Plant Football Blanked by Armwood, 21-0

It was everything you'd want from a heavyweight fight.

Friday night's Armwood-Plant football game was a tight, defensive battle; each fighter protecting themselves, waiting for the right moment to strike. It was 3-0 at halftime. The Hawks answered the third-quarter bell with a flurry of body blows. A two-touchdown lead carried into the fourth quarter.

Senior running back Matt Jones and the Armwood defense dealt the knockout blows to secure the unblemished record and complete the fifth shutout of the season.*

Round One:

Plant senior quarterback James Few looked sharp in the opening drive after completing four passes that cut into Hawk territory. The Panthers went for it on 4th-and-short and came up just that. However, the Plant defense clamped down and forced a three-and-out.

Jones finally found a crease on Armwood's second possession and crossed midfield on a punishing run. Plant forced a 3rd-and-9, but Armwood got the conversion on a very nice play where it split Jones wide out to the left and he ran a quick hitch and go. Meanwhile, junior wide receiver Alvin Bailey slipped in the vacated area and got the first down.

It lead to a 45-yard field goal by junior kicker Nick Feely.

Round Two:

Armwood not only drew first blood, it landed the first good punch.

A 2nd-and-7 completion to senior receiver Antonio Crawford ended in a fumble that Armwood recovered. The recovery killed a 60-yard Panther drive.

What appeared to be at least a morale boost came when junior linebacker Reeves Rodgers bagged Jones in the backfield for a loss. Reeves Rodgers then flexed his biceps and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The 3-0 score carried into halftime.

Round Three:

The Panthers needed to come out in the second half and make a statement. However, they needed to get the ball back, as they had to kick off to start the third quarter.

What they might have overlooked was the kickoff, because senior defensive back Garian Brown took the opening boot 99 yards for a touchdown.

"I told myself before the third quarter that I was gonna make a game-changing play as long as the ball comes to me," said Brown.

Senior Panthers kicker Grant Van Aman kicked it right to Brown and caught a stiff-arm to the face as he tried to stop him. The two-point conversion failed, but the blow had been dealt.

The Panthers got back down the field but a screen pass to junior running back Wes Bullock bounced off his fingertips right into a Hawk defender's hands. The Panthers were stunned, but the defense bowed up, dialed in a blitz, and Armwood had the perfect play called.

"They were blitzing a lot and we just had to take advantage," said Armwood head coach Sean Callahan. "The ones we missed could have been big plays, too."

The middle screen went to senior running back Wade Edwards, and only four or five Panthers were between him and the end zone. He took it 77 yards for a touchdown.

The three-point halftime lead blew up into a 15-point lead in the first five minutes of the third quarter.

Round Four:

The Hawks kept pouring in a steady dose of Jones, wearing the Panthers defense down. Rodgers saved a touchdown tripping up Bailey on what was sure to be a touchdown catch and run.

Senior Tate Rodgers came back with a great stuff of Jones in the backfield. The Panthers finally halted the Hawk drive. Despite partially blocking the punt, the Panthers were flagged for roughing the kicker, and the Hawks got a fresh set of downs.

The Plant defenders had their hands on their hips and were reeling, ripe for that knockout blow.

Jones and the Hawks were happy to oblige. Jones landed a 30-yard run that broke the will of the Panthers defense and effectively ended the game.

Plant came back and moved the ball into Armwood territory but could not convert on a fourth down. The Hawks took over and ran off the final seconds.

"Even in the last two minutes, they didn't let up," Callahan said of his defense.

"They are so good at all 11 spots, you have to have everything covered," said Plant head coach Robert Weiner.

Senior linebacker Eric Striker broke the school career record for sacks in the fourth quarter with his 36th.

Jones finished with 85 yards rushing and a touchdown. Junior quarterback Darryl Richardson finished 6-of-12 for 174 yards and a touchdown. Bailey and Edwards combined for 145 receiving yards.

Despite the loss, Few was 13-of-22 for 116 yards. On a night when the Panthers only rushed for 40 yards, it fell on Few to move the offense.

"One positive that came out of this is we've found our trigger man," said Weiner. "We have a lot of confidence in James and he showed a lot of toughness tonight."

*This is an updated story. A previous version stated four shutouts for the Armwood Hawks, instead of five.

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