CLASS RURAL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: Madison County and Hawthorne rematch for the third time in four years in rural showdown

2024 CLASS RURAL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

NO. 2 MADISON COUNTY (9-3) VS. NO. 1 HAWTHORNE (10-1)

When: Fri, Dec 6

Where: The Range at H.G. Morse Stadium, The Villages (2210 Randy McDaniel Way, Middleton, FL 34762)

Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.

Live Broadcast: NFHS Network – Click Here To Watch (Subscription Required)

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Tickets: $17 with advance purchase, $20 day of – Click Here To Buy

MADISON COUNTY COWBOYS (9-3)

Head Coach: Price Harris (3rd year, 24-12 overall; 20th year as head coach, 143-92 overall at Williston, Taylor County (Perry), Frostproof, Dunnellon, and Madison County)

Playoff Appearances: 29 – 1995 (4A), 1996 (4A), 1997 (4A), 1998 (4A), 1999 (2A), 2000 (2A), 2001 (2A), 2002 (2A), 2003 (2A), 2004 (2A), 2005 (2A), 2006 (2A), 2007 (2A), 2008 (2A), 2009 (2A), 2010 (2A), 2011 (3A), 2012 (3A), 2014 (1A), 2015 (1A), 2016 (1A), 2017 (1A), 2018 (1A), 2019 (1A), 2020 (1A), 2021 (1A), 2022 (1R), 2023 (1R), 2024 (R)

State Finals History: 6 State Championships – 2001 (2A), 2007 (2A), 2017 (1A), 2018 (1A), 2019 (1A), 2021 (1A); 6 Runner-Up Finishes – 1998 (4A), 2003 (2A), 2004 (2A), 2011 (3A), 2012 (3A), 2023 (1R)

2024 Results – How They Got Here
*** –  Playoff Game
8/23 – at DeLand, 42-28 (W)
8/30 – Lincoln (Tallahassee), 29-7 (L)
9/6 – at Suwannee (Live Oak), 43-26 (W)
9/13 – at Columbia (Lake City), 18-13 (W)
9/20 – Bay (Panama City), 42-14 (W)
10/4 – Pace, 35-31 (L)
10/18 – at Florida High (Tallahassee), 23-13 (L)
10/25 – Apopka, 13-7 (W)
11/1 – Lake Minneola, 47-7 (W)
11/15 – Moore Haven, 51-13 (W)***
11/22 – Blountstown, 43-6 (W)***
11/29 – Union County (Lake Butler), 34-8 (W)***

What To Know About Madison County: For head coach Price Harris, the fruits of his labors as a student-athlete at Madison County in the early 1990s, being part of the foundational pieces that built Madison County into the program that is today is paying off as he prepares to coach in his second state championship game as the Cowboys head man. Madison County, while having to get through the effects of not only Hurrican Debby before the season started but also Hurrican Helene during the season while still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Idalia from the previous season, has shown a ton of resilience and keeping the small county glued together in the name of football. Offensively, LJ Crumity is going to be a big asset if the Hawthorne defense is going to force the Cowboys to throw a lot, but to their advantage, athletes like Naquez Christian and Jason McDaniel are going to be among the ground guys who are going to keep things balanced and keep Hawthorne in check. Defensively, Kemari Scurry has been a huge leader, leading in tackles for loss and sacks for the Cowboys this season, while Ocatvious Hodge is a tackling machine and leads the team in total tackles. Crumity will also be a threat on defense and leads the team in interceptions as well. Overall, Madison County is playing typical Cowboys football like they are traditionally known to do this time of year.

HAWTHORNE HORNETS (10-1)

Head Coach: Cornelius Ingram (10th year, 93-20 overall)

Playoff Appearances: 20 – 1982 (2A), 1985 (A), 1995 (2A), 1996 (2A), 1997 (2A), 1999 (A), 2001 (A), 2002 (A), 2003 (1A), 2006 (1A), 2009 (1B), 2010 (1B), 2011 (1A), 2018 (1A), 2019 (1A), 2020 (1A), 2021 (1A), 2022 (1R), 2023 (1R), 2024 (R)

State Finals History: 2 State Championships – 2022 (1R), 2023 (1R); 2 Runner-Up Finishes – 2020 (1A), 2021 (1A)

