FHSAA Football Class 1R State Championship Preview: Hawthorne vs. Madison County

Hawthorne (12-0) vs Madison County (10-1); Insight on the 1R championship game and staff picks

For the second time in three years, the Hawthorne Hornets and Madison County Cowboys will meet, with a state championship on the line. 

This time around, however, it’s Madison County chasing after what Hawthorne has. 

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Hawthorne won the program’s first ever state championship last season in a 14-2 win over Northview at Gene Cox Stadium. Back in 2021 when the Hornets faced the Cowboys, it would be the boys from Madison bringing home a state crown. 

Can Hawthorne repeat as state champions or will Madison County be bringing home a seventh title? The Class 1R state championship will be the 8 p.m. on the opening day of the FHSAA state championships this week on Thursday and could be setting up to be a classic. 

Hawthorne (12-0) enters the big game undefeated and head coach Cornelius Ingram has put his regiment through an arduous regular season schedule. 

The Hornets during the regular season played playoff teams like Middleburg, Newberry and South Sumter. Some would say this helped prepare them for the road ahead and Ingram’s bunch has made it look fairly easy. 

Guiding the offense once again is Ingram’s son, CJ, which the junior has been one of the top signal callers in the state. The junior quarterback has completed 121-of-186 passes for 2,470 yards and 37 touchdowns, with also adding six scores on the ground. 

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Ingram has made a huge improvement from last season from being a game manager to one of the best at his position in North Central Florida. 

Running back Keenon Johnson is a tough runner between the tackles and the junior back has carried the rock 190 times for 1,456 yards and 16 touchdowns. 

The wide receiving corps is chock full of talent all across the board, with USF commitment Alvin Isaac being the top pass catcher with 45 catches for 907 yards and 17 touchdowns. Isaac is joined by Caleb Rollerson (768 yards, 10 touchdowns) and Matthew McKinley-Daniels (541 yards, eight touchdowns). 

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Hawthorne’s defense has been stifling unit in getting after opposing quarterbacks, recording 30 sacks and picking off 13 passes. Leading the Hornets’ front seven is Navy commitment Andrew Zock, who has made a team-high 131 tackles, 5.5 sacks and an interception. 

For Madison County, it’s the first trip back to states under the watch of Price Harris, who is in his second season as the lead man. It’s been a strong turnaround from a year ago, in which the Cowboys went 4-7 in 2022. 

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Now heading into Thursday night’s game with a record of 10-1, it’s a familiar offensive attack when it comes to offensive philosophy under Harris and that’s run the ball. 

The Cowboys’ offense all starts with senior quarterback Za’vion Bryant, who has thrown for 741 yards and six touchdowns. Bryant on the ground has rushed for 456 yards on 63 attempts and scored seven touchdowns. 

Leading the team in rushing is junior running back Jason McDaniel, who has rushed for 816 yards on 96 carries and 10 touchdowns. The sophomore running back Ryshard Miller (649 yards, 12 touchdowns) and senior John Christian (500 yards, eight touchdowns) is the other offensive threats to keep an eye on. 

Madison County’s secondary has been the strength of the defense this season, recording 19 interceptions to the front line’s 10 sacks. Senior Trevion Gillyard heads up the back four with a team-high five interceptions. Gillyard is joined by defensive backs Christian (three interceptions), Sean Williams (five interceptions) and LJ Crumity (three interceptions). 

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SBLive Sports Florida staff picks

Andy Villamarzo: Hawthorne, 28-14

Gary Adornato: Hawthorne, 25-21 

Joe Frisaro: Hawthorne, 21-14 

Adam Fisher: Madison County, 16-15 

Bill Kemp: Hawthorne, 37-20

Reed Green: Hawthorne, 28-24 

Alejandro Tamayo: Hawthorne, 28-12 

Jeff Gardenour: Hawthorne 42, Madison County 21

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FHSAA 2023 CHAMPIONSHIPS BRACKETS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 4M STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 4S STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 3M STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 3S STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 2M STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 2S STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 1M STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 1S STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 FHSAA CLASS 1R STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl