For the first time since 2023, Hawthorne football is a win away from an undefeated regular season.
Hawthorne ran all over Hardee with a 38-3 win to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the 2026 season. The Hornets, meanwhile, head into the bye week before the regular season finale vs. Dunnellon on October 30.
Heading into Friday, the Wildcats had some reason for fear with sophomore linebacker James Cherry, who holds offers from Florida, Alabama and Ole Miss.
However, the best squad they faced ranked No. 240 in Florida, and it was clear from the opening kick they hadn’t seen a squad as loaded as Hawthorne.
HHS scored on its first five possessions and completely neutralized Cherry. Defensively, the Hornets pitched a first half shutout. Hawthorne hasn’t allowed more than 14 points since the Week 1 win over Bishop Moore.
The struggles of a Hawthorne offense without starting QB Richard Roundtree and RB Derryek Gillins showed itself in the second half, but the Hornets defense did more than enough to preserve the victory.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1, Instagram @Ramreporter and Facebook Noah Ram - Reporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Hawthorne football a win away from undefeated season in rout of Hardee