Trailing 21-14 at halftime to South Sumter and facing adversity they hadn’t had all season, Hawthorne coach Cornelius Ingram knew his team needed a spark during Friday night’s slugfest at home.
Hawthorne didn’t have to wait long as Naziy Gent caught a line-drive opening kickoff and returned it 50 yards to tie the game. The Hornets would go on to win 41-21, giving them a 4-0 start on the season.
“Our confidence never wavered,” Ingram said. “These guys, they were upbeat at halftime. We felt great even though we were down.”
Hawthorne scored on offensive, defensive and special teams in the win, which included a 50-yard pick-six by linebacker Andrew Zock on the game’s first drive.
“He’s awesome,” Hawthorne defensive coordinator Dustin Adkins said. “He’s a kid that came in day one, didn’t do a lot of talking, but he led by example with his work ethic.”
South Sumter answered with a short run by Malakhi Boone to tie the game, 7-7.
Hawthorne quarterback C.J. Ingram suffered an early ankle injury, and the Hornets looked to senior Keenon Johnson to carry their run game.
Johnson scored the first of his two touchdowns with 4:25 left in the first quarter after a 34-yard run put the Hornets in goal-to-go territory.
South Sumter would take their only lead in the second quarter behind a long touchdown run by Boone coupled with a touchdown by Ja’Kyrian Turner to give them a 21-14 halftime lead.
From there, all seemed to go Hawthorne’s way behind a 21-point third quarter, which included two special teams scores. Gent’s touchdown return combined with a 3-yard scamper by Ingram gave the Hornets a two-touchdown lead with 5:07 left in the third quarter.
“[Gent] does everything the right way,” Ingram said. “Right after that happened, I went up to him and said, ‘You deserve that moment.’ He’s been awesome for us at linebacker, but to kick off the half with a big play, that was a huge momentum shift.”
A 65-yard punt return touchdown by Alvon Isaac a little over three minutes later put Hawthorne up 35-21.
After fumbling in the third quarter, Hawthorne continued to call on Johnson in the run game, and he answered with a clock-killing touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.
“You make mistakes sometimes. It’s just how you come back,” Johnson said. “I told coach I would make up for it, and I told him to give me the ball in crucial downs. Fourth down, I got him.”
Hawthorne (4-0) is on the road against P.K. Yonge (2-1) next Friday.
Friday, Sept. 15
Buchholz, 49, Creekside (St. Johns) 20
Hawthorne, 41, South Sumter (Bushnell) 21
Oak Hall 57, Bronson 6
Newberry 24, Calvary Christian (Clearwater) 21
Bradford (Starke) 34, Eastside 7
Union County (Lake Butler) 49, P.K. Yonge 12
Clay (Green Cove Springs) 35, GHS 14
North Marion (Citra) 31, Santa Fe (Alachua) 17
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic (Spring Hill) 44, St. Francis Catholic Academy 16
Williston 42, Dunnellon 12
Keystone Heights 49, Bell 0
Chiefland 22, Lafayette (Mayo) 13
Madison County 22, Columbia (Lake City) 8
Fort White 49, Hamilton County (Jasper) 0
Branford 21, Hilliard 18
Dixie County (Cross City) 28, Wewahitchka 0
Suwannee (Live Oak) 40, Munroe (Quincy) 6
OFF – Trenton
