Thursday, November 17, 2016

Dwyer At St. Thomas Aquinas Preview

     It is a Class 7A regional semifinal rematch when the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders host the Dwyer Panthers at Brian Piccolo Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night. The Raiders won 24-7 over the Panthers last year at Blum Stadium.
     Both school have combined to capture the last four FHSAA Class 7A state championships. St, Thomas Aquinas took the title in 2012, 2014 and 2015 while Dwyer got it in 2013. 
     Dwyer(10-0) enters the game undefeated and compiled their fifth shutout of the season last week as they blanked Fort Lauderdale 39-0 in a regional quarterfinal. They have outscored their opponents 372-33 this season. 
     The Panthers are led on offense by quarterback Todd Centeio who looks to finally get a victory over St. Thomas Aquinas in his third try. He was the starting quarterback for Royal Palm Beach in 2014 as they fell to the Raiders 52-7 in a regional final and was with Dwyer when their season ended last year. 
     Most of the carries on offense will be done by running back Jakari Moses. Cedric Tucker and Reginald Gadson can see an occasional carry when necessary. Wide receivers Dy'laan Lee, Wesley Oldham, Luke Tommie, Jordan Mosely and Oyeh Lurry-Davis are targets that Centeio can connect with. 
     St. Thomas Aquinas(8-2) have not had a season end and been eliminated prior to a regional final since 2003. They are currently on a five-game winning streak and have outscored their opponents 213-34 during that span. STA easily defeated Palm Beach Lakes 35-0 last week in a regional quarterfinal as they put up 27 points in the first quarter. 
     The Raiders like to start up their offense with rushes to eventually open up the passing game. Running backs Michael Epstein and Kyshaun share the duties of carrying the ball down the field. Quaterback Jake Allen, who has committed to the University of Florida, looks to take charge of the offense. He has numerous passing options with wide receivers Michael Harley, Jonathan Moore, Jordan Merrell and Joshua Palmer. 

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