Game of the Week: Hillsborough vs. Armwood

Posted Oct 21, 2009 by Bill Ward

Updated Oct 22, 2009 at 01:50 PM

Friday’s Tampa Tribune/TBO.com prep football Game of the Week pits two of the county’s most successful programs, two state-ranked squads from Class 4A and two of the area’s most successful coaches.

It’s Hillsborough at Armwood, a game that will likely decide which team takes the 4A-9 title and home field advantage for the early playoff rounds.

The No. 6 Terriers have won five straight since dropping their opener against Jefferson. Under head coach Earl Garcia (24th season, 185-77), they have averaged more than 52 points per game during their unbeaten run and have forced a running clock in each contest as a result of leading by more than 35 points in the second half.

But the opponents Hillsborough has beaten own a combined record of 7-25, leading many—including the Terriers’ coaching staff—to wonder just how good the Big Red is this year.

No. 3 Armwood (5-1) is led by 20-season veteran Sean Callahan (160-70), who has guided the school to a pair of state crowns in 4A this decade. The Hawks have faced a tougher schedule than Hillsborough, splitting with two state-ranked 5A schools. Armwood edged Tampa Bay Tech by three points and lost at home to Plant by 10 points—a setback that ended the Hawks’ 43-game home winning streak.

But like the Terriers, the Hawks have played some relatively easy games, beating Newsome, Wharton, King and Chamberlain by a combined score of 198-9.

The key statistics in this matchup are the results from the past six years. In seven meetings since 2003, Armwood is 6-1 against Hillsborough and has out-scored the Terriers 193-58. In fact, when the Hawks played Hillsborough in the regular season last fall, they won 46-7 and did something no other team has ever done to an Earl Garcia-coached squad: forced a running clock.

This Hillsborough team has greatly improved since that humbling loss but it still faces the daunting task of winning at Lyle Flagg Field, something only two-time 4A champion Plant has managed to do in the past seven years.

For a video preview of the game with interviews of Garcia and Callahan, follow this link: http://www2.tbo.com/video/2009/oct/21/game-of-the-week-preview-hillsborough-v-22115/video-sports/

For an extensive photo gallery of the two teams preparing this week in practice, follow this link: http://www2.tbo.com/photoalbum/2009/oct/21/game-of-the-week-preparations-hillsborough-vs-armwood/

Also, check out TBO.com on Friday night for a live chat about action from around the Tampa Bay area, as well as our live scoreboard. There are several other games of note we will be following closely, including Alonso vs. Plant, Tampa Bay Tech vs. Brandon, Spoto vs. Jefferson, Lennard vs. Robinson and Tampa Catholic vs. Sarasota Cardinal Mooney.