Versatile Wilder getting first taste of Plant-Armwood James Wilder Jr., was born in 1992, after his father had retired from the National Football League. But he has seen the films of an orange-clad No. 32, a powerful back who thrived on contact, who kept his legs churning, who carried his team. His father remains the all-time leading rusher and receiver in Bucs' history - a dynamic back who rushed for 5,957 career yards, caught 430 passes and accounted for 46 touchdowns. That's quite a legacy. "That's who I want to be, too," said Wilder, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound junior at Plant High School. "Hopefully, I can live up to the name." Actually, in his first season with the Panthers, Wilder already has made a name for himself. As a running back, he's averaging 6.3 yards per carry with four touchdowns (in three games). As a hybrid defensive end/linebacker - the position is identified as "Panther" - he's averaging 12.5 tackles per game and has four sacks. "James is only scratching the surface of what he's going to become," Plant coach Robert Weiner said. "One day, he's going to wake up and realize just how good he can be. And that will be scary. He's a big-time player." And tonight is a big-time game, which makes Wilder very happy. If you play football at Plant, the Armwood Hawks don't need an introduction. Plant-Armwood is the most fierce prep football rivalry in Hillsborough County and the latest chapter is tonight at Armwood's Lyle Flagg Stadium. It's all new to Wilder, a transfer from Chamberlain. He has never played against Armwood, but this week has been a crash-course in Panther-Hawk education. The schools have met in the playoffs in three consecutive seasons and although that won't happen in 2009 (Plant has moved to Class 5A, while Armwood remained in Class 4A), the game's significance hasn't lost any luster. "It won't take James long to get into what this rivalry is all about," said Plant senior wide receiver/defensive back Eric Dungy, who has a famous father of his own, Tony Dungy, former coach of the Bucs and Indianapolis Colts. "James is like our energy creator. On the days when you don't want to practice, James is the one yelling and getting us fired up. He's our sparkplug. To tell you the truth, he has been a leader here since Day One." Wilder wasn't sure what to expect when he left Chamberlain - as part of the player exodus following the retirement of legendary Coach Billy Turner - and wound up at Plant. He thought it would take longer to fit in. Instead, he was quickly welcomed and indoctrinated into the Plant football culture. When Plant faced Chamberlain that spring in a girls' flag-football game, Wilder attended and headed to the Chamberlain stands to catch up with old friends. "I wanted to say what-up to some of the kids; the kids were cool, but some of the parents booed me," Wilder said with a laugh. Last season, Turner spoke with reverence about Wilder, saying he could become one of the best players Hillsborough County has seen. Now more people have noticed. The Orlando Sentinel already has named Wilder as Florida's No. 1 college-football prospect for the class of 2011. He has received dozens of scholarship offers - and that paperwork has been carefully placed in decorative patterns around his closet, a daily reminder of what's ahead. His three favorites: Florida and USC (both want him as a defensive player), along with Miami (the Hurricanes like him as a running back). The list goes on and on: USF, Florida State, UCF, Tennessee, Michigan, Michigan State, West Virginia, Illinois and Missouri (his father's alma mater), among others. Weiner said Wilder could become Plant's most highly recruited player ever - and that's saying something when considering Orson Charles, the former Panther who's now a freshman tight end at Georgia, who had Florida, FSU, USC and Tennessee on his final list. "I've seen some of that stuff (recruiting publicity), but I'm the type of person who stays humble," Wilder said. "I'm not going to start thinking I'm a perfect player and start playing lazily. I'm the type of person who, if they say I'm the best in the state, I want to be the best in the nation. If they say I'm the best in the nation, I want to be the best in the world. I'm a competitor. Every day, I want to get better." Weiner said that's the attitude he has noticed. "Although he's a guy who can take over a game by himself, he's very much a team guy," Weiner said. "What has struck me is you sometimes see the guy who is great already and he's not improving. He's great, he stays great and he never transcends to the next level. James gets better every single day." So who is James Wilder, Jr? Dominant runner? Dominant pass-rusher? For now, the answer is - both! "He will run over you and if you go for the ankles, he will jump over you," Eric Dungy said. "On defense, he flies off the edge and makes his living getting to the quarterback. Whatever he wants to do, that's what he does best. He has that kind of talent." It's the kind of talent that deserves a big stage. And that's what Wilder has in Plant-Armwood. "Can't wait," Wilder said. "Let's go play." Joey Johnston, The Tampa Tribune 3 October 2009