One play decided Hawthorne's fate in the 2021 state championship against Madison County.

Two years later the programs met again, and this time one play decided Madison County's fate.

The Cowboys were tied with the Hornets 13-13 early in the fourth quarter Friday at Bragg Memorial Stadium. Setting up for a punt at its own 5-yard line, Madison County's snap flew out of the end zone for a safety.

Hawthorne never looked back, winning 22-13 to claim a second straight FHSAA 1R state championship.

"Hats off to Hawthorne they have a great football team," Madison County coach Price Harris said. "They did a great job of getting points when they needed to get points. It's hard to lose a game when you don't give up a defensive touchdown in the second half. Hats off to our defense, they played extremely hard and proud of our kids."

The Cowboys' defense and special teams stole the show in the first half, grabbing three interceptions, with junior Sean Willaims grabbing one and blocking a punt to slow down the Hawthorne offense. Varian Terry led the offense, scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 109 yards to open the game, including a 99-yard touchdown run.

An early second-half touchdown for the Cowboys was called back for a holding call, wiping out what would've been the go-ahead score off the board. Following that play, the Hornets' defense shut out Madison County for the remainder of the game, including the game-sealing fumble recovery for a touchdown.

"Those guys do a great job, they coach well and their kids are well prepared," Harris said. "They gave us a great scheme tonight and we didn't make plays and missed some opportunities, but that's what great teams do. There is a lot of mutual respect, and we are hoping to be back next year, so if they're back we'll see them next year."

A second-year turnaround

A loss in the title game was never the goal for Harris and Madison County. But after a 4-7 finish last season, the Cowboys did something not many people expected, pushing Hawthorne to the edge and finishing the year 10-2.

"Never good to get the runner-up, but I am very proud of the showing tonight," Harris said. "Nobody gave us a chance to even get to this stage and to be 13-13 at half, they battled their butts off. I can't say enough about my staff, them buying in, and our community for the support they gave me even through the rough times last year. And the kids, what can't you say about these kids, phenomenal young men."

Following in the footsteps of legendary Madison County head coach Mike Coe, the state championship expectations that Coe set for the program have been carried on by Harris. With a young roster, the Cowboys are already looking ahead at a return to the title game next season.

"Our expectations are never going to change, we're going to be expecting to compete for a state title every year," Harris said. "Hopefully it'll make us hungry for next year ... having our guys go out there and grind and work hard in the offseason is going to be key, and I hope it fuels us for another run next year."

Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Madison County football drops state title game to Hawthorne.