatens to keep him from the sideline in Friday night's district showdown with Plant. It also threatens his future in coaching.
See more at www.tbo.com
