ORLANDO — Lincoln HS (Tallahassee) star running back Javorius “Buck” Allen was limited to three yards on 15 carries and the Trojans’ entire offense was held to 121 yards by the defense of Armwood HS (Seffner). However, mistakes and penalties doomed Armwood as they fell to Lincoln 17-14 in the FHSAA class 4A title game at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium.
Though Allen was contained on offense, he made his presence felt in another area of the game.
With the game tied at zero in the second quarter, Derrington Abnar blocked a 47-yard field goal attempt by Armwood. Allen returned it 45 yards for a touchdown to give Lincoln (11-4) a 7-0 lead.
The mistakes continued for Armwood (14-1) as they racked up 116 yards on 13 penalties. No penalty was bigger than a fourth-and-25 play from the Armwood 42 late in the fourth quarter.
Armwood defensive lineman David Tinsely was called for roughing the punter. The penalty gave Lincoln first-and-10 at the Armwood 27 and put them within field goal range.
Lincoln kicker Carlos Gaston split the uprights on a 37-yard attempt with :04 seconds left to send the Lincoln fans into a frenzy.
Lincoln offensive coordinator and former Gator All-American receiver Jacquez Green ranks this win as one of the biggest in his career.
“I have played in college and in the pro’s but this ranks up there with one of the biggest wins of my career,” Green said. “We started the season 3-4 but we’re on a nine-game winning streak and playing our best football. I’m just so proud of our players and coaches.”
Armwood junior running back Matt Jones carried the Armwood offense. Jones finished with 154 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. One of the touchdowns was a 79 yard run on the first offensive play of the second half. Jones also added 51 receiving yards on three catches in the game.
Despite’s Jones’ effort, the Armwood passing game could never get going. Quarterback Josh Grady finished the game with only 64 yards on 6-of-18 passing.
GAME NOTES
-This is the third state championship for Lincoln. Armwood fell to 2-2 in state championship games
– Armwood lost leading receiver Ronnie Thomas to a dislocated knee in the second quarter. Armwood fullback Kyle Wilcox sprained his ankle in the first half and played on a heavily-taped ankle the rest of the game.
– Green was not the only current or former UF player in attendance. Armwood offensive line coach Mike Pearson is a former Gator All-American tackle. Former Armwood lineman and current Gator offensive lineman Matt Patchan was part of the 2,217 fans in the stands.
– Green said after the game that he really likes the hiring of new Florida head coach Will Muschamp. “He’s young, he’s energetic, he’s a defensive coach – I think this he is exactly what Florida needed.”