Hawthorne Crushes P.K. Yonge

The Hawthorne Hornets had their way with the P.K. Yonge Blue Wave on Friday night, dominating every facet of the game to win 50-2.

Hornets dominate the first half

P.K. Yonge (2-2) opened the game with a quick three-and-out, and a short punt gave Hawthorne (5-0) the ball at midfield.

Four plays later, the Hornets found the end zone for the first time, a 20-yard run from Keenon Johnson.

After another three-and-out, USF commit Alvon Isaac scored two touchdowns that were both called back for holding before quarterback CJ Ingram made two clutch plays, the second a 15-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Rollerson.

The points kept coming after that. In seven offensive plays, the Hornets scored four touchdowns (Johnson, Rollerson, Isaac and Matthew McKinley-Daniels) and forced a safety. The defending state champions entered the contest averaging 38.3 points per game, but beat that total before halftime.

Quiet second half

Due to Hawthorne’s significant lead, a running clock was put in place for the second half. Because of this, each team only had two possessions in the half.

The Hornets scored their final touchdown of the night on the first drive, a 49-yard strike from freshman Nathan Jennings (who also recorded an interception in the first half) to Darian Bowie. On their second drive, Jennings was sacked for a safety, ending the shutout.

The game ended shortly after.

Former Gators face off

Both head coaches, Willie Jackson Jr. (P.K. Yonge) and Cornelius Ingram (Hawthorne), are former Florida Gator standouts. Jackson Jr. played wide receiver from 1990-93, while Ingram played tight end from 2004-08, helping UF to two national championships.

Next week

P. K. Yonge remains at home to play Santa Fe (0-5) at 7 p.m. Friday, while Hawthorne (5-0) travels south to St. Petersburg to play Gibbs (0-4) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.