No. 2 Armwood survives on late Alvin Bailey kickoff return for touchdown

On the heels of a long and draining week, second-ranked Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) survived a major upset bid Friday night.

But thanks to a 65-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Alvin Bailey with less than three minutes to play, Armwood pulled out a 35-31 first-round 6A win over visiting Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton, Fla.).

The surprisingly close game came after one of Armwood's starting offensive linemen was cleared to play by the FHSAA after a television report questioned his residency. The investigation is ongoing but the FHSAA has allowed Armwood to continue to play.

It didn't effect Armwood (11-0) early as it raced to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter and had a 28-3 cushion following a Bailey touchdown pass to Javonte Sneed to start the second half.

Given the Hawks' brilliant defense, which had not surrendered 20 or more points since beating Dwyer 22-20 in 2010, the game seemed out of reach.

However, Lakewood Ranch (5-6) launched a furious comeback led by quarterback Jalen Kowalweski, who completed a long touchdown pass and followed it up with a rushing TD to cut the lead to 28-17 at the end of the third quarter.

Armwood's defense continued to buckle, as Kowalewski led another drive that resulted in a touchdown. A missed two-point conversion attempt left the score 28-23.

After recovering an onside kick, Lakewood Ranch drove inside Armwood's 20-yard line and capped off the drive with a McKenzie Hathaway score. A successful two-point conversion made it 31-28 with three minutes remaining.

Just when it seemed like Lakewood Ranch was on the verge of one of the biggest upsets in state history, Bailey had other ideas.

The junior athlete, who has lines up at quarterback and wide receiver, made his biggest play of season on special teams, returning the ensuing kickoff 65 yards for a touchdown.

This time, Armwood's defense did not break, forcing Kowalewski to throw an interception that sealed the win.

With the victory, Armwood advanced to second-round play against Hillsborough, which downed Largo 29-23.

There does not appear to be a clear timetable on when the FHSAA will complete its investigation.

According to Tampa Bay Online, Armwood head coach Sean Callahan won't be happy until his program is totally cleared of any wrongdoing.

"It's a relief to us not to have to worry about playing our games but we won't be satisfied until our program is cleared at the end of the investigation," he said.