Armwood has the last word at Gasparilla

Posted Jan 28, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Jan 28, 2012 at 11:38 PM

As winners of state football championships for Hillsborough County last fall, players and coaches from Armwood (Class 6A) and Plant (8A) were honored by getting to march in Saturday’s massive Gasparilla Parade.

While each had a banner to identify their programs, undefeated Armwood (15-0) had one additional banner that poked a little fun at Plant, their cross-county rivals whose only loss this season came to the Hawks.

The second banner read “AND WE SHUT OUT PLANT 21-0.”

Most of the crowd—estimated to be 300,000—didn’t seem to take notice. But seeing how the parade was staged in South Tampa, there were folks who knew what it meant, including the Plant players and coaches who marched nearby. Thing was, most in this crowd seemed too intent on consuming as many beverages as possible and catching as many beads as they could wear without falling over.

If nothing else, the banner—and two straight shut out wins by the Hawks over the Panthers—should fuel the rivalry. And it will make next fall’s meeting at Dad’s Stadium all the more interesting. For now, however, the Hawks get to have the last word—on a banner.