ARMWOOD 44, MIAMI WASHINGTON 14: Top-ranked Hawks use dominant defense, stay undefeated.
By EMILY NIPPS
Published December 6, 2003
MIAMI - Armwood wasn't even going to let Miami Washington have a chance.
At Washington's homefield, Traz Powell Stadium, with far more fans on the sideline and the confidence of a rallying Miami community, the Tornadoes didn't need any more reasons to celebrate. The Hawks were determined to shut down Washington early and often, leaving the Tornadoes looking defeated before the first half ended.
Armwood's plan, to keep Washington quarterback Tim Harris Jr. from completing passes, was well-executed. The top-ranked Hawks beat the Tornadoes 44-14 and will enter the Class 4A final undefeated at 14-0.
"This is great for Seffner," Armwood coach Sean Callahan said. "It kind of puts us on the map. People there have really rallied around us because it's so positive."
The Hawks began making a name for themselves early in the season, when they made their way to the top of the 4A rankings. They have been an offensive monster all season, using running backs Kalvin Bailey and Demetrius McCray and quarterback Jameel Williams, who each gained more than 1,000 rushing yards in the regular season.
On Friday, it was Bailey's turn to be the most productive, finishing with 138 yards and two scores on 31 carries.
But against the Tornadoes (10-3), the real boon for the Hawks was a defense that has only gotten stronger as the playoffs have continued. Playing against a quarterback who had his pick of receivers, the Hawks focused on keeping Harris contained and hurried.
"One thing we didn't want (Harris) to do was complete passes," Callahan said. "We knew if he had to run the ball, he couldn't beat us."
The Hawks defense sacked Harris six times, keeping the lone Tornadoes rusher to 23 yards on the ground.
Glenn Lassiter, Mike Williams and Dougie Thompson each had interceptions, with Thompson running his final-minute pick 4 yards to score. The Hawks also recovered two Washington fumbles, the second one scooped up by defensive lineman Jariette Buie and returned for an 18-yard touchdown.
The Hawks defense might have had the perfect game had they not had a few breakdowns and penalties with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. That was when Harris saw an opportunity with receiver Ronald Wright and connected for a 64-yard touchdown.
Four minutes later, Charles Arnold caught a 12-yard score from Harris.
"It got kind of sloppy there at the end," Callahan said. "We should've finished this up a lot quicker."
Coach Tim Harris Sr. saw the game as a learning experience for his Tornadoes.
"We're going to take this and run with it," he said. "Armwood did a good job. They were prepared. But we'll be back in this position next year."
The Hawks play Lake Gibson, which defeated Lake City Columbia, for the 4A title on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Gainesville.
