Thanks to Tropical Storm Henri, the season started late as the game was pushed to Monday. The delay didn't hurt the Hawks or Kalvin Bailey, who rushed 25 times for 161 yards. Reid Macko made field goals of 42, 36 and 28 yards.
SEPT. 12: ARMWOOD 42, TBT 0
The Hawks rushed 46 times for 439 yards, led by Bailey, who rushed eight times for 131 yards and two touchdowns despite being taken out with 9:40 remaining in the second quarter.
SEPT. 19: ARMWOOD 34, BLAKE 0
Three fumbles didn't faze the Hawks as Bailey, Demetrius McCray and Jameel Williams combined to rush for 383 yards. The defensive line, led by Jarriett Buie and Fred Hicks, held Blake to zero rushing yards in the second half.
SEPT. 26: ARMWOOD 35, JEFFERSON 14
McCray picked up where Bailey left off as Armwood easily defeated cross-county rival Jefferson. Bailey, who had rushed for 482 yards in the first three weeks, managed only 55, but McCray finished with 238. Williams added another 100-plus rushing yards and scored twice.
OCT. 3: ARMWOOD 72, LETO 0
This is where the ugly part of the season began. Coach Sean Callahan even mentioned trying to make it a point to not embarrass Leto. Armwood scored on all 10 of its possessions, and Macko made a school-record 53-yard field goal as time expired. Williams had one carry, a 64-yard touchdown. That contributed to Armwood's 317 rushing yards.
OCT. 10: ARMWOOD 64, KING 0
With 44 points in the first half and virtually all of its starters on the bench in the second half, Armwood easily ran past King. The Lions even had a first and goal from the 5 late but couldn't push the ball across. Bailey had six carries for 119 yards and two touchdowns, and backup Roger Snells ran for two and caught one.
OCT. 16: ARMWOOD 49, ALONSO 13
Playing the county's best defense, Armwood opened up its offense like no other time during the season. Bailey (121 yards), McCray (143 yards) and Williams (138 yards) maintained their pace to surpass 1,000, and Thomas Hair and Snells caught touchdowns.
OCT. 24: ARMWOOD 66, MIDDLETON 7
In the first game after the Hawks ascended to No. 1 in the state for the first time in their history, they showed why they belonged. Bailey rushed 23 times for 183 yards. McCray added 189, and the Hawks totaled 569 yards on the ground. As a unit, Armwood averaged 10.7 yards per carry.
OCT. 31: ARMWOOD 65, PLANT 7
Everybody got into the act as Armwood backed up its ranking as the No. 1 team in the state among all classifications as chosen by sunshinenetwork.com. Seven players scored, including defenders Hicks, Dominique Davis, Juan Cherry and R.J. Anderson (punt return) as the Hawks jumped out to a 58-0 halftime lead. The defense scored three times and forced eight turnovers. Plant rushed seven times for minus-33 yards.
NOV. 7: ARMWOOD 57, BRANDON 22
The first perfect regular season in school history. What is believed to be only the third team in state history to boast three runners with more than 1,000 yards. An average of 50 points on offense. Armwood laid claim to all of those while finishing the regular season by beating Brandon. The Eagles rushed for 192 yards, but Armwood stole the headlines when Williams scurried 16 yards to become the third rusher over the century mark, joining Bailey and McCray, who passed it earlier in the game. Armwood allowed 63 points all season, almost half of team to the Eagles.
NOV. 14: ARMWOOD 28, DUNEDIN 10
Williams attempted only four passes, but three were completions, totaling 88 yards. That was enough to bury Dunedin in a Class 4A region quarterfinal and keep the season alive. Hair caught one of those passes, a 32-yarder, for a score.
NOV. 21: ARMWOOD 20, FORT MYERS 12
It was ugly but effective. Two fumbles, two interceptions and 17 penalties for 120 yards didn't seem to matter. Bailey and Williams once again were major parts of the offense, rushing for 141 and 144 yards, respectively. Williams also threw for a touchdown, and Mike Williams snagged an interception late to end a Green Wave drive.
NOV. 28: ARMWOOD 46, COUNTRYSIDE 9
Saying they regained their focus after two "sloppy" playoff games, the Hawks exploded back onto the scene in the region final. The defense held the Cougars to minus-12 yards on 17 carries, and Bailey scored four times while rushing for 130 yards on 19 carries.
DEC. 5: ARMWOOD 44, WASHINGTON 14
"This is great for Seffner. It kind of puts us on the map." That's what Callahan said after earning his team's first state championship berth thanks to a fairly easy victory. Bailey rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns. But, perhaps, more impressive was defensive lineman Steven Powell's school record-tying five sacks.
DEC. 11: ARMWOOD 29, LAKE GIBSON 21
Outgained? Down 7-0 after the first possession of the game? Jitters from trying to break a 34-year streak of Hillsborough state football futility? None of that mattered at Florida Field in Gainesville. Williams rushed for 130 yards and caught everyone by surprise when he caught a touchdown from Mike Williams. Armwood finished 15-0 and did what its players and coaches had talked about for several weeks, put Seffner on the map. From here on out, it will be known as the place Hillsborough County's first state football title since 1969 resides.
