Editor’s Note
This is the fifth of five stories unveiling the 2024 Bosshardt Realty All Area Football Teams. Click here to read about the Small School Offense, Small School Defense, Big School Offense and Big School Defense.
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The Hawthorne football team advanced to its fifth straight state championship game appearance in December, and Newberry won its first district title since 2007.
For their accomplishments, Hawthorne’s Cornelius Ingram and Newberry’s Ed Johnson have been named the 2024 Bosshardt Realty football coaches of the year.
Ingram was named the small school coach of the year following the Hornets’ state runner-up finish.
The two-time defending state champions lost to Madison County, 21-14, in the FHSAA Rural state championship game on Dec. 6. It marked the third time in the past five years that Hawthorne has finished as state runners-up.
“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 Ingram’s older brother and the school’s athletic director. “This milestone signifies several key things…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.”
Ingram, who reached a milestone with his 10th season on the sidelines, led the Hornets (10-2) to their 27th consecutive win back in August with a 28-27 win in overtime against Newberry.
However, in the 41-28 loss at Florida High (Tallahassee) on Sept. 6 the following week, Ingram wasn’t on the sidelines due to a health scare the previous week against Newberry.
As a precaution, he opted out, but he returned to the sidelines to lead Hawthorne to eight straight wins including victories against bigger schools Oakleaf (Orange Park), which lost at Buchholz in the 6A-Region 1 Final, 3A South Sumter (Bushnell), and IMG Academy Regional (Bradenton), which finished 9-3.
The Hornets defeated Williston, 28-7, in the Rural state semifinals to advance to their fifth straight title game.
During the past four years, Hawthorne is 45-3 under Ingram with two state championships and a pair of state runner-up finishes.
Ingram (93-21) is seven wins away from win No. 100 at his alma mater.
Williston coach Robby Pruitt was an honorable mention selection after leading the Red Devils (8-5) to within one game of a state championship appearance.
Pruitt won his 400th game this past season to join Bill Castle (Lakeland) and Corky Rogers (Jacksonville Bolles & Lee) in the 400-win club.
He had a young team which overcame injuries to finish strong, including upset wins by the No. 13 seed Red Devils at No. 4 Chiefland, 10-0, in the Rural regional semifinals and at No. 12 seed Fort White, 28-19, in the regional final.
Special recognition also goes to Andrew Thomas of Union County (Lake Butler) and Joey Whittington of Bell.
Thomas also led the Tigers to a spot in the Rural state semifinals.
The Tigers lost at eventual state champion Madison County, 34-8, to finish 10-2. It was their first double-digit win total since Thomas led Union County to a 13-1 season during the 2021 season, which ended with a loss to Chiefland, 29-27, in the Class 1A-Region 3 final.
Ingram (Hawthorne – 2022 and 2023), Pruitt and Thomas (Trenton – 2013 and 2015) all have at least two state championships.
Pruitt, who has seven state titles, is four wins away from being the first high school football coach in the country to win 200 or more games in two different states. He won 209 games in Georgia and now has 196 in Florida.
Meanwhile, Whittington led the Bulldogs to a 9-win season and a spot in the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA) Atlantic 1A championship game. It was the most wins for Bell (9-4) since winning eight games in 2013.
Johnson, the Bosshardt Realty Big School Coach of the Year, was named the Gainesville Quarterback Club Coach of the Year after leading the Panthers (10-3) to their first district title since 2007 and their first 10-win season since finishing 13-1 and Class 2B state runners-up that year.
“I think we exceeded everybody’s expectations,” Johnson said. “We won 10 games, first time we’ve done that in a while, got to practice on Thanksgiving, which was the first time for me as a coach, so that was a blessing, and the kids fought. They came together as a group and saw that when you really work together for a common goal you can do special things.”
The streak continued for Johnson, who led the program to its fifth consecutive state playoff appearance.
Not only did his team win the school’s first district title in 17 years, but they defeated highly ranked Bradford twice, once at home for the 2A-District 5 title and in Starke in the 2A regional semifinals, 34-19.
Johnson, who became the head coach of the Panthers in 2019, is now 47-21 in six seasons.
Buchholz’s Mark Whittemore and Eastside’s Harold “Gator” Hoskins were honorable mention selections.
Whittemore, who stepped down at the end of the 2022 season, returned to the sidelines in 2024 for his second stint.
He led the Bobcats to their fourth straight semifinal appearance, where Buchholz lost at home to Osceola (Kissimmee) in the Class 6A state semifinals and fell just one game shy of the state title game.
After consecutive district titles in his first two seasons as head coach, “Gator” and the Rams had to overcome the loss of senior quarterback Adrian Curtis, who transferred to Hawthorne a month before the season.
With a freshman under center, the Rams navigated their way through a tough 3A-District 5 where Dunnellon, South Sumter (Bushnell) and Eastside all finished 2-1 in league play.
The Rams earned an at-large bid and a No. 7 seed in 3A-Region 1, which ended with a 35-6 loss at No. 2 seed Bishop Moore (Orlando) in the first round of the playoffs.