Friday night’s Alachua County showdown between visiting Newberry and Hawthorne was like a heavyweight fight.
“Some of the collisions I heard, even when the ball was snapped, I don’t remember that kind of collision when I was in high school,” said Hawthorne football coach Cornelius Ingram, who missed most of the third quarter after getting dehydrated at halftime. “That says a lot about their D-line, our D-line, their offensive line, our offensive line…it was a physical game on a hot Friday and not one team wanted to tap out.”
It ended when Newberry came up just short of the goal line on a 2-point conversion run in overtime in a 28-27 loss to the Hornets, who held on for their 27th consecutive win.
“I feel we let it slip away,” said Newberry coach Ed Johnson. “We fought hard. Our kids fought back from a deficit, but we feel like we let it slip away. I can’t wait to see the film. I feel like we were in there on that 2-point conversion but it’s a game of inches. You’ve got to do the extra things to come in here and beat a very good program like this team on their home field.”
The Panthers (1-1) rallied from a 21-10 deficit in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.
Newberry senior kicker Zane Spires kicked a 40-yard field goal with 5:59 to play to make it a one-score game at 21-13.
Spires and the Panthers surprised the Hornets with an onside kick and recovered at their own 47-yard line.
After moving to the Hawthorne 44-yard line, the Hornets’ Leland Johnson was called for targeting on Newberry wide receiver Hayden Moore.
Moore ended up getting carted off on a stretcher and didn’t return.
“I think he’s going to be fine,” Johnson said after the game. “Someone just said they talked to him on the phone. He was conscious when he left. It was more precautionary.”
From the 29-yard line, junior running back Kaleb Woods had runs of five and eight yards, while sophomore Jamarcus Wimberly added a seven-yard run.
A couple of plays later senior quarterback Collin Dunmore snuck it in from a yard out to bring Newberry within two, 21-19, with 2:42 to play.
The Panthers went for two and Dunmore added a 2-point conversion run to tie the game at 21-21.
Newberry did have one last chance to win the game in regulation, but Spires missed wide left from 43 yards out with 11 seconds to play.
Hawthorne (2-0) got the ball first in overtime and senior quarterback Adrian Curtis ran it in from a yard out. Senior Sam Carroll’s extra point gave the Hornets a 28-21 lead.
However, Newberry answered on a 10-yard run by Dunmore.
Johnson decided to go for the win, but Dunmore was stopped just shy of the goal line on the 2-point conversion.
He said there were several factors that led to the decision.
“Confidence in my team, complete confidence that we could get three yards,” Johnson said. “We were beat up, we were cramping, didn’t want to go into a second overtime, just trying to get out of here with a win. That was the plan, but we came up a little short.”
The first half was a defensive slugfest.
Hawthorne senior running back Keenon Johnson scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with 26 seconds to play in the opening quarter.
Spires kicked a 37-yard field goal with four minutes to play in the half to put Newberry on the scoreboard, but that was the only scoring as the Hornets headed to the locker room with a 7-3 lead.
During his halftime speech, Ingram said he felt dizzy, and a trainer assisted him and ran some tests, forcing Ingram to sit on the bench after missing most of the third quarter.
“I can’t even sit down and coach during my girls basketball games, so it was tough,” Ingram said. “I was able to kind of talk with the coaches at the end through the headsets. I know what my guys go through and to push through this type of adversity on the field, proud coach. I’m a proud coach.”
Newberry went to work quickly, scoring on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Dunmore to Moore down the right sideline with 9:16 to play in the third quarter for a 10-7 lead.
“We talked about that a lot at halftime,” Johnson said. “We were in our big set so we figured they would walk a safety down and we’d get a shot. We like Hayden one-on-one with anybody. As good as the DBs are here, we’re always going to take Hayden in that matchup.”
Ingram missed Hawthorne’s answer, a 26-yard scoring pass from Curtis to senior wide receiver Dekari Debose for a 14-10 lead with 6:45 to play in the quarter.
“I started off slow.I did not play a good first half at all,” said Curtis, who sent prayers to Moore, his former teammate at P.K. Yonge. “Coach told me to step it up. My players told me to step it up. They told me they believed in me and that gave me the confidence I needed to pick it up. We made plays, the defense made plays, the offense made plays, and I’m just proud of what we are able to accomplish tonight.”
After Newberry was forced to punt on its next possession, it appeared Hawthorne was on its way to sealing its fifth straight win in the series thanks to a 7:40 drive that spanned the end of the third quarter and the first four minutes of the fourth quarter.
On 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line, Curtis ran it in for an 11-point lead.
“He was tough,” Ingram said of his starting QB. “Offensively I always tell people it takes a while to develop that chemistry, and let’s be honest, I thought our young offensive line did their best. I don’t know how many sacks we gave up but you’re talking about a Power 5 defensive line…he stood in the pocket and delivered when we really needed it and he still took command of the huddle.”
Keenon Johnson showed his merit with 27 yards rushing on the 55-yard scoring drive.
But Newberry didn’t quit and nearly found a way to win.
“Hats off to Newberry,” Ingram said. “This is what it should be and to have two great teams meet on a Friday night and you give them a great show. I’m pretty sure all of the fans for both sides were definitely satisfied, but our guys have some grit.”
Newberry will travel to Vanguard (Ocala) next Friday, while Hawthorne is at Florida High (Tallahassee).
Friday, Aug. 30
Buchholz 38, Vero Beach 23
Gainesville 33, Santa Fe (Alachua) 7
Rickards (Tallahassee) 30, Eastside 23
Hawthorne 28, Newberry 27 (OT)
Crescent City 28, P.K. Yonge 14
Oak Hall 20, Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) 7
Taylor (Pierson 16, Saint Francis Catholic Academy 6
Dixie County (Cross City) 40, Trenton 16
Union County (Lake Butler) 35, Keystone Heights 0
Franklin County (Eastpoint) 12, Bell 7
Bradford (Starke) 29, Dunnellon 14
Fort White 41, Belleview 6
Branford 28, Wewahitchka 14
Chiefland 51, Hollis Christian Academy (Jacksonville) 0
Suwannee (Live Oak) 21, Lafayette (Mayo) 13
Coffee (Douglas, GA) 40, Columbia (Lake City) 13
OFF – Williston
