Dwyer Outlasts Blanche Ely

     The Dwyer Panthers were able to barely survive with a 16-14 victory over the Blanche Ely Tigers on Friday night at Blum Stadium in a Class 7A regional quarterfinal. The Tigers scored more points in this contest than they did in their previous two playoff trips to Dwyer which was seven. The Panthers will host the defending state champions the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders next week.
     Dwyer called all running plays down the field during their first possession in the first quarter. It was capped at 7:01 as running back Jakari Moses went through the middle and scored from three yards away for a 7-0 lead.
     Blanche Ely responded immediately following the kickoff from their own 20-yard line as they scored on the first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Zachery Purdue threw a long pass down the right side to wide receiver Thomas Geddis who pulled away from the defense for the touchdown. It would set up a bad omen for the Tigers as they missed the extra point and were down by one point.
     The Panthers extended their margin to 13-6 with 1:24 left in the quarter as Moses caught a l6-yard swing pass on the right side from quarterback Toddy Centeio. He dashed to the front pylon in the end zone and dived in for the score. Dwyer followed by missing their extra point attempt.
     The Tigers cut the deficit to one point with 1:06 remaining in the second quarter. Purdue connected with wide receiver Jeremy Taylor on a slant pattern up the middle for a touchdown from ten yards out.
     Midway through the third quarter, Blanche Ely got a great punt by Arthur Forrest to the Dwyer one-yard line. Centeio was sacked in the end zone for a safety on the next play and Tigers had their first lead of the game 14-13 at 5:26.
     The final quarter was decided by the kickers of both teams. The Tigers were stopped on a 4th-and-5 from the Panthers 20-yard line. Wide receiver Noah Mathews caught a 30-yard catch for Dwyer on the first play of the possession at the 50-yard line. It led to a long field goal by Patrick Trepcos with 8:26 to go in the fourth quarter for a 16-14 lead.
     Blanche Ely had two more opportunities to regain the lead. The first was a missed field goal attempt from 36 yards out with 4:10 remaining. Their final drive was ended when cornerback Kenih Lovely intercepted a pass at his onw 35-yard line with 1:34 left.