PLANT CITY, Fla. (WFLA)– The two principals at the two rival high schools in Plant City have a whole lot more in common than just their job title.
Plant City High School Principal Susan Sullivan and Durant High School Principal Pamela Bowden are sisters!
“Friday night, we will be on opposite sides of the field, but we will walk over and talk to the other one. We did that last year, I spent a little time on the Durant side, she spent a little time on the Plant City side,” Sullivan said.
“It’s a good rivalry, it brings out the best in both schools and both teams, and we always tend to play harder, step up our game,” Bowden said.
On Friday night, it is a battle between two teams on the gridiron and two sisters for the James L. Redman Cup, named after their late father, a lifelong football fan.
In May of 2006, Redman passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer and his wife, Ruby Jean, along with the family, decided to provide a trophy to the winning school of the Durant-Plant City game in his memory.
The trophy features a picture of Redman and his grandsons, Aaron and Chip, taken after the game their senior year. Aaron, Susan’s son, was a center for the Raiders and Chip, Pamela’s son, was the quarterback for the Cougars.
Since its inception in 2007, Durant has won the trophy 3 times and Plant City has won 6 times.
As for who will take the cup home tonight?
“We will see!” said Sullivan.
