Ely-Dillard Soul Bowl called in third quarter because of safety concerns

Pompano Beach

Blanche Ely was leading Fort Lauderdale Dillard 9-7 in this year’s edition of the Broward County Soul Bowl when an incident prompted the game to be halted four minutes into the third quarter.

Fans, players and cheerleaders on the Ely side of the field ran from the entrance end of Otis Gray Jr. Memorial Stadium at Dillard High School toward the opposite direction.

Security officers and on-field personnel instructed people to lie down where they were. Soon after people from the Dillard side did the same. The PA system then informed the crowd that the game was over and encouraged folks to calmly exit the stadium.

As of late Saturday night, authorities have uncovered no evidence of a shooting and haven’t been made aware of any injuries, Fort Lauderdale Police Department spokesperson Casey Liening told the Miami Herald.

Blanche Ely (8-0) finishes its regular season undefeated. Dillard finishes the regular season with a 6-3 record.

The two teams entered the game as the No. 2 and 3 seeds in Region 3-3M behind St. Thomas Aquinas. Ely and Dillard could meet again in the second round of the playoffs on Nov. 18 if both advance next week.

Ely’s scores came in the form of a rushing touchdown by running back Cedric Ward (followed by a blocked extra-point attempt) and a field goal in the first quarter.

Dillard’s lone touchdown came in the second quarter with a 7-yard pass to wide receiver Edward Louis.

Among other highlights were Ely’s two interceptions. One came from safety Jordan Saintilus, which set up the Tigers’ first scoring series. Defensive back Treyvion Gilbert caught the other, which eventually led to Ely’s field goal.

MORE SCORES

North Miami 15, Westland Hialeah 14

Devoun Cetoute contributed to this story.