Twenty-five in a row.
That’s how many consecutive games the Hawthorne football team has won.
But that’s not all.
The Hornets have been to four straight state championship games, and last year Hawthorne defeated Madison County, 22-13, to win the Class 1R state title again.
They won their first state championship in 2022 with a 13-2 win against Northview.
It was the first football state title for Alachua County since Santa Fe won the 4A state title in 1994. Last year, Hawthorne became the first-ever Alachua County football team to win back-to-back state titles.
It all started in December 2014 when Hawthorne hired alum Cornelius Ingram as its head football coach.
Since then, the Hornets are 83-19 under Ingram.
“That’s what you have when you develop a program, not a team,” Ingram said. “You might be 9-1 or 8-2 one year but then the next year 3-7. Every year we are striving for greatness. These kids trust the coaching, they trust the process even if it’s a younger player, they trust their development. And to see it come to pass, in my eyes as a head coach, that’s the most priceless thing you can ever witness, and I get to witness it here.”
Ingram has hit a milestone this year as he prepares for his 10th season on the sideline with the Hornets.
One might think that he’s hit a wall after nine years of coaching at the same school, but not C.I.
“I said it the other day, I couldn’t believe it [10 years],” Ingram said. “When I got out there on Monday [first day of fall practice] I felt like it was my first practice as a head coach. I just feel rejuvenated.”
And that’s with or without his son, C.J., as the team’s starting quarterback. The younger Ingram, who is entering his senior season, will make an official announcement soon on social media about whether he will play football or just focus on basketball.
Last year, both Ingrams were named the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 1R Player and Coach of the Year.
If C.J. doesn’t suit up this fall, his dad has already embraced that.
“A lot of times when you’ve had a lot of success people have to find new ways to motivate themselves,” he said. “People get complacent, ‘well if C.J. doesn’t play, they won’t win a game,’ so we’ve heard it. I’ve seen everything within the last month. I have a lot of things printed out, not even for my team, for me.”
That motivation and desire to be great regardless of the circumstances is rubbing off on his team.
“I do believe the team is a reflection of the head coach and we’ve come out with great energy the last three days highly competitive,” Ingram said. “We have so many veteran guys that are on the team right now, they help as coaches on the field. They understand their assignment so now they’re bringing along the younger kids.”
In three weeks, Ingram and the Hornets open the regular season at Anclote (Holiday) on Friday, Aug. 23.
“Yeah, 10 years doesn’t feel like 10 years and I’m glad because I also know coaches who have said to me that two years have felt like 20 years,” Ingram said. “I’m going to enjoy this run. I’m going to enjoy these kids, I’m going to enjoy this coaching staff, this culture, because it’s hard to build. But once you build it, everyone else can fall in line because the standard has been set.”