It only took the opening kickoff for Hawthorne to take the lead in its Rural semifinals playoff opener against 16-seed Branford on Friday night, and the Hornets never looked back.
Decarion Debose’s kickoff return for a touchdown was the first of eight total touchdowns scored in a 56-0 win over the Buccaneers, seven of which came in the first half.
The win also extends Hawthorne’s win streak to six games after a 41-28 loss to Florida State University High School on Sept. 6.
“For us to get those types of wins against great opponents says a lot about my kids, the character of them,” said head coach Cornelius Ingram. “I love coaching them every single day. These guys, they don’t break. They understood that taking that loss up in Tallahassee hurt. I told them, they just start a new winning streak, and we’ve been able to do that so far.”
Quarterback Adrian Curtis threw for three scores in the first 16 minutes of the game, running back Keenon Johnson hit 100 yards rushing in the first half on two long touchdown runs and the Hornets’ defense pitched a shutout behind two interceptions.
Curtis started the offensive scoring with two of his three touchdown passes coming within four minutes of each other. He hit Demetrius Brown on a bubble screen for a long catch-and-run touchdown before Davion Pugh scored a 62-yard touchdown off a toss jet sweep.
Johnson rushed for his first touchdown of the postseason barely two minutes after Pugh’s score, giving Hawthorne a 28-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“Probably one of the most humble kids I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach,” Ingram said of Johnson, who has now rushed for over 100 yards in six-straight appearances and eclipsed 4,000 career rushing yards. “He’s been the most consistent player on our team. Going into games, and we kind of know the box will be loaded, he doesn’t care. He’s running through tackles.”
Curtis hit Randy Moore for a 20-yard score midway through the second quarter before Johnson and backup quarterback Richard Roundtree Jr. added scores on the ground to make it a 49-0 lead at the half.
By that point, the Hornets’ defense had forced six punts, and Nathan Jennings intercepted a pass to end the half.
“They played outstanding,” Ingram said. “They were in their gaps. Linebackers were flowing. And then, of course, on the back end, our DBs covered and came up to tackle in the run game.”
A running clock in the second half ended the contest quickly, but not before Hawthorne added one more score on a short rushing touchdown by Derryek Gillins on the game’s final play.
Next week, Hawthorne will host No. 9 seed Lafayette, which beat Cottondale, 43-42.
FHSAA football playoffs
Friday, Nov. 15
Area teams in bold
Regional Semifinals
Rural
Hawthorne 56, Branford 0
Williston 10, Chiefland 0
12 Fort White 23, 5 Jay 2
3 Union County (Lake Butler) 42, 14 Holmes County (Bonifay) 20
Rural (Division B)
Trenton 28, Sneads 26
Dixie County (Cross City) 29, Wewahitchka 6
Regional Quarterfinals
Class 1A-Region 1
2 Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville) def. 7 P.K. Yonge, forfeit
Class 2A-Region 2
Newberry 24, 6 Palatka 7
Bradford (Starke) 35, 7 The Villages 0
Class 3A-Region 1
2 Godby (Tallahassee) 35, 7 Suwannee (Live Oak) 28
Class 3A-Region 2
2 Bishop Moore (Orlando) 35, 7 Eastside 6
Class 4A-Region 1
1 St. Augustine 28, 8 Columbia (Lake City) 0
Class 6A-Region 1
2 Buchholz 42, 7 Evans (Orlando) 21
SSAA football playoffs
Thursday, Nov. 14
8-Man State Championship – at The Villages
Shorecrest Prep (St. Petersburg) 47, Countryside Christian 12
Friday, Nov. 15
Atlantic 1A ChampionshipSpace Coast (Cocoa) 21, Bell 14
