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Armwood: How they got here
By BRYAN BURNS
Published December 9, 2005
THE REGULAR SEASON
Armwood 20, Hillsborough 21
It began badly. The No. 1-ranked, two-time defending state champion s missed two field goals and an extra poin t to open their season with a loss to Hillsborough.
Trailing 21-14 with less than two minutes to play, Hawks quarterback Justin Hickman found D.J. Mitchell to pull Armwood within a point. With 1:31 left to play, the extra point pushed wide right.
Durant 0, Armwood 44
The Armwood defense held Durant to just 10 yards of total offense, and the Hawks rebounded from their season-opening loss to drill Durant, 44-0.
The first time the Hawks touched the ball, punt returner Mat Brevi returned a Durant punt 50 yards for a touchdown. Hickman, Armwood's junior quarterback, completed 9 of 13 passes for 262 yards.
Plant City 7, Armwood 42
Armwood had little trouble dispatching Plant City, cruising to an easy 42-7 victory.
Plant City scored on its game-opening drive, but could muster little else. Hawks senior linebacker Dougie Thompson stood up Raiders quarterback Jason Brown, stripped the ball and sprinted 50 yards for a touchdown. Brevi set up another Hawks touchdown when he returned a punt 74 yards to the Raider 1-yard line.
Armwood 28, Jefferson 9
Running backs Eric Smith and Marquise Branton rushed for a combined 243 yards and four touchdowns on 37 carries to lead the Hawks to a 28-9 win over Jefferson.
The running back duo scored three touchdowns early to give the team a 21-0 second quarter lead. The Hawks cruised from there, holding Jefferson 25 points below its season average. The defense was led by defensive end Torrey Davis, who stopped a number of Jefferson plays cold.
Armwood 42, Winter Haven 0
The Hawks recorded their second shutout of the season by hammering Winter Haven, 42-0.
Smith, a sophomore running back, ran for 141 yards on nine carries. Hickman threw for three touchdowns and ran for one.
The Hawks defense was dominant again, limiting Winter Haven to minus 17 total yards and four first downs, three of which were the result of Armwood penalties.
Armwood 42, Middleton 0
The Hawks scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams en route to defeating Middleton, 42-0.
Hickman ran 5 yards for the Hawks first touchdown and threw 47 yards to Mitchell for another. Brevi returned a punt 75 yards to put Armwood up 14-0.
Cornerback Jamarl Payton, making his second start for the Hawks after relocating from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, returned an interception 18 yards for Armwood's final touchdown.
Armwood 35, Auburndale 0
Armwood clinched the Class 4A, District 12 title and recorded its third consecutive shutout in a 35-0 victory over Auburndale, despite struggling offensively in the first half.
The Hawks' defense held the Bloodhounds to 12 yards of total offense and dominated throughout. Linebacker Donald "Doc" Rivers scored the opening touchdown on a 28-yard fumble recovery.
Smith finished the game with 135 yards, gaining 71 on the ground and catching two passes for 64 yards.
Brandon 0, Armwood 43
For the second consecutive week, Armwood's offense was nonexistent for much of the opening half. After a blocked punt set up a 20-yard touchdown pass before the end of the first half, Armwood rolled from there.
Mitchell returned the opening kickoff of the second half 95 yards for a touchdown. Smith scored on runs of 55 and 43 yards in the third quarter.
The Hawks' defense was special again, recording its fourth straight shutout and limiting Brandon's standout running back Mike Brown to 42 yards.
Armwood 55, Lake Region 7
Hickman went 8-for-13 for 149 yards passing and added touchdown throws of 12, 28 and 46 yards. Hickman also ran for Armwood's first touchdown, a 13-yard scoring jaunt in the first quarter. Running back Danny Gentilesco rushed for three touchdowns, and Brevi added a 50-yard punt return in the first quarter.
Lake Region was the first team to score on Armwood in October. During that stretch of four shutouts, the Hawks outscored their opponents, 162-0.
East Bay 6, Armwood 24
The Hawks capped off a 9-1 regular season with a hard-fought, 24-6 victory over East Bay.
Mitchell, who caught a 37-yard pass to set up a touchdown, went down in the first quarter with a knee injury and never returned. Hickman was pulled soon after and finished 3-for-3 for 72 yards and one touchdown.
The Hawks held East Bay to just 41 yards rushing and five first downs. They also picked off a pass and recorded a safety. Entering the game, East Bay running back Calvin McGruder averaged more than 8 yards a carry. Against the Hawks, he ran for 5 yards.
THE PLAYOFFS
Middleton 7, Armwood 44
In regional quarterfinal action, Armwood backed up its 42-0 regular-season victory over Middleton by thumping the Tigers, 44-7.
Hickman threw two first-half scoring passes, connecting on a 13-yarder to Brevi and a 29-yard pass to Johnny Carter. Armwood's defense was stellar as usual, forcing a fumble at the end of the first half that was picked up in the end zone by Jamarl Payton for a touchdown.
Plant 6, Armwood 24
Armwood held off a stiff challenge from Plant in the regional semifinal, pulling away late for a 24-6 victory.
Armwood took a 12-0 lead early in the second quarter and looked to be on its way to another dominating performance. But Plant got right back in the game when Dylan Brown ran back the ensuing kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, Plant drove to the Armwood 3, but on fourth down, Panthers quarterback Robert Marve was sacked, ending any Plant comeback hopes.
Winter Haven 21, Armwood 23
After defeating Winter Haven 42-0 in the regular season, the regional final matchup appeared to be over when Armwood took a 17-0 lead late in the second quarter.
But Winter Haven wouldn't go away, pulling to within three points early in the third quarter. Winter Haven even took a brief lead when Renard Ellis scooped up a blocked punt and returned it 20 yards for the go-ahead score.
Darren deRochemont, whose missed extra point played a crucial role in Armwood's season-opening loss to Hillsborough, saved the Hawks' season. First, he nailed a 47-yard field goal to pull Armwood within one point. Then, with 8:39 left in the game, he split the uprights with a game-winning, 35-yard field goal.
Armwood 37, Booker T. Washington (Miami) 34
Just like last year, when Armwood squeaked out a 36-35 victory over Booker T. Washington with a late touchdown and two-point conversion, Armwood found a way to win.
Trailing 34-29 with just eight seconds to play, Hickman found receiver Lance Tillison in the corner of the end zone to cap a dramatic 10-play, 80-yard game-winning drive.
[Last modified December 8, 2005, 07:50:08]
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