2024 Results – How They Got Here
*** –  Playoff Game
8/23 – at Anclote (Holiday), 51-0 (W)
8/30 – Newberry, 28-27 (OT) (W)
9/6 – at Flordia High (Tallahassee), 41-28 (L)
9/13 – Oakleaf (Orange Park), 27-21 (W)
9/20 – at South Sumter (Bushnell), 26-20 (W)
10/4 – Zephyrhills Christian, 39-14 (W)
10/18 – IMG Academy White (Bradenton), 35-14 (W)
11/1 – Orlando Christian Prep, 38-7 (W)
11/15 – Branford, 56-0 (W)***
11/22 – Lafayette (Mayo), 44-15 (W)***
11/29 – Williston, 28-7 (W)***

What To Know About Hawthorne: This will be the fifth straight state championship game appearance for the small Alachua County school and community located along US 301 and Florida State Road 20. No Alachua County program has ever played in five straight state championship games, which makes this a record that continues to build. Last year, the Hornets became the first school in Alachua County to win back-to-back state championships in football, establishing Hawthorne’s quick rise into the football record books not just in Florida but nationally as well. Led by former Florida Gator and Hawthorne alum Cornelius Ingram, the Hornets have built themselves around an offense that has been balanced over the years, but more importantly, behind a very stout defense that has frustrated multiple opponents over the years. The only loss this season and the only loss since going back to the 2021 season came at the hands of Florida High, and a game in which Ingram was sidelined due to health concerns by a doctor. That loss snapped a 26-game win streak, but ever since that loss, the Hornets have established a new winning streak for themselves, having won eight straight. Despite the two games following the loss to Florida High being one-point games, the Hornets have been on a recent tear, winning their last six games by at least 21 points or more. That comes on the heels of having strong athletes like Kennon Johnson, who has over 1,600 yards rushing on the season along with 21 touchdowns, while Adrian Curtis, who came to Hawthorne from Eastside (Gainesville) before the season started, has filled in nicely at the quarterback position taking over for C.J. Ingram who decided solely focus on basketball for his senior year. While it has been different not having the younger Ingram on the field for Cornelius, it has not stopped Hawthorne at all. Defensively, Naziy Gent leads the team in tackles and has been a leader of the defense for the past couple of years. Nathan Jennings has emerged even more as a sophomore as a disruptive defensive back who leads the team in interceptions. Ethan Thomas leads the team in sacks and has been sort of the unsung hero of the defense when compared to guys like Gent, Jennings, and even outside linebacker Leland Johnson who leads the team in tackles for loss.  Overall, there is no slowdown for the Hornets, destined to add themselves further to the record books.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

THOUGHTS ON THE GAME

This is the rematch Madison County wanted. Is it the rematch that Hawthorne wanted? That depends on who you ask, as some wanted to see a possible all-Gainesville area matchup between the Hornets and Union County (Lake Butler). However, with this rematch in the Class Rural State Championship for the third time in the last four years, this matchup will come with a lot of exciting plays and a lot of unexpected twists and turns.

The biggest question that will be looming in the game is how Madison County will be able to contain Kennon Johnson and Adrian Curtis. Curtis, who is starting to use his feet a little bit more to gain yardage could be hard to contain especially if things balance out between him and Johnson. All of that is going to be a tall order for the Cowboys to be able to handle given that the offensive line does not get enough praise for Hawthorne and how they have opened up big holes for Johnson all year. That brings in concerns if the Madison County defensive line will be able to hold up against the more heavier and physical offensive line from Hawthorne.

Looking at Madison County’s offense, the Cowboys are going to be running the ball with a variety of backs, and that could keep Hawthorne’s defense honest and on their toes. If that happens this could be very much a down-to-the-wire game. If not, this game could slip away from the Cowboys and into the hands of the Hornets once more.

Overall, this game will be fun, but given what we see in the comparables between Madison County and Hawthorne, the Hornets just look stronger and that could be the biggest advantage outside of both teams playing teams outside of their classification during the regular season.

Josh’s Pick: Hawthorne
Chris’s Pick: Hawthorne
Reno’s Pick: Hawthorne