It is quite remarkable what the Hawthorne football team has been able to do with five straight appearances in the state championship game.
Last Friday, the Hornets defeated Williston, 28-7, in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Rural state semifinals, which sent Hawthorne back to the title game.
Hawthorne (10-1) will play Madison County (9-3) for the Rural state championship tonight at 7 p.m. at The Range at H.G. Morse Stadium in Sumterville on the campus of The Villages Charter School. The game will be broadcast on 106.9 FM I Am Country” and audio online at IamCountryRadio.com beginning at 6:30 p.m.
The Hornets defeated the Cowboys, 22-13, in last year’s state championship game.
“Making it to the state championship game for five consecutive years is an extraordinary accomplishment for our program,” said offensive coordinator Greg Bowie, who is also the school’s athletic director. “This milestone signifies several key things – consistency and excellence. It shows that the program isn’t just a one-hit wonder but rather a consistent force in Florida high school football. We’ve been able to maintain a high level of performance season after season.”
Bowie said that strong coaching and leadership were also key.
His brother, former Gator and NFL player Cornelius Ingram, is in his 10th season as head coach. Hawthorne has won back-to-back state titles under C.I.
“The ability to keep the team focused and performing at its peak level year after year is a testament to excellent leadership under C.I. and a supporting staff that understands the football culture here,” Bowie said.
Bowie also cited talent development.
“We get the opportunity to develop a great group of young men that show up every day eager to work and learn,” he said. “A fifth straight appearance in the state championship game symbolizes not just athletic achievement but also strong leadership, excellent player development and community pride. It should solidify Hawthorne as one of the premier football programs in the state and set the stage for even more success down the line.”
One of the more talented players on the team, who sometimes doesn’t get the credit he deserves, is running back Keenon Johnson.
The senior has rushed for 1,657 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.
“Keenon Johnson has been a cornerstone of our offense this season,” Bowie said. “As a running back, his vision, explosiveness, and ability to break tackles have been game-changers for us. He’s not just putting up incredible numbers, he’s a leader who sets the tone for the entire offense.”
Last year Johnson made some key runs against Madison County.
Johnson, who has over 4,500 career yards, had 110 yards on 21 carries in last year’s title game, including one time-consuming drive that ate almost six minutes off the clock with the junior carrying the ball eight times on the drive.
“When the game is on the line, we know we can count on Keenon to make plays and keep the chains moving,” Bowie said. “His work ethic and determination are infectious, and he’s been a key reason why we’ve been able to maintain such a high level of success. In my opinion, he’s one of the top backs in the state regardless of classification.”
When the season began, quarterback C.J. Ingram announced he was going to skip the football season to focus on a promising basketball career.
Fortunately for the Hornets, Adrian Curtis transferred from Eastside High School for his senior season and made an immediate impact.
“Adrian Curtis’s impact on this season is even more impressive considering he came in shortly before fall camp started,” Bowie said. “To step into a starting quarterback role with so little preparation time and immediately perform at a high level speaks volumes about his talent, adaptability and work ethic.”
Curtis missed two games due to injury but during that time he was a big supporter of their freshman QB who stepped in.
“Missing games would be a challenge for any quarterback, especially when you’re trying to build chemistry with your teammates and find your rhythm,” Bowie said. “But Curtis’s ability to step back in and immediately contribute at a high level shows his leadership and professionalism.”
The senior is having a solid year with 1,344 yards passing and 16 touchdowns with only two interceptions.
“Curtis has done a great job making smart decisions and spreading the ball around to his playmakers,” Bowie said. “He’s proven that he’s not only a talented player but also a resilient leader who has helped guide us back to another state championship game appearance.”
The Hornets were flying under the radar after their first and only loss of the season at 2A Florida High (Tallahassee), 41-28, in early September, a game in which C.I. did not coach in.
The loss snapped a 27-game winning streak.
Since then, they’ve reeled off eight straight wins and are the No. 1 seed.
Hawthorne is averaging 36.4 points per game and allowing 15.1 ppg.
No. 2 seed Madison County, which is coached by Price Harris, has won five in a row, including wins this season against bigger schools DeLand (7A), Suwannee (Live Oak) (3A), Columbia (Lake City) (4A), Apopka (7A) and Lake Minneola (6A).
The Cowboys’ three losses have come at home to 5A Lincoln (Tallahassee), 29-7, at 6A Pace, 35-31, and at Florida High (Tallahassee), 23-13.
They are averaging a whopping 308.7 yards rushing per game (8.2 yards per carry) and are led by junior Naquez Christian, who has 945 yards and nine touchdowns, senior Jason McDaniel (842 yards and 13 touchdowns) and junior L.J. Crumity (681 yards and 10 touchdowns).
Madison County, which defeated Hawthorne to win the 2021 state title and win its sixth state title, is playing in the state championship game for the sixth time in the last eight years.
At 1 p.m., No. 5 seed Dixie County (Cross City) will play No. 6 seed Fort Meade (5-7) for the Rural Florida Invitational Tournament Championship.
The Bears (7-6), who are coached by Ric Whittington, last year’s defensive coordinator, have gone 5-1 over the last six weeks. They are making only their second-ever championship appearance in an FHSAA football-sanctioned state event, with their lone appearance coming back in 1971.
Tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Citizens Field, the Buchholz Bobcats will host Osceola (Kissimmee) in the Class 6A state semifinals.
Last Friday the Bobcats (10-3) rallied past Oakleaf (Orange Park), 25-19, to advance to their fourth straight state semifinal.
“It’s been an interesting ride with three losses in the first six games, so we started out 3-0 and ended up 3-3, and then were able to rattle the rest off as victories to get where we are right now,” said Buchholz coach Mark Whittemore. “We had the toughest schedule in the state in our classification for sure, third toughest overall, so what we faced during the year has really built us into a really quality football program top to bottom.”
Whittemore said this might be, of those four, the most quality top to bottom position by position.
One of the reasons that Buchholz is having another big year has been the play of sensational junior Justin Williams, who went over 1,000 yards rushing last week (team-leading 16 rushing touchdowns) and also has 1,293 yards and 10 touchdowns receiving. “Justin is jacking up the yards, is he a running back, is he a receiver,” asked Whittemore. “He’s both. He’s got exceptional ball skills, but he also has exceptional balance, he’s got vision, like a real bonafide running back. So being 1,000/1,000 is not surprising considering he has that skill set.”
Quarterback Trace Johnson has also been a big part of an offense that is averaging 33.6 points per game.
The junior has completed 189-of-306 passes for 3,083 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Osceola will be a challenge for the Buchholz defense.
The Kowboys are averaging 31.5 ppg thanks to a rushing offense that is averaging 287.2 yards rushing per game. They are led by senior Taevion Swint with 1,600 yards rushing on 152 carries (10.5 ypg) and 24 touchdowns.
“Throughout their last 20 years or so they’ve been famous for a ground-and-pound style of offense, so they’re going to running the Wing-T with double slots,” said defensive coordinator Chuck Bell. “I think that their head coach (Eric Pinellas), his quote was that we were a sound defense but we’re not very physical. Our kids are excited to show how physical we are on Friday.”
Last week Osceola knocked off top seed Arwood (Seffner) on the road, 17-7, in the 6A-Region 2 Final, giving the Bobcats home-field advantage for the second consecutive year.
Buchholz lost to eventual 4S state champion Lakeland last year at home on a missed extra point.
The winner will play either top seed West Boca Raton or No. 4 seed Southridge (Miami) in next Friday’s 6A state championship game (12:30 p.m.).