Hawthorne Holds Off Gibbs to Stay Undefeated

The Hawthorne Hornets continue their perfect start as they beat the Gibbs Gladiators 21-12. The 5-0 Hornets continue their tear and pursuit of an undefeated season.

Even though it was down 12-7 in the fourth quarter, coach Cornelius Ingram was able to rally his team. The Hornets’ defense forced turnovers, hit hard and shut down the Gladiators’ chance at a comeback.

The Hornets’ Defense Swarmed

Hawthorne’s defense made life for Gibbs’ offense a living nightmare. It forced three turnovers, including a fumble recovery at the 1-yard line that prevented Gibbs from scoring any points to close out the quarter. The other two turnovers were interceptions from strong safety Darian Smith-Williams and outside linebacker Isaiah Donaldson.

Donaldson’s interception sealed the win in the final minutes.

The Rushing Attack Continues To Be Immaculate

The entire running back group picked up right where they left off from last week. They were able to make tacklers miss, keep the offense on the field on third down and be a driving force for the offense. From running the ball to setting up screen passes for big plays, the unit as a whole excelled.

Highlighted by Donaldson, whose day was highlighted by a punishing red zone push by him and his offensive line. He would cap off the game by adding a receiving touchdown to put the game out of reach for Gibbs.

RB Isaiah Donaldson pummels through Gibbs’ defense to score a touchdown! Hawthorne regains the lead with 11:51 left to go in the the fourth quarter. It’s 14-12 Hawthorne.

— Haley Wald (@Haleywrites1) October 5, 2022

Sophomore quarterback CJ Ingram also had passing and rushing touchdowns of his own.

“CJ actually played really well… You know he had a bad ankle sprain maybe 2-3 weeks ago, he hasn’t fully recovered from,” Coach Ingram said. “But he made some huge plays with his legs, he stepped up made some huge throws at crucial times during the game so I’m very proud of him.”

Coaching one’s son, sometimes shifts the priorities and severity of the instruction in games and practice.

“I coach him extremely hard. You know it’s hard being dad and then coaching your son and he’s the quarterback. So no matter what happens, the fans are pointed at you, no matter what it is. He takes it on the chin. He’s a trooper, I’m proud of the way he responded all night tonight. He commanded the huddle, made some plays for us, and I’m a proud dad, definitely.”

Looking Ahead

Hawthorne has Friday off before it has to travel to Lake Butler to face Union City. Coach Ingram said the team will spend the time off preparing and focusing on the behind-the-scenes parts of the game.

“We got a couple extra days where we can watch some film and kind of break them down,” Ingram said. “They’re a really good football team, well coached. It’ll be a great atmosphere. We’ll take the next couple of days get healthy, watch some film and you know just being excited to be apart of what we’re doing in 1A, and there’s a lot of great football in 1A.”

This will be Hawthorne’s fourth away game of the season.

“Going there, it’ll be a challenge,” he said. “But I will tell you this, we’ve been on the road the first 3-4 weeks of our season. We’ve played some tough opponents and our kids showed grit in those games. So traveling I don’t think is going to be an issue. As long as we remain humble, do the things we need to do, prepare the right way, it’ll definitely be a good game”

After Union County, the Hornets will finish out the regular season with three home matchups: North Marion, Dade Christian and Astronaut.