3 takeaways from Armwood's thrilling Class 6A region semifinal win over Plant

The Hawks needed every bit of the 48 minutes to pull off a victory over their longtime foes from South Tampa

Flex Sports Report

SEFFNER, FLORIDA- The second meeting between Armwood and Plant played out like a movie in a Class 6A, Region 2 semifinal.

It would be the Hawks pulling off a picture-perfect ending to move on to the region finals, however.

Armwood needed a late touchdown in the final minute to narrowly get by Plant, 21-17, on Friday night at Lyle Flagg Field.

High School On SI Florida was on hand for the game and gives you three takeaways from the contest:

1. Rhys Brush came up clutch when Armwood needed him the most

The Portal 305

Needing to make a clutch play in the final moments of the game, the Armwood quarterback proved to be clutch for the Hawks. The junior signal caller connected with wide receiver O'Lontae Dean on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 51 seconds remaining that gave Armwood the lead and eventually, the win. Though Brush finished the game with an average night, completing 9-of-19 passes for 118 yards, the quarterback proved to be a playmaker and sending the Hawks into the region final.

2. Plant having JC Mirasola certainly made a difference the second time around

Plant quarterback JC Mirasola / Alex Walworth

Armwood defeated Plant easily, 26-0, during the regular season meeting, but the Panthers not having quarterback JC Mirasola just left a lot to be desired from the tilt. This second time around with Mirasola under center provided us a lot more of what we all hoped this game would be: An instant classic. With no real run game to speak of against the Hawks' tough front seven, Mirasola was key in keeping Plant in the game. The senior finished the night completing 21-of-37 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Tripp Brown played quarterback the last time around.

3. The playoff game brought back memories of the rivalry

When Armwood and Plant won a combined seven state championships between the period of 2003-2011, the meetings during those years were epic to say the least. The first go round between the to teams in the regular season didn't quite live up to the hype, with the Hawks pulling away with a comfortable 26-0 win on a rainy Thursday night. This time around, both teams put on a thrilling masterpiece of a high school football game over in Seffner. It gave folks nostalgia of the once annual game that decided who the top team in Hillsborough County was. We're sure this year, Tampa Bay Tech would like to have a word in edge wise as well.

Predicting the winners of the 2024 Florida high school football playoffs 6A region semifinals

2024 FHSAA high football state championship projections

Alejandro Tamayo contributed to the compiling of this report

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