Blanche Ely At Dwyer Preview

     The Dwyer Panthers hosts the Blanche Ely Tigers in a Class 7A regional semifinal at Blum Stadium in Palm Beach Gardens on Friday night. Both schools met each other in a regional quarterfinal back in 2011 as the Panthers shut out the Tigers 28-0. The winner of this game will host the Section 4 regional final against the winner of the Plantation-St. Thomas Aquinas game next week.
     Dwyer(11-0) comes into this game undefeated as they have won 11 straight since they lost a kickoff classic preseason game against the Miami Central Rockets. The Panthers have outscored their opponents 472-68 in their 11 games this season. They easily handled the Boyd Anderson Cobras 35-8 last week in a regional quarterfinal. They have won all of their games by at least 24 points this season.
     The Panthers have the most talented core of wide receivers in Palm Beach County with Johnnie Dixon, Clint Stephens and Ezra Saffold who can pick up a reception at any time. Quarterback Daniel Parr looks to connect with all three of them on passing plays. Alonso Smith is their main running back who will get most of the carries along with Gerald Hearns. Kickoff/punt returner Shawun Lurry is a threat on every occasion with the ball and has scored several touchdowns this year.
     Blanche Ely(6-5) has a winning record for the first this season after a 44-20 victory over the West Boca Raton Bulls at Richard L. Williams Stadium in a regional quarterfinal last week. They began the year with four consecutive wins, however the Tigers have turned it around and are currently on a five-game winning streak. The Tigers have outscored their last three opponents 139-32 and their defense has made nine interceptions in the last two games.
     Nelson Ervin leads the Tigers on offense as their quarterback. Expect to see plenty of passing from him along with occasional running should he be pushed out of the pocket. Running back Terrance Blands, Brodric James and James Jean will be used for running attempts. Ely has numerous wide receivers who can advance the ball that includes Laderrick Smith, Kenneth Rawls, Edward Walker and Chazton McKenzie.