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Armwood Unable To Complete Comeback

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By ADAM ADKINS

aadkins@tampatrib.com

Published: December 6, 2008

TAMPA - The fact Armwood had a chance at the end to tie Plant in Friday's Class 4A regional final should say a lot about the Hawks.

With the Hawks down by 11 with 5:23 remaining in the game, in the midst of their worst offensive funk of the season and with starting quarterback Mywan Jackson on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, it seemed only a formality at the time that Armwood's season would end at Dad's Stadium.

But the Hawks never quit. After some offensive heroics spearheaded by backup quarterback Rob Jones, Armwood worked its way into position to tie the game with eight seconds remaining. In the end, however, the final play went the same way much of the night went for the Hawks - badly.

Armwood's potential tying 32-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left, and Armwood's dream at a state title came to an end with a 17-14 loss to Plant.

"I was happy that we showed character and we fought back and got back in this thing," Armwood coach Sean Callahan said. "I've got to give Plant credit. They did a good job defensively.

"The right team won. We turned the ball over. We had opportunities and we didn't make the most of them at the time."

Turnovers (three) and penalties (12 for 120 yards) help put the Hawks in a hole they never found their way out of, and missed defensive opportunities - the Hawks defense dropped four sure interceptions - also proved troublesome. The fact Jackson, who injured his shoulder on the Hawks' second possession of the game, was on the sidelines most of the night didn't help, either.

But with their backs against the wall and their season on the line, Armwood made one final run to try and keep its season alive, thanks to the stellar late play of Jones, a senior receiver who also serves as the backup quarterback.

Two plays after converting a fourth-down run with about 3:30 left, Jones (7-for-14, 142 yards) hit Sherman Jessie on a short pass, and the Hawks junior running back made a few moves to turn it into a 41-yard gain down to the Plant 1. Fullback Matt Eastman plunged into the end zone on the next play, and Jones followed with a miraculous 13-yard run for the 2-point conversion (a penalty on each team was cause for the length) to make it a 17-14 game with 3:05 to play.

After a Plant punt, Armwood got the ball back at its own 36 with 1:51 left and no timeouts. However, Jones wasted little time creating some more magic.

After being sacked on first down, Jones threw across the middle to receiver Vaughn Cross, who somehow came down with a 37-yard reception while somersaulting between three defenders. Another quick 15-yard pass from Jones to Tavari Grant followed to put the Hawks at the 15. After two Armwood runs, the kicking unit came out - with the clock still running - to line up for the kick. But then, the whistle blew - Plant coach Robert Weiner had called a timeout.

"I wanted to make sure we had the right personnel. I thought we might have had 12 players, and I didn't want to give them 5 extra yards. Five yards can change the game at that point. And I wanted to ice him, too," Weiner said. "It served all three purposes."

Reporter Adam Adkins can be reached at (813) 269-7616.

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