Hawthorne Still Unbeaten After Win vs. Florida State
HAWTHORNE — Hawthorne football coach Cornelius Ingram ripped into his team after its Friday night game against Florida State University High School.
Ingram called his team selfish. Soft. He sternly told his players that, as of right now, the way they are playing together will not lead the Hornets to the success the program has been accustomed to.
The final score of the game? 33-27, Hawthorne. The Hornets advanced to 3-0 on the season.
“We have a bunch of talented guys we feel like can make a play at any time,” Ingram said. “We’re really athletic. These guys can make plays at any given point during the game or anywhere on the field … but a lot of the small things, miss[ed] tackles, miss[ed] reads, hurt us. It hurt us, and it almost got us beat tonight.”
Ingram has led Hawthorne to four consecutive state title games, winning it all in 2022 and 2023. So, if there is anyone who is allowed to demand the most out of his players, it’s the former University of Florida and NFL tight end.
“I’m confident in this group, man,” he said. “They’re young guys. We’re trying to get them to believe and understand football, a lot of them on the fly. But they’re still great kids.”
Hawthorne battled inconsistencies in all three phases of the game against Florida State (2-2). Multiple missed extra points (the third straight week with a missed PAT), costly defensive penalties, and an offense that screeched to a halt in the second half after standout sophomore quarterback Richard Roundtree Jr. was banged up following a hit that warranted a roughing the passer penalty.
After the brutal collision, Hawthorne pivoted to a conservative game plan that did not see the Hornets score for nearly 23 minutes of game time.
“We knew [Roundtree Jr.] was banged up, so we didn’t want to have him drop back a whole lot because he’s our guy,” Ingram said. “He does so much for us, and we know how important he is, so we wanted to kind of keep him in the pocket.
“We’re OK with switching up our game plans regardless of the situation. I think that’s what this coaching staff does so well.”
Hawthorne still won a tight game against a potential playoff team and, when Roundtree Jr. was healthy, the offense was firing on all cylinders. The young quarterback accounted for five touchdowns, four of them coming on the first four drives, and the final one the game-winning 60-yard pass to wideout Darion Bowie.
“Half of this team is sophomores,” Ingram said. “A lot of ’em haven’t been in these situations just yet … I’m excited about this future, man. I got guys, they’re eager to learn. They want to help this ball club. And when you have that with freshmen and sophomores, the sky’s the limit.
“And I think the way we coach our kids, they come back every day … regardless of how tough the message might seem, regardless of how hard we might coach ’em up, they’re very respectful, they’re coachable. They do make my job easier.”
Hawthorne plays undefeated Oak Leaf High School (3-0) in Orange Park at 7 p.m. Friday.
Category: Football, Hawthorne High School, High School Sports
