Armwood shutouts Hillsborough

SEFFNER – In a game that will likely determine the district champion in Class 6A-District 8, Armwood shutout Hillsborough 26-0 in a contest that was filled with missed opportunities by the Terriers and key stops by the Hawks.

The Hawks would take a 9-0 lead into halftime, despite the Terriers driving into Armwood territory three times being stopped on downs twice and missing a 29-yard FG wide left on the last play of first half.

Offensively, Armwood was led by senior quarterback Noah Johnson who went 8-of-12 for 62 yards and had touchdown runs of 8 & 22 yards while rushing for 81 yards. On the Hawks first drive of the game, senior running back Andre Rivera rushed for 50 yards including a 5-yard TD and was one of seven Armwood ball carriers on the night. Rivera finished with 7 carries for 64 yards. Sophomore Darrian McNeal has 6 catches for 59 yards and senior kicker Sterling Hofrichter kicked field goals of 32 & 22 yards.

On defense the Hawks had numerous contributions including senior cornerback Aaron Covington who had 3 pass defenses including a key one on 4th Down in second half to stop another Terriers possession, senior defensive lineman Jeremy Ware had 1.5 Sacks, senior inside linebacker Jordan Griffin had a sack and tackle-for-losses, and senior defensive end Byron Cowart had multiple quarterback pressures and tackle-for-losses.

Terriers senior quarterback Dwayne Lawson was 10-of-18 for 100 yards despite several dropped passes and rushed for 42 yards in the first half on the three Hillsborough potential scoring drives only to see his team come up empty on these possessions. Senior wide receiver Xavier Byrd had 4 catches 92 yards receiving.