Team: Armwood Hawks
Sunshine State 25 Preseason Ranking: No. 15
Head Coach: Sean Callahan
2014 Record: 14-1
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Look Back On 2014
It was another solid season for Armwood in 2014 who reach the state championship game for the fourth time in five years. However, unlike the drubbing they took from Miami Central in 2013, the Hawks were able to remain competitively close with the Rockets in the 2014 Class 6A state championship game.
Players To Watch
LB Justin Manning Sr.; WR Trevor Laurent, Sr.; :LB Kyheem Campbell, Sr.; OL Kevin Richardson, Sr.; RB Brian Snead, Soph.; RB Erin Collins, Jr.; QB Darrian McNeal, Jr.
The Outlook
Armwood returns a lot of key athletes on offense this season which give the Hawks a chance to show more of what they can do with the offense.
Stepping at quarterback will be Darrian McNeal who was the back for the last two seasons under Noah Johnson and he should have no issue throwing to several targets that are on the list including Cordell Pimienta and Trevor Laurent. Laurent has come back to Armwood for his senior season after spending last season at Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda. The running game could be solid as well with Brian Snead and Erin Collins anchoring the Hawks’ offensive backfield.
The biggest concern though this season will be the defense as a lot of the key starters over the last two seasons have graduated. This could spell some trouble for the Hawks as they go up against the teams on their schedule who might be looking to get an upset. However, linebackers Justin Manning and Kyheem Campbell will be called upon to step up as leaders until the rest of the defense comes together, which will have to be fairly quick.
Overall, Armwood can make the most the situation, but the run to Orlando will be tougher this year with a lot of strong teams are in the northern part of Class 6A.
The District
Armwood was placed in the new District 7 of Class 6A which is still an all-Hillsborough County district. However, the district is not as big now, allowing Armwood to play a few teams outside the district compared to the last couple of years. However, teams like Hillsborough and Brandon will be trying to topple the Hawks this season, so the Hawks will have to play great football in district play to get past the challenges that will be thrown their way.
Three Games To Watch
Friday 9/25 vs. Plant – After a two-year hiatus of not being on the regular season schedule, the “Big Rivalry” is back on the schedule. As most know how competitive this game can be each year, the Hawks will need to win this game to make a statement to help deflect any questions that this could be a down season. The big advantage in the end is this is a home game for the Hawks and usually it is pretty hard for visiting teams as of the last few years it has been hard to come in and win the Hawks’ home turf.
Friday 10/9 at Tampa Bay Tech – Tampa Bay Tech is a solid team with solid play makers and it was evident as such during the half of spring football the Hawks played against the Titans. This game will certainly test the Hawks and their capabilities, but will also give them a good check up of what the need to do before heading into district games with Brandon and Hillsborough.
Friday 10/30 at Hillsborough – This game looks to be more in favor of the Hawks, but given that anything can happen in high school football, this game could also be one where Hillsborough wants to force a tiebreaker in the district. Armwood, can’t take the Terriers lightly here, even if they think they have the district wrapped up by this point.
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Previous Sunshine State 25 Countdown Stories
No. 16: Lakeland
No. 17: Niceville
No. 18: Delray American Heritage
No. 19: Dwyer
No. 20: Wakulla
No. 21: Naples
No. 22: Lake Gibson
No. 23: North Marion
No. 24: Palm Bay Heritage
No. 25: Bishop Moore
