No. 1 Armwood Hawks vs. No. 2 Plant Panthers
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Dad’s Stadium, Tampa
TV: BHSN Channel 47 and HD 1147
Live Streaming: log onto bhsnlive.com to watch the game online.
Coaches: Sean Callahan is in his 25th season as the Armwood head coach (194-101); Robert Weiner is in his 11th season as the Plant head coach.
How they match up: This rivalry game is back on after a one-year hiatus. And don’t tell either team it’s just a Kickoff Classic and won’t count toward the regular-season record.
Armwood is coming off a season where they finished runner-up at the 6A State Championship. Plant was one win away from reaching the 8A State Championship Game, but lost in the state semifinals to 8A runner-ups Apopka. Both losses have been motivating factors for each program this offseason.
The Hawks return a good chunk of last year’s team, including senior quarterback Noah Johnson, who has opened a lot of eyes this offseason with his progression. Junior Rex Culpepper will make his full-game debut as the Panthers starting quarterback. Culpepper’s opened eyes too which has resulted in several Division I offers.
But the game within the game will be the battle upfront between the Bryon Cowart-led Armwood defensive line and the Jake Fruhmorgen-led Plant offensive line. Cowart’s Rivals No. 1 recruit in the nation and Fruhmorgen is a Clemson commit.
Three stats to know: 1. Since 2000, between these two teams there are seven state championships, 17 regional championships; 17 undefeated regular seasons and 292 wins; 2. Since 2009, Armwood’s defense in regular season games has allowed an average of only seven points per game and posted 19 shutouts; 3. Since 2006, Plant’s in county record (except for games vs. Armwood and Tampa Bay Tech) is 69-0